The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-05-11
BODY OF AN INFANT
FOUND IN SUIT CASE
No Evidence of Foul Play, But Sus.
picious Circumstances Arouse
Much Talk

Street. this city. is wondering what s
going to happen next since she open
ed suit case in the room occupied
by young woman in her house Tues
day afternoon and found therein the
body of newly born infant.
All sorts of rumOrs are going the
rounds since the news of Mrs. Eas-
on's find got out, spite of vigorous
efforts to hush the thing up. and the
public will not be satisfied with any
thing other than the facts. Here then
are the facts so far as known:
The suit case containing the child
was found in the closet of room
occupied by young woman giving
her name as Mrs. Miriam Saunders
Wootten while Mrs. WOOtten was
away from the home Tuesday after
noon. The baby was born Monday
before & o'clock T.. NJ. and was alive
when born. The doctors pronounced
it Il "seven months baby.
Mrs. Eason's suspicious were arOus-
ed Monday afternoon when DIR. How
ard J. Combs and DIR. c. B. Williams
rushed into the house and to Mrs.
Wootten's rooms. DR.. Combs was
with Mrs. Wootten for several hours.
Mrs. Eason was not called on for any
assistance of any kind and not un-
til seven o'clock did she go to Mrs.
Wootten's room to inquire about her
condition. She was not invited to
enter, and talked to Mrs. WOottcn
from the closed door.
II have had an awful PAIN said
Mrs. WOottcn, "the doctors think l
have appendicitis; they have placed
an ice pack on me and have put two
tubes in my side" Mrs. EasOn
thought her roomer would be going
to the hospital next; but instead of
going to the hospital next morning,
Mrs. Wootten was up and dressed
and on the street. She returned to
the house before noon, but left a.
gain about two o'clock.
About four o'clock storm threat
ened and Mrs Eason went upstairs
to see that windows were down in
all the rooms. One of the first things
she noted in Mrs. Woottens room
was new sheets on the bed. She
turned back the bed cover and dis
covered evidence of serious nature.
This led to a search and the discov-
cry of a suit case containing the body
of a dead baby.
Mrs. Eason communicated the facts
TO the County Coroner. DIR. Isaiah
Fearing. An inquest was held. but
50 far rs can be learned no evidence
of foul play was found on the body
of the infant. DIR. Fearing talks
hesitatingly about the case and has
not filed report on it. The police
are about as dumb on the case as po-
lice usually are.
There have been no arrests and ii
IS indicated there will be none.
1t is just another case of young
woman spelling her life. Mrs. WOot-
ten is comely young woman OF "a
or "a years, of whom very little is
known here. She came to Elizabeth
City more than a year ago with q
young baby and represented herself
rs a married woman estranged from
her husband. She lived ut the Raleigh
Hotel for time. She took rooms
Mt Mrs. Eason's about three months
ago. Until recently she was en-
ployed as a stenOgraphcr in the Of
fices of the Virginia Carolina Joint
Stock Land Bank and had gained her
self there the reputation of modest
Industrious and efficient young wom'
! an.
Several young men about town are
mentioned in the affair, one OF those
prominently mentioned being n L. >
Civil Service employe. Mrs Wootten
e. . "Wednesday night