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WOMAN DISAPPEARSFROM RAILROAD TRAINFinding of Body at TinleyPark May Solve Mysteryof Lost PassengerA discovery, which, may mean theunraveling of the mystery which haspuzzled a Rock Island train crew andcompany officials for several days wasmade today when the body of a womanwas found dangling from a high fencein a corn field on the farm of ChristAbbie, three miles north of TinleyPark.The body had apparently been therethree days. It appears to be that of awoman twenty-five years old, withlight brown hair, weight about 130pounds, five feet four inches tall. It isclad in a light dress of silk or voile. Apocket book containing a $10 bill andthree $1 bills lay on the ground nearbyand fastened to the woman’s dress wasa hunting case gold watch.The body was discovered by JacobBormant, a farm hand who notified Mr.Abbie, who in turn notified the villageofficials and the coroner’s office. Thebody was taken down and removed toFunk’s morgue in Tinley Park.There seems to be some doubt as towhether it was a case of murder orsuicide. The woman’s petticoat hadbeen torn into stripes and from these anoose had been fashioned, one end being slipped around the woman's neck,the other over the top of the post.The body hung with the feet only afew inches from the ground. Thehands were cut and bruised, butwhether in a fight for life or in deathstruggle after the hanging had beencompleted could not be determined.Joseph Berger, formerly of BlueIsland but who now lives on a farmbodyfound, reported last night that awoman answering the same descriptioncame to his house Wednesday soonafter midnight, got into the kitchenthrough the unfastened door and hidbehind the kitchen door.When Berger and his wife, awakenedby the noise, went to the kitchen witha lamp and found her she cowered behind the door and kept repeating:‘■I’m afraid of the Black Hand! I’mafraid of the Black Hand!”She was in abject terror and wouldnot go near the window. When Berger.tried to question her she began toscream and ran away into the darkness.pocket-bookof the dead woman is a letter in Swedish or Norwegian, dated August 12,1912, and signed ”L. C. Berthelsen.”The finding of the body at TinleyPark will undoubtedly clear the mysterysurrounding the disappearance of awoman closely answering the abovedescription from passenger train No. 5of the Rock Island railroad Wednesdaynight. This train passes through BlueIsland at 11 o’clock and reaches thepoint near where the body was fountabout 10 or 12 minutes later.On the night in question this trairwas in charge of Conductor WilliarrCoffey of Blue Island. His attentiorwaa fihst drawn to the woman alEnglewood when she asked him to unlock the door to the toilet room. Ncfurther notice was taken of her untithe train neared Joliet when her continued absence from the seat she hatoccupied caused the train crew tlt;start an investigation. Her hat and tbag of fruit were found in the seawhere Conductor Coffey had first seeiher. None of the other passengerappears to have seen the woman leavthe car, although several rememberetthat she i*cted nervous and ’’queer.’A diligent search of the cars failed tlt;find her and Conductor Coffey conclude!that she had deliberately jumped ofthe train, as all of the platforms werguarded by trap doors and gates and tfall off would have been a practicaimpossibility. The window where shhad been seated was found open widelending strength to the theory that shIhad slipped through this opening wheino one was looking. Her disappearance was reported to company headquarters. The woman was describeas between 25 and 30 years of age. Shhad a ticket to Audubon, Iowa.The cuts and scratches reported thave been found on the face and handof the dead woman at Tinley Parserve as another link to connect hewith the missing Rock Island passerger and were undoubtedly receivewhen she jumped off the rapidly moving train.
Newspaper Details
Blue Island Sun
Blue Island, Illinois, US
Fri, Jul 18, 1913
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Mary E.
MN, USA 14 Dec 2021
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