16 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
ACCIDENT OR CRIME—WHICH? 
A Letter of Inquiry Into the'Death,of Mrs. Estelle Roberts. 
The Editor of The Breeze 
Dear Sir: 
Believing that Mrs. Estelle Roberts of 
Gloucester, whose body was found in 
Manchester Harbor last Monday afternoon 
came ‘to her death not ‘‘ accidentally ’’— 
as set forth in the police report officially 
closing the investigation—but by other 
means yet to be uncovered, I earnestly 
request your aid in creating a public senti- 
ment such as shall compel further investi- 
gation. While the cause of Mrs. Roberts’ 
death is still uncertain, one fact is nlain— 
that the investigation of the police to 
determine the- cause of death has been 
indifferent and inefficient. And, in the 
hope of righting what, in my humble 
opinion, is a grave wrong, I ask you to. 
publish the following facts: 
In Regard to the Actual Cause of Death: 
1. Following the post mortem examina- 
tion, Dr. W. G. Stickney. the Medical ex- 
aminer, gave it as his official verdict that 
Mrs. Roberts’ death was due to ‘‘ probable 
violence.’’ The autopsy showed that Mrs. 
Roberts had received a blow at the base 
of the skull, apparently with a blunt in- 
strument. While undoubtedly sufficient to 
stun, or, possibly, to kill the woman, this 
blow did not fracture the skull. Examina- 
tion of the lungs failed to reveal even a 
small amount of water. Now, in order 
for a person to drown—even a person 
in a stunned condition—it is necessary for 
the lungs to fill with water. Following 
death, the water remains in the Inngs, and 
no amount of pressure cansed by gases 
rising from decomposition of the body will 
force all the water from the lungs. On 
the other hand, in cases where a dead 
body’ is submerged, the lunes never fill 
with water—the processes of resniration 
have already ceased... The one inference 
to be drawn from these facts—and it was 
the inference drawn bv the Medical Ex- 
aminer—is that Mrs. Roberts had heen 
dead’ some time before her body entered 
the water. b 
In ‘opposition to this, a man and woman 
who were with Mrs. Roherts on the nicht 
of her death say she fell from the draw- 
bridge and was drowned. “Several days 
before. .when this. woman. took. Mrs. 
Roberts’ child to his home in Gloucester. 
she told Mr. Roberts that his wife had 
‘“eommitted suicide.’? Last Tuesdav she 
solemnly declared to three newsnaner men 
who talked with her that the last she 
saw of Mrs. Roberts was when she left 
her at Manchester station, to take the 
train for Gloncester. The next morning 
she gave to the chief of police the story 
of the drowning at the drawhbridcoe. — 
And the Manchester nolice have seen fit 
to believe this woman’s storv in nrefer- 
ence to the verdict of the Medieal Ex- 
aminer, a surgeon trained in exnerience 
and with absolutely no nersonal interest 
in the ease. On the strenoth of thie wo- 
man’s latest story the noliee have ceased 
probing the ease. Ts that fair ta the dead 
woman, to her. hysband and children. ar 
to the community which the police are 
sunposed to vrotect? nee 
2.. Mrs. .Roberts’ companions sav- she 
fell from the drawhbridge. Her watch 
shows her body entered the water an- 
proximately at 11.30 o’clock at night. 
re” ; ee 
The almanac for the night of September 
9th, shows that the tide was at full at 
9.30 o’clock. Two hours later when Mrs. 
Roberts is alleged to have fallen into 
the water, the tide was ebbing fast. The 
water was rushing through the channel 
under the drawbridge as through a mill- 
race. Personally I know nothing of tides 
and currents. But I have asked expert 
advice. It is the concensus of opinion of 
9 seamen of from 12 to 40 years experi- 
ence on Manchester Harbor that, had Mrs. 
Roberts fell, or her body been thrown 
from the drawbridge, the ebb-current 
would have swept it half-way out to the 
sea in less than an hour and that, if it 
lodged, it would have done so much 
farther down the harbor than where it 
was found. These experienced men say 
it would have been impossible for it to 
drift back to the point where it was 
found. They declare that. in their onin- 
ion, Mrs. Roberts entered the water either 
in the inlet that runs back from the main 
channel to Beach street about opposite 
the Old Neck road, or else in the rear of 
the boat-vards. at the foot of Ashland 
avenue. where the natural eurrents would 
work it around to the spot where it was 
found. 
Again, attempting to account for the 
blow on Mrs. Roberts head. her ecom- 
nanions say she stumbled on the draw- 
hridve and struck her head against a 
beam. . Whatever may have struck the 
blow. it is certain the wound bled nro- 
fusely. Yet close examination of everv 
part of the drawbridge has failed to dis- 
close a blood-mark. a strand of hair. a 
pateh of clothing or anv other slichtest 
evidence to show that Mrs. Roberts met 
her death there. 
Again. when Mrs. Roberts’? bodv was 
found. the head and neck were verv hadlv 
sun-burned. There was everv indication 
that. somewhere. the hodv had lodoed 
exnosed rear the water’s edoe and 
that. while the body was eovered bv 
water. the head was exnosed to the sun. 
But. if the stories of this man and woman 
are to he helieved. this would he imnnas- 
sible. Thev sav she sank in the deen 
water of the channel where the hadv 
would have heen nrotected from the ravs 
of the — sun. Again the eve-snckets 
showed the head had heen Jone exnosed. 
There the blood was still red and fresh— 
had the head heen snhmereced for seven 
davs. this. in all nrohahility wonld have 
heen washed awav. No one af exnerience 
in sneh thinos who saw the hodv hut he- 
Nieves that it lav exposed on some shore 
to which it had heen earried hy the tide 
from the noint. where it entered the water. 
3. Bv their own story, Mrs. Roberts’ 
companions made no attemnt to resene 
her after. as thev alleoe. she fell 
the drawbridve. The water is not deen 
there—thev eonld easily have hanled her 
ashore. If. as they say. Mrs. Roberts fell 
to her death ‘‘aeceidentallv’’? whv did thev 
not shout for heln? If they were at the 
drawbridege at the time, Beach street was 
but a minute distant? Whv didn’t thew 
ruv to the village and vive the alarm? 
These are points which the police have 
not celared up. 
Now, regarding the indifference of the 
fram 
police in investigating the case: 
1. Early in the morning following the 
death of Mrs. Roberts, Clarence H. Legg, 
a steamfitter employed on Smith’s Point, 
went to the house of Chief of Police 
Frank Converse and told the Chief that, 
the night before, he (Legg) ‘‘had been 
out with a girl and something had hap- 
pened.’’ Legg left town before I could 
ascertain exactly what he told the Chief. 
The big fact is that the information was 
not acted upon then and that the body 
had to lie a week until it came to the sur- 
face before an investigation was begun. 
2. On Monday morning, several hours 
before the finding of the body, a bundle 
of clothing was found floating on the 
water back of White’s boat-house. The 
bundle was wound in a piece of sheet. In- 
side were a pair of woman’s brown stock- 
ings, a pillow, a piece of wadded quilt, 
a small sewing-basket and several strips 
of dark, heavy cloth. The man who 
opened the bundle says the strips seemed 
to be part of a small coat that had been 
torn to pieces. As nothing of value was 
in the bundle the articles were thrown 
back into the water. The next day, after 
the body had been found, newspapermen 
heard about the bundle and investigated. 
They recovered the pieces of sheet and 
quilting. 
The sheet was badly marked by blue 
splotches. The newspapermen took the 
sheet to the police station and the marks 
were compared with marks on the un- 
der-skirt found on the body. The marks 
are the same. The circumstances of the 
bundle were told to Chief Converse, vet, 
so far as I have been able to learn, the 
police have made absolutely no effort to 
recover the other articles or to connect 
them with the case. In view of the fact 
that the coat which Mrs. Roberts’ is 
supposed to have worn on _ the night 
of her death is missing, the indifference 
of the police on this particular point is 
rather amazing. Mr. Roberts says his . 
wife had several pairs of brown stockings 
and that it was her custom to take her 
mending with her when she went visit- 
ing. . Under these circumstances is it not 
reasonable to expect that the police should 
make a great effort to recover the contents 
of that bundle and, on the asumption that 
they prove to be the property of Mrs. 
Roberts, to find out how Mrs. Roberts 
stockings and work-basket came to he 
wrapped up in a sheet and thrown into 
the harbor? The tying up of that bun- 
dle, at least, is something that wasn't 
‘accidental. ’’ 
In urging further investigation I d-- 
sire to harm no one. In fact, I hope that 
the police are right and my beliefs are 
wrong. The thing I want is the investi- 
gation. If wrong has been done, hushing 
it up won’t do the town any good. If 
no wrong has been done, a thorough prob- 
ing will prove that fact beyond question 
—a condition much better than the status 
in which the case has been left. 
Yours very truly, 
JAMES SWEINHART. 
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