Year: 1869

among the police of Providence that the murdered
woman had been the wife of an English burglar
named Collins, then living in Providence, and eel
ebrated all over the Union for his success anc
recklessness. The rumor had no better foundation
than that Collins and his wife disappeared at about
the time of the murder, and it only lived because
theories always thrive when facts are impossible to
obtain.


The case yet remains among unfinished police
business. No human effort has ever learned mort
than was discovered by the brute instinct of the
dog when he paved the secret of the murder from
the shallow grave in the dark forest.


THE RICARD CASE.


One spring morning during the first year of the
war, barrel of pitch was found to have disappear
ed from a Jersey City pier and the porter ir
charge, when reporting the fact to his employers
took occasion to speak of the river thieves in nc
very complimentary terms.


On the same day, Ada Ricard, a woman of no.
madic habits and dubious status, but Of marvel
lous beauty, suddenly left her hotel in New York
without taking the trouble to announce her depar
ture or state her destination. The clerks of the
house only remarked that some women had queer
ways


A few days after these simultaneous events, the
same porter who had mourned the lost pitch, hap
pening to look down from the end of his pier wher
the tide was out saw small and shapely human
foot protruding above the waters ofthe North riv'
er. 1t was singular circumstance, for the bodies
of the drowned never float in such fashion, but
the porter, not stopping to speculate upon it, pro-
cured the necessary assistance, and proceeded te
land the body. 1t came up unusually heavy, ano
when at last brought to the surface, was found te
be made fast by rope around the waist to the
missing barrel of pitch. There was gag securely
fastenedin in the mouth, and thesetwo circumstances
were positive evidence that murder had been done


When the body was landed upon the pier, it was
found to be in tolerable state of preservation, al
though there were conclusive signs that it had been
in the water some time. 1t was the body of t.
male, entirely nude, with the exception of an en-
broidered linen chemise and one lislethread stock
ing, two sizes larger than the foot, but exactly fit
ting the full rounded limb The face and the con
tour of the form were therefore, fully exposed tc
examination, and proved to be those of woman
who must have haen very handsome. There was
the cicatrice of an old wound on lower limb, bu
otherwise there was no spot or blemish upon the
body.


In due time the body was buried; but the heac
was removed and preserved in the Office Of the
city physician, with the hope that it might be the
means of establishing the identity of the dead
and leading to the detection of the murderer.


The police on both sides of the river were in
ensely interestedin in the case but they found them
seemed to have never been seen upon earth in life
They could do nothing, therefore, but wait pa
tiently for whatever developments time NIGH
bring.


Chance finally led to the desired Identification
A gentleman who had known her intimately fol
two years, happening to see the head, at once de-
clared it to be that of Ada Ricard. The detec
tives, therefore, eagerly clutched at this thread
and were soon in possession of the coincidence II
time of her disappearance and that Of the barre
of pitch to which the body waslashed. They fur
ther found that, since that time she had not beer
seen in the city, nor could any trace Of her be dis
covered in other sections of the country, through
correspondence with the police authorities Of dis
tant cities They had thus woman lost and c
body found, and the case was considered to be in 6
most promising condition.


! The next step was to establish the identity BY
: the testimony of those who had known the mis-
sing woman most intimately. The detectives, there
fore, instituted search which was finally success
ful for Charles Ricard, her putative husband. He
had not lived with her for some time, and had moi
even seen or heard of her for months; but his re-
collection was perfect, and he gave very minute
statement of her distinguishing marks. He re-
membered that she had persisted in wearing pail
of very heavy earrings until their weight had slit
one of her ears entirely, and the other nearly So
and that as a consequence, both ears had been
pierced second time, and unusually high. He
regretted that her splendid array of teeth had been
marred by the loss Of one upon the left side ofthe
mouth, and told how wound had been received
whose cicatrice appeared upon one of her limbs
stating exactly its location. He dwelt with some
pride upon the fact that she had been forced, by
the unusual Development to wear stockings toe
large for her feet and gave general description Of
hair cast of face, height, and weight, that was in
valuable, because minute.


When he gave this statement he was not aware
of the death of his wife, or of the finding of hel
body and without being informed Of either fact
he was taken to Jersey City and suddenly confront
I ed with the head. The instant he saw it he sank
into a chair in horror


His statement having been compared with the
head and the record of the body, the similitude
was found to be exact, except as to the teeth The
head had one tooth missing on each side of the
mouth, and this fact having been called to his at
tention, Ricard insisted that she had lost but one
when be last saw her, but it was highly probable
the other had been forced out in the struggle which
robbed her of her life, and the physician, for the
first time, making minute examination, found
that the tooth upon the right side had been forced
from its position and there was the head without q
discrepancy between it and the description Of Ada
Ricard.


The detectives found other witnesses, and among
them the har-dresser who had acted in that ca
pacty for Ada Ricard during many months, who
in common with all Others fully confirmed the evi
dencc of Charles Ricard. The identity of the
murdered woman was therefore established beyond
question.


Naturally the next step was to solve the mystery
! of her death. The detectives went to work with