The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-07-30
SNODCRASS AUTOPSY IN
M0ONL|T GRAVEYARD
Torches Light Effort to Learn
How Missing Mount Ver-
non Nurse Died.
HER BODY FOUND IN CREEK
Doctor Thinks She Was
Drowned, and Catskill Au-
thOritics Say Murder.

missing Mount Vernon nurse. was held
here to- night In Catsklll Cemetery with
the moon lighting the scene. Torches
in the hands Of those who assisted the
physicians gave the only other light
they had.
Crowds gathered at the gates Of the
cemetery and had to be kept back by
District Attorney Wilbur's men. who
were in charge. Hundreds had learned
that the body OF the girl had been
found in Dubois creek Sunday and ex-
element in Catskili was high.
The decision Of DR.. J. F. Rooney. who
came from Albany to perform the au-
topSy. was that Miss Snodgrass had died
! from drowning.
Dr. Rooney said late tonight that IL
/ was impossible to state yet whether the
I fluid in the lungs was water or a post
mortem condition. He will also make a
search for poisons In the body. but says
that he will not be able to say whether
or not they are present for two or three
days.
District Attorney Wilbur is going to
launch a dummy into the water at 2
O'Clock tomorrow morning to see
whether or not the body might have
fioated up into the position II was
found The dummy will he the size Of
Miss Snodgrasss body and will be sent
into the water as the tide begins to flow
up the creek.
The authorities think she was either
thrown overheard from a motor boat
and her body washed up into the
creek. or that she jumped from a boat
OF the Catskill Night Line.
The autopsy came at the end Of sew
eral changes in the plans OF the au-
thorities In which the body was shifted
from the cemetery to an undertaker's s
place and back to the cemetery, where
it was placed in a tool house. When
it was found 1t was towed to Ursula
dock and then taken to the undertaking
establishment.
Owing to the condition Of the body II
was decided to take It TO the cemetery
and perform the autopsy there. When
Il became known that the autopsy was
to be in the open air crowds OF persons
IN Catsklll fiocked tn the gates.
They saw the light of the torches
around the table under the trees where
the doctors worked and pressed close
to the railing when District Attorney
Wilbur refused to lot them in. The
torches cast weird shadows on the wa
Nering branches above their heads and
the moon shone down in a sort OF sickly
gleam that made the scene one long &c
be remembered by those who watched
, After the body had been taken to the
tool house again DR.. Rooney said he wa,
convinced Miss Snodgrass had come tc
her death by drowning. Her watch hat
, stopped at 5:03.
, The only thing that initiates agains
the theory Of suicide Is that the bod.
was found nearly three-quarters Of
mile from the Hudson and in such shall
low water that It hardly seemed pos
sible 1t could have drifted In with ii,
tide
/. The body was lying on Its face Will
the arms outstretched. About 200 fee
. from the body was Miss Snodgrass's hat
with the hatpins still in place ant
pieces Of hair and the scalp adherinl
to them.
. James r. Young OF Catskill, formerl!
manager for the Alpha Cement Com
pany. discovered the body Sunday af
: ternoon just after high tide turned
He was canoeing with his daughter
y Gated short distance up Duboi
Creek. Mr.. Young padded up the creel
/ as far as he could go. which at higl
:. tide is perhaps three-quarters OF Z
= mile. -'-->,u
on the backward course. roundin
the fourth bend Of the little stream. MI
Young saw what he supposed was
bundle Of rags.
=. at looks like a dummy" he observe
to his daughter. and padded on. The
impellcd by a second thought he turne
Il his canoe about.
l. "On closer examination" said MI
= Young this afternoon, II saw what
e thought was shell comb. Then
4. could distinguish other parts Of the ar
!. parcl. The body lay face down anon
y the reeds and long grasses.
/. Before disturbing the body, l locke
a about to see how 1t could have CON
70 there. The grass was not tramplc
n down; there were no footprints on III
bank. ] could not see at a glance, nc
ID after second thought do I see, how ST
e could have come there except by b,
n ing lifted from q boat"
" Mr. Young notified Coroner II. !
'c Vandcnherg. who went to the plac
l. The body was In such state that 1t wa
n thought best to tow II by rope aroun
% the bends OF Dubois Creek and aero.
II Catsklll Creek, where 1t was fastent
1t by rope to the Ursula dock Of the Cat
i. kill Yacht Club. There It was place
1t In the charge Of Frank Kortz. an unde
N taker.
of An examination OF the clothing serve
to make the Identification complet
q The body was fully clothed. In evel
~ detail the clothing and articles
IA jewelry correspond to the published d
70 scriptions sent out by the Mount We
40 non police. The undcrclothing WI
a marked I'D. Snodgrass." To the be
.e was attached black leather handbag.
hs Mrs. Crider, the sister of Miss Sno
%. grass. stated that when her sister le
home to shop In New York week al
he last Wednesday she had ten dollars.
w the handbag were two one dollar hi
or and 81 cents In change, besides a smI
KS mirror. The shlrtwaist was fastened
IL