Year: 1871

steep bluff over which vigorous push
would have sent her at flood tide
straight into deep water, past all help
ard out OF moral hearing. The tide
was at the flood on the night of March
ed, At midnight. Thomas Fletcher
testified at the inquest that he had
known Of joys intimacy for three years
with a woman called Mary McCarty.
lie visited Boston, Friday and returned
Saturday, having learned that for a
few weeks before the 2lst of March, a
woman supposed to be the same person
had lived with Joy at his boarding
house as his wife. and had LEFT he
house on the same day when he did,
though not with him. She could not
have brought her trunk to Biddeford
with the intention of committing sui
eide. but letter from JOY was found
in his trunk, which must have been
written before he LEFT Boston, IN which
he confessed 10 his wife criminal
intimacy with another woman. and de-
clared his intention of expiating his
sin by leaving world in which he
was not fit to live. His body has not
been found though the river has been
dragged. His felt hat has been dis
covered on an island near the mouth
of the river, but il is remembered that
he had also a Scotch cap at the hotel,
and it is remarked that heavy gold
or gilt chain worn by Mary McCarty
was not found with the BODY, there
were no rings on her fingers, and there
was nothing whatever. not even a
thimole, IN her pockets. Monday
morning Coroner Burbank Of Saco
went 10 Boston TO make further inycs-
legations there. If he should learn
that this woman was possessed Of
property which cannot now be account
ed for, the inference would be plain.


Before leaving Boston, Joy, who Tor
the last year has been doing Il good
business as partner in the firm of Kelly
& JOY masons and builders, drew from
the bank about 5000. l., what artiticc
he persuaded his mistress 10 come 10
Saco. and To the very door Of the house
NHftC ilT " iit liNtt It - iIltFpNSAb't ~
conjecture. The most reasonable opin


ion. where everything seems irrational,
is that on leaving Boston she did not
expect To visit Biddeford (though his
letter shows that he did) but Was
hOc,lssed on the road. and for the last
thirtv-six hours of her life did not
completely realize where she was or
what she was doing. There is even
"A conjecture that she was not drowned
at all, but was buried in the sand
the high tides fortnight aftcrwarl.
The mouth of the Saco gas formerly
some distance 10 the eastward Of it,
present position. The Biddeford BANK
- bold ..oi roehy ani maintains It's
ancseas outline. The Saco bank Is
loose sand. which has gradually worn
away and formed bar across the
mouth OF the river. To prevent the
formation Of this bar, the United
States government is building a long
brcakwater on the Saco side. restoring
the old channel, cutting off the sands
to the northwari and leaving the river
free to scour its bed. The Ferry beach
is the beach from which this brcakwa.
ter is built out. and takes lis name
from a ferry, long since discontinued
between Biddeford and Saco ut this
point. IL il maintained that ii BODY
had been thrown into the river south
of the brcak-water, it could not have
been found, as Mary McCarty's was.
on the beach, few rods north of it,


This objection, however. is unsound.
4 body thrown into the river at food
tide would have floated out - sea with
the ebb, and no human foresight could
predict where it would re-appear. II
is To be remembered. too, that at high
water some portions Of the breaA-water
are three feet below the surface. An
other objection is. that her clothing
would have been destroyed By the
action OF the waves, but the weight Of
evidence goes 10 show that she was
thrown into the river about midnight
Oh the 22d. Of March. and that sle, al
anv rate, did noy come to Biddeford
with a Saratoga trunk to commit a
double suicide which might Is easily
have been accomplished anywhere else
in the world. advertiser.