The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-15
POLICE BAFFLED
BY CR|SPELL CASE
Unable to Find Any Light on
Death of Girl in Harvey's
Lake.
HER FATHERS STATEMENT
Tells How He Sought to Keep
Her From Glare OF White
Lights.
HER FATHERS STATEMENT
Especial to The Times.DIspatch. |

1t was when, on the morning of July I,
her body was found floating in Har-
vey's Lake.
Tho police have thrown up their
hands. The district attorney declares
himself bafIled. and says that while
he would not assume the responsibility
of saying that Herbert Johns. the dead
girls fiance. who was seen with her
| last, is innocent. he would not find fault
nor differ with tho judges If tomorrow
the court frees Johns at the habeas
corpus hearing.
After week of work the police are
certain Of but one thing. This is tho
indisputable fact that Alice Crispeil is
dead. They don't know even when she
died. Their clues have failed in un-
swerving succession.
The religious maniac. said to be a
relative OF the girl, who had threaten
ed the girls life, is still at large. re-
fus;ng to talk The district attorney
Johns knows far more than he has
told. but Johns has had time to reflect.
and his first story standing assailed,
undoubtedly will be his final one.
The only other possibility OF So
luton to the mystery that the police
possess lies In the story OF four men
who were seen crossing Harvey's Lake
from Point Breeze at 1880 on the
| night of July 4. These men will be
interviewed tomorrow.
Second Autopsy.
The second autopsy was performed
to-day. Drs Leblanc and Larkin re-
moved the dead girls stomach and
took 1t to New York with them for
| chemical examination. At the conclu
sion OF the Investigation, the district
attorney gave out the following state
ment:
the autopsy performed by Drs. Lee
| name, Larkin, Wolfe and Higgin to-day
has resulted in conclusive proof that
Alice Crispell met her death from
drowning An examination of the or
gans OF the deceased shows them to
have been normal and healthy. The
lungs contained mucous. indicating
that the cells had been so filed dur
ing life and In the course Of respira-
ton.
mo external marks OF violence have
! been found. and apparently no strug-
gle of any kind preceded death. Mel
Their rxns there any cerebral hem
| orrhagc nor proof of any physical con-
, dillon which might constitute n mo-
| tive for suicide
| William Crispell to-day made this
! statement:
my daughter is dead. A victim Of
! the life that lures young girls from
| the path that God marked for those
| who would follow the teachings or
! Ht Son. She was never bad girl.
| She died a good girl, but wilful one
| She had n taste Of tho life or tho
! cafes; Just a taste and n desire for
! more was born.
| alice had never been in city
larger than Wilkes Barre. To her,
New York was n dream. and l no
| ticed the change IN the girl after she
remarked one night last spring that
she would love &c see Broadway and
the cafes In New York. She had al
| ready visited the cafes OF Wilkes
| Barre She had thereby tasted OF the
| tree of knowledge. 1t opened to her
| eyes a world far apart from that in
| which she was born and raised. /. hnr
| father. have seen New York but once.
But she was of the newer generation.
| and the call Of the white lights had
reached her
II was always man OF few words
and of llttls religion. Like all farm
ers, l sent my children to the meeting
on Sunday. Home Bible services ana
| prayer meetings were far from my
| thoughts, however. but last spring
| there came to me n great light.
IL saw my girl Alice coming home
! late at nignt. Now and then she did
| not come home Mt all. I saw her In
the company OF young men whom /
! distrusted. l began to think OF her
| future.
Converted by "Billy" Sunday.
Billy Sunday came TO Wilkes Barre
| and ] went tc hear him. l began TO
! see that there was but one solution
| to my perpleXity. and that it lay in
the Gospel taught By Jesus Christ.
| THE power and the comforting
| philosophy Of the message brought me
| by Billy sunday showed me new
| path in life. In tho Word Of God L
IN M
~ inaugurated daily services in my
home and prayed that Alice would be
shown the folly of her way and for
sake It, spoke to Alice and she
| listened, but did not heed My con-
version was complete. l saw in cafes,
nothing but tho face and hand Of man.
mon.
"One night after sho had been away
| from home for n day and a night. !
went to her. The Spirit was within
my heart in all its intensity. l strus-
gled with myself. | tried to tell her
OF her folly, but she showed little In
terest i took my gun from the shelf
| above the fire place and pointed 1t at
her
ut would DO better that the bullet
in this gun should pierce your heart
than that you should sell your soul to
the devil, l told her.
Murder was not in my heart. The gun
was not loaded. and l knew 1t, l was
merely trying to impress tho relative
value OF her life and soul upon her.
! That Is all.
II have prayed for the soul of my
girl ever since her body was found.
| know that she was not bad girl.
God will not judge her for the few
sins that she had committed. She was
weak. uncertain. undecided In her
was the longing for the gnrish life
| that leads to darkness. but in her heart
was a great space for the Word of
God 1t would have come to her once
she saw the emptiness OF the life for
| which she craved. But now she has
| gone, and believe that God has taken
her to His side. where the wicked cease
from troubling and the weary are nj
| rest