The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-07-04
WIDOW
.T,rH OF WEALTHY
STIRS POLICE

LOO HOTEL 81 West Ranooipn
SQUARE chicago. has presented the
street I'm the most battling case in
recon- haIieye she was murdered,
~ On far investigation has failed
thousn the cause OF DEATH "A man
to dlso n,ooomnanied her and registered
Tno husband and wife disappeared
ming the night, no one having seen
MN night be called the case of a
n.and angles. Letters, notatlons
tpO nprsonal notebook, with names,
ID Losses cryptic references and
alule data found in the woman's
Vn carry one all over America
across the Pacific ocean into the
orient. Only the dead woman and
~ nnrsons named in abbreviated
Union NY can interpret the notebook.
lN Tho woman was identified at the
r,astnrn Casket Company as Mrs.
Va Pocock, a wealthy widow, for
A of Canton, Ohio, but wac prior
- and since the death of her husband
= 1914 has been living i'm Chicago.
Che was identified by her son,
larry F. Pocock, 334 East Fifty-sixth
.trant an employee of Adds & Co.,
occountants. However, Identification
onIv added another element of mys-
tary tn the case He displayed no
omntion when he viewed the body and
sad he had no theory as to how she
met her death.
90 far as he knew she had no suit
or, he said, and he knew virtually
nothing of her life in Chicago. He
last saw her five days ago, when
shp visited his home and helped take
a number of camera pictures of his
little SON. At that time she seemed
happy and in the best of health.
Il was 1850 o'clock Thursday
night when a gray-haired man with
an English accent and fashionably at
tired in summer suit and straw hat
approached the desk of the City Hall
souare Hotel and accosted Frank J.
Kenmore, the night clerk.
81 would like to reserve a room
for myself and wife," he said.
Kenmore handed him pen and he
inscribed on the register a name and
address Kenmore could not deeper.
Beg pardon, but / cannot make
this out" he said
81. S. Mintren," said the man,
shade of annoyance passing over his
face
He did not see Mrs. Pocock. She
had remained in the woman's wait
ing room.
The bellboy, Edward Sorenson of
1924 North Clark street, saw her, but
had no conversation with her, as he
escorted the couple to room GOT.
Boy" said her companion at the
door of the room, bring me a pitcher
Of iced water. And, say, boy, leave
"a call for me at a. Ill.
That was all. That was the last
time Mrs. Pocock was seen alive and
the last time anyone saw her COM
panion Occupants of adjoining
rooms heard no sound from GOT
throughout the night. Even the bell
boy, when he brought the ice water,
heard no one. He raped at the door
and then left it outside
At s o'clock the next morning
Sorenson and Kenmore, the night
clerk, had gone home, but the day
telephone operator ring GOT. She
rang for several minutes. Then
ceased. She thought nothing of the
matter, as guests frequently leave
calls and fail to observe them.
At , o'clock in the afternoon Mrs.
Margaret O'Neill, maid, was making
her rounds. She raped at o07.
There was no response. She opened
The door with her skeleton key and
entered. Diagonally across the bed
lay Mrs. Pocock, in a silken night
dress. Mrs. O'Neill thought at first
she was asleep. On nearer view she
found she was dead
She summoned the day clerk, who
In turn notified the authorities.
Coroner Peter nj. Hoffman, Detective
SergeantS John Prendergast and
Charles McGurn of the Central Sta
ton and Detective Sergeant William
ONeill Of the bureau we're the first to
arrive. Coroner Hoffman immedi-
ately summoned Drs. William H.
Burmeister and William McNally, city
chemist.
These two conducted hasty post
mortem of the stomach contents and
the heart They found only traces of
alcohol and those very slight. A
more thorough chemical analysis is
being conducted to determine wheth-
er there is any poison present.
And here develops another remark
able angle of the case. Coroner Peter
nj. Hoffman said:
We have nothing to show how
the woman died"
Ihere were new fingerprint bruises
on either side of each muscle of the
upper arm. At the base of the brain
was small confusion. The skin was
hot broken, but under it a clot of
blood was visible. This could have
Oeen caused either accidentally or
oCnerWlse, the coroner said, but
would not have caused death.
Finger print bruises, apparently
aoout 10 days old, were found on
elrher side of the upper hips and on
tne interior of the thighs.
=, while the new bruises indicate
tn4t violent, if silent, struggle, tran
splred IN room GOT, all are superficial
Snu could not possibly have caused
uealh, the coroner said. Recon
81 ucClng the struggle, L should say
tne woman was pinned on her back
by the man."
evidence OF the struggle ends there,
however. The bed linen, the bureau
oo9tents, the furniture, were all in
o o There was nothing to indi-
Vdte that Mrs. POcOck had been taken