The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-15
WONlN's CONDUCT
CAUSES f. WONDER
HANDsoMn STRANGER IN BLACK
Excrr1Es INTEREST ON SOUTH
ERy HALLWAY TRAIN.
SUICIDE CANDIDATE
SAD AND REsTLEss DEMEANOR
LEAD TO OPINION THAT BLUE
EYED WOMAN CONTEMPLATE
ED sELr-DEsTRUCTIoN


Inc tuyEtsftouS ACTIONS OIL very
handsome young woman In black was
the occasion of considerable excite
ment and keen Interest among the
passengers on the Keysville accommo-
dalton train over the Southern Rail-
way Tuesday night. The young wo-
man was apparently twenty-five or
thirty years of age, with dark hair
and blue eyes, and was becomingiy
attired in a handsome black suit with
a large broad hrim black felt hat.
She was of medium stature, rather
inclined to be stout and was striking
ly good-looking.
The young woman was evidently a
stranger to the Southern Railway Of
fieials, because Conductor Dudley
Eudd. who knows nearly everybody,
did not recognize her. and Ella, the
waitress. who remembers the name
OF nearly every one who ever travelled
over the road, said she never saw the
handsome young woman before.
The mysterious stranger. all alone
and with only q handbag and South
err Railway time card as baggage. ar
rived at the Southern Station about b
o'clock in the afternoon. After care
fully consulting the time card she ask
ed Conductor Rudd If the fare over
the road was two cents "a mile. The
affable captain advised his cookbook
ing questioner that It cost two and a
half cents to ride mile over his
read. II thought it was only two
cents replied the fair one.
Was Nervous and Restless.
With a restless uneasiness the wo-
man in black paced the floor OF the
station. attracting attention and par
ticularly arousing the interest of Con-
ductor Rudd, who watched the every
- $h Oft
Remaining in the station some ten or
fifteen minutes, the stranger went out
and walked up the car steps to the
back platform of the rear coach OF the
Keysvilie train. She was still under
the watchful eye of Captain Rudd,
who SAYS she remained for short
while on the car platform, apparently
in deep study. when suddenly she has
THY left the car and hurriediy re-en-
tered the station.
Again referring to the time card,
the young stranger went TO the ticket
window and bough, q ticket to Mid
lothian and. learning from Captain
Rudd that the Keysvilie accommoda-
ton train stopped at Midlothian, she
boarded the train.
While the young woman remained
quietly in her seat in the car, there
was an apparent unrest in her APP
pearance that gave rise to the I'M
preston among the passengers that
the woman in black was In some grea,
trouble. She was closely scrutintzed
by several residents of Midlothian, but
none of them had ever seen her be-
fore.
Candidate For Suicide.
Captain Rudd confidingiy told a
representative of The Richmond Eir-
ginian that 1t was his opinion that
the young woman with the handsome
face was going to Midlothian with
the intention of killing herself In some
OF the old abandoned mines that In
fest that village Other people on
the train thought the same thing
and the stranger was closely watch
ed Captain Rudd also stated that
a strange man was q passenger on the
train and he also had ticket to
Midlothian. This announcement In
creased the excitement and interest
in the strange affair.
When the train arrived in Mid
lothian the strange man left the
coach. but the woman in black re-
manned quietly In her seat apparently
unmindful OF the fact that the brake
man had called Midlothian" sew
eral times. Captain Rmdd then APP
preached his strange Midlothian pas
senger and advised her that the train
had arrived at the place to which
she had purchased a ticket.
Referring to her time card she ask
ed If the train stopped at Dry Bridge,
which was the next place on the
schedule. The conductor told her yes.
but advised her that Dry B.idge
was only . flag stop. that there was
no station agent there and the only
house was store. "Oh. / thought
Ii was quite village said the mys-
ferrous creature stan making no ef-
fort to leave the train. She finally
told the conductor that she would go
on further down the road.
Gets on nj Dry Bridge.
The young woman left the train at
Dry Bridge. when she inquired when
the next train left for Richmond.
When told that the train did not stop
at Dry Bridge she appeared to be
greatly worried. a young man kind
ly offered to take her 10 Hallsboro
and the two drove TO that station.
where the woman took train that
brought her back to Richmond about
e:se.
She declined to give her name and
1t could not be learned what be-
came of her when she arrived In
Richmond Tuesday night
Chief Werner says that no such
case has been reported 10 the police
department and he had no idea who
the young woman could he.