The Cairo bulletin., 1913-09-10
LAKE GIVES Up
BODY OF WOMAN
BESIDE CRAVE
prays on Beach and Then Leaps to
to Her Death From
Pier.
TIES WEIGHT ABOUT NECK
TO BE SURE BODY SINKS

Chicago, Sept. 9.-After making
two little graves in the sand of the
lake shore, placing tin can OF
flowers at the head of one and pray
ing over the toy graveyard she had
made. Mrs. Walter Il. Smith, one
of the wealthiest and most attrac-
tive young society matrons OF Lake
+ Forest. yesterday tied weight
about her neck and leaped into Lake
Michigan. Her body was washed
ashore about 3 o'clock
Mrs. Smith was the daughter OF
Hiram II. Mccullough, vice presi-
dent Of the Chicago & Northwestern
Railway company She was the wife
Of Walter b Smith, stock and bond
broker and member OF the Chicago,
Onwentsia and other exclusive clubs.
Her father-in-law, Byron l.. Smith
is president Of the Northern Trust
company and is closely identified
with some of Chicagos largest finan-
cial houses.
Little Bors Watch Last Rites.
About 1890 O'Clock yesterday two
little boys, playing along the shore
at the edge OF Lake Forest City park
at the foot of Deerpath avenue, saw
a woman acting strangely, She
wore very fine clothes, and a great
ring sparkled on her slim hand, yet
she knelt down in the sand with the
ABANDON Of child in gingham and
scooped it with her hands.
rae boys watched her turitiYely,
hut she did not seem to notice them
She seemed to be making a toy grave
yard. They saw her make two tiny
graves in the sand, put some flowers
in a rusty can and place them at the
head Of one grave, ana kneel over
the little mounds as II she were
praying. All her actions were
strange and the little boys, fasci-
mated and 0ewilderd, watched I'M
seen.
When the graves had been filled
up and the little mounds smoothed
over, and the flowers put in place,
and the prayers said, the strange
lady began to tie a rope about her
neck Then the boys were fright
ened
She's goin to hang herseltH"
whispered one.
Lets run let's get a police
mani said the other.
So the scared little fellows ran,
and after a while found policeman.
But when they Wen. with him to
he place the woman was gone.
There was the llt4e toy graveyard.
with it's can Of flowers and the
marks Of womans hands aud shoes
in the sand
Il guess she's gone home, said
the policeman
It was not more than fifteen min
utes after the boys had witnessed
the strange scene on the shore that
Reinhold Lehr went down to the
beach to bathe.
Thinks Body is Clothing.
fier walked out to the end of the
pier, about 100 feet and saw what
he took to be bundle of clothing,
lying in about eight feet of water.
He thought it was cast-off clothing,
and did not attempt to recover it.
About O'Clock the east wind and
the waves had carried the bundle of
clothes to the shore and Park Police
man Martin Sweness saw it. He
went to the edge Of the water to ex-
anime it and found it was a wom-
ans body.
It was the strange lady" whom
the little boys had seen burying
imaginary people in the sand She
wore the same Gno clothes and on
her hand sparkled the splendid ring
they had seen. She was fully
dressed, except for a hat, and later
her hat was found on The shore fast
ened to the bank with hatpin.
Cord Tied Around Neck.
And around her neck they found
the cord which she had been tying
on when the boys got frightened
and ran. The loop was still fast
ened but not tightly enough tc
choke her. One end hung down
frayed and raveled and it is believed
that she had tied stone to it sc
that her body would sink. but that
the cord broke from the weight. The
cord was of binder twine
The body was carried to under.
taking rooms in Lake Forest. lht
coat was thought to be one Mrs
Smith had worn, and the ring was
also partially identified. So they
called up Walter B. Smith at his
down town office and told him what
had happened.
Brother Identifies Body.
The body was partially identified
by the initials in the ring, 'W. B.
s. to F. NJ. c."
Then, in one of the stockings