Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18
VICTIM WAS SEEN
IN ISLAND VILLAGE
BEFORE HER DEATH
Policeman Says He Saw Miss
Wiggington at SoIomonS
the Day Before.
ANALYSIS AWAITED
IN CORONER'S QUIZ
Theory That Woman Found IN
Patuxent River Was Slain
Still Strong.

IVA staff Correspondent OF lHe "
IEONARDTOWN, Md, OCTOBER - -,
THE mystery surrounding the oesGn VI
Miss wilma Wigginton, oo-yeal oH etore
,,asterdav near Milestone Lanolns' wac
Seenened tonight when a state pollCIv,-
,.aoI1 informed States Attorney Jonn n.
- pr;scoe that he had seen the woman
m Solomons Island the DAY peloie AeA
body was found. .4 .,,o,t
TITO officer made his statement snort
lv after DR.. P. j. Bean, st. Marys Coo t1
~ Coroner. announced chenllcai. az ~
alvsis of the woman's vlScera Moutu "
made in Baltimore. Coroner bean w az
cided on the action, ne salo, az ca,,tlv
autopsy had revea4eo s4ie
had not drowned. -, L.or,,ed
"I1suallv." ne explained. "a orowI1 ITa
oerson's lungs are filled with water; ~
determine if this were true IN Mlss w" ~
ginton's case, I placed her oooy a. ~
Patuxent River, Just snort u4s'a a. a.
fron, where it was found, 10 see ~
would float. The fact that II olo Is, -.
INV opinion. pretty conclusive e' ~ ~
that drowning was not the CAUSE "a
death.
Poison as Possibility.
"And since there were no marks OF
nbvsical violence on the body. cor
Guided that the only other poSSioaitoS
was poison--that is, that MISS w ,,Se,ss y,
ton was poisoned ana tIlen 'i''o"'-
the river. ~, =. ,oyea1 anv
tr,co If noison III be satisfied that MISS
Wippinton committed SUICIDE
The results Of the analysis Will noI NC
known for several days, II was Sdlo'
The policemanS report that ne mao
seen Miss Wigginton on Solornons
land Thursday came as SURF 90
a canvass of the town. mace oy cai s,;t
Sotntv authorities, had failed to dis
close any one VINO couIo leiiie4i00A Jaw
ing seen her. 4 ,,o,,,-
Desnite the officers statement. now
ever Miss Wigginton'S movements De
tu.nen Monday and the time her oody
was found were still unknown. Ap-
narentlv she did not register at any VI
the Solomons Island hotels, although
she placed her automobile In storage All
a garage there wednesday.
Another complication today resulted
from a report received from RoSlyn,
N V where Miss Wigginton had been
living for several years, that she had
left there with the intention OF getting
married. The name of her prospective
husband was not revealed III the le-
port.
Marks Only Abrasions.
Marks on Miss Wigginton's body, at
first thought to have been wounds, were
subjected to a thorough 1nVestgatlon
bv the coroner, who said they were
mere abrasions and could nave peen
caused by the pebbly bottom OF the
Patuxent River. The BODY was noat-
ing in shallow water when 1t was dis
covered by Rev Samuel Bauer OF
Vienna. Va, a retired Methodist MIN
tctar mr. Pean DOlQted out.
The theory Miss Wigginton may nave
thrown herself into the river IN an
effort to end her life was strengthened
nv discovery of a note pinned TO heT
undergarment. The note, Manufactured
on shipping tag and addressed TO
New York City woman. said:
Went out in peace ana happiness
to make room for others
1t was unsigned.
Two other letters in which Miss Wig
clinton indicated she planned to end her
life were turned over to States Attor-
new Briscoe by Harry B. Pitts, secur-
itv salesman for real estate nrm IN
washington. Both were mailed IN
Solomons Island.
After receiving the messages WedneS-
day morning, Pitts said, he took an ar
,olane to Norfolk with the idea OF hno-
ing Miss Wigginton and preventing her
ing to locate the woman, he continued,
he went to Baltimore on the "hunch"
she may have gone there, but that trip
also was fruitless. He finally decided
to go to Solomons Island, he said, and
arrived there in time to identify Miss
Wigginton's body.
Body Goes to Louisville.
From Milestone Landing the body
was brought here where William c.
Mattingly, an undertaken, prepared 1t
for shipment to Louisville, KY, the
dead woman's native city. 1t later
was taken to Washington and entrained
for Louisville.
Arrangements for shipment of the
body were made by Lieut.. Oscar A.
Saunders of Fort Humphreys, Va Lieut..
Saunders, husband of the dead woman's
cousin. went to Milestone Landing as
soon as he learned of Miss Wigginton's
death.
Interviewed by States Attorney Bris-
coe, Lieut.. Saunders said Miss Wig
ginton visited his wife Monday. spend
ing the day with her. She seemed de-
spondent then, he said.