The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-07
POLICE HAVE No TANGIBLE
Clue IN MURDER Case
Identity OF Dead Woman Is AS Much
OF Mystery as Ever.
BODY is AGAIN IDENTIFIED.
Police Have Practically abandoned
Trail Which Led to Army Oniccr nj
Camp Irc--Eootwcar May Afford
Clue.


j Was the mysterious unknown wo-
man, whose identity has oaffied the
| police since her body was found on
the river bank about ten days ago. a
victim of murder. or did she meet
/ death by her own hand? This is the
question that has not been conciu-
| siveiy answered. and upon IT may rest
the only possibility OF the solution OF
| the mystery. tip to Last night the
case had become devoid Of clues. and
with each day has come the explosion
OF some theory that was thought most
promising,
Detectives have almost abandoned
the trail which led to an army officer
at Camp Lee, since Hattie Lipscomb.
whom the officer was charged with
killing, appeared in the flesh last week
to prove that she was alive. Efforts
to locate the wife of the officer.
though she is known to have recently
been in Alabama, have failed. More
recent developments go to show that
the officer In question has been twice
married, though it has not been
shown whether or not he has divorced
| one OF the women.
Officer Is Cleared.
The lieutenant stated to county
authorities yesterday, II is said, that
he expects to marry Hattie Lipscomb
as soon as he is able to obtain a
divorce from his wife. w. r. Lips
/ comb, father of the young woman
| whose supposed disappearance was
instrumental in welding a strong
chain of circumstantial evidence
| around the Camp Lee officer, stated
on his visit to Richmond that his
! daughter had been engaged to a lieu
tenant, and 1t is thought the officer in
question is the man referred to. This
wouic seem 70 clear up his side Of
the mystery and close the situation,
! so Tar as he is concerned.
Yesterday woman went to Mel
| sens morgue and identified the corpse
/ as the body OF young woman OF this
| city, who had been missing for about
| a month Detectives were set to work
on the case. and II Is thought the
missing, woman has been located.
The Identification" of the corpse has
| become A very popular pastime no
day passing without at least one at
| tempt at a solution o the mystery OF
| the death of the young woman
Detective Sergeant Lewis Kellam,
who IL In charge Of the case for the
Richmond police, stated last night
that he had not been able to pick up
a clue as to the woman's identity.
Ending the eighth day of the mystery
detectives are about. neck and neck
| with the starting point, with little
hope in sight With no proof nor
| indication that the woman met a
violent death. the case offers no ends
upon which anything more than a
| haphazard theory can be tied.
Can't Decipher Name.
/ Berhllon Expert w, r. Toler deveI.
loped the picture taken of the writing
on the raincoat yesterday but could
beginning CT the c3se. promised much
TOT in'crest, 1t would have been pos
sible to lead the name beneath the
COLLAR OF the caat 1t Ia thory,-. faf
not the writing been almost obliterete,
In an attempt to brush dir. ofs CT /
With a stiff brush a few days ago. IN,
FIRST threc letters of the name hav,
been cec;phered to read rs r o." bn
further than that the authorities d,
rot venture an opinion.
An int resting feature Of the cas-
is the tact that the mystery 81 the siea;
woman's identity has brought to liyh
the cases y. nine women who are mics
ing from Richmond and vicin.tv, ans
has furnished the police with sufricien
lntateraaj for a great deal OF procovn,
drought Captain OF Detectives Aic.
a
with their description. and this list will
he gone over carefully to compar
with the description OF the dea'
. woman.
shoes May Give. Clue.
1t Is still hoped that the serial mum
bers in the shoe worn by the deat
woman will throw little light on tn
case. The shoe has been sent to tn
Walkover shoe factory in Massa chu
10. sat IaA e.
turer will be able to say to what local
ity the shoe was sent and possibly b,
whom sold. This may lead TO tn
, loca ton of at least the home OF tn
woman whose body is not claimed.
, Police are investigating a report tina
a young woman disappeared from
local boarding house following n quar-
rel with q soldier several weeks ago
1t was learned on investigation tina
, this soldier was an officer. The jitne.
driver. who testified to driving sol
. der and a woman to point nea
where the dead body was found. state
that The soldier in the party YVES
lieutenant. He was taken to see tn
Camp Lee suspect. but said he ha,
lnever seen him before
All activity OF the detectives nov
hinges upon the matter OF establish
ing either the identity Of the woman
; or whether or not she caxsae to he
, death through some other hands thai
her own The rovcrsos with whicl
they have met with in tho case up (,
, this time are such that they feel the,
cannot take action in the mater o
any arrest until they have found VIII
: the dead woman was. Sergeant Kel
! lam. Policemen Shoemaker. Sheriff
Sydnor and others are spending ever,
effort to clear up the mystery, ar,
81 their past records indicate that the,
will have some solution of the matte
. before they are willing to give up.