IT IS THE BODY
OF WEALTHY COOK.
YOUNG WOMAN KILLED ON BELT
LINE IDENTIFIED.
HER HOME IN SPRINGFIELD.
WAS STAYING WITH AUNT AT
TENTH AND BELMONT.
Peculiar Actions of Late Made Neigh-
bors Believe Her Demented.
Left Home Wednesday,
Killed Thursday.
With the reason for her tragic death still shrouded in mystery, the body of the young woman who was crushed under the wheels of a Belt line engine Thursday afternoon was yesterday afternoon positively identified as that of Miss Wealthy Cook, aged 21 years, daughter of A., Cook, a painter who lives at 2136 North Benton street, Springfield, Mo.
The identification was made at Newcomer's morgue yesterday by Mrs. Tom Davis, 6028 East Eleventh street, and further substantiated by Mrs. Edith Green, 6003 East Tenth street. It is believed by all that the young woman came to her death through an accident, as she had no cause for suicide so far as is known here.
Miss Cook had lived in this city about three months, coming here from her home in Springfield to nurse her aunt, Mrs. J. J. Ritchie, Tenth and Belmont streets, with whom she made her home. She was last seen Wednesday morning by Mrs. Green, who lives next door to Mrs. Ritchie, and just where she was between then and the hour she met her death is a mystery. Miss Cook is believed to have wandered around through all of Wednesday, Wednesday night and Thursday, and was probably going back to her home when killed.
Of late, so the neighbors say, she had acted strangely on more than one occasion and it is believed by them that her mind was imbalanced. Certainly, some of her actions would lead to this belief, and it is the generally accepted theory that in a fit of temporary insanity she left her home and simply wandered around until she met her tragic fate.
HER STRANGE ACTIONS.
It is stated that Miss Cook frequently took long walks and would be gone from the house for hours, never telling a soul where she was going. On one occasion she left home before dawn and walked to the city. She returned about 11 o'clock in the morning and stated that she had walked to and from the city and was not a bit tired. The distance from her home to the business portion is no less than sixty blocks, and to accomplish this feat would make even a strong man think twice.
Last Wednesday morning Miss Cook stood on a street corner near her home for over two hours. She never moved from her position during the entire time and when spoken to by one of the neighbors became angry. She was asked why she stood there during all that time, and if she was in trouble.
"DON'T SPEAK TO ME AGAIN."
"You are attracting attention by your strange conduct," she was told.
"Well, if that is so, I will move on, but don't you ever speak to me again," was her reply, and with that she started off down the street.
A very unusual feature of the case, and the reason that the body was not identified earlier, is that Mrs. Ritchie told no one that the girl had gone away until late Saturday night. Mrs. Ritchie has been in failing health for some months, and sufferers from heart trouble. Saturday night she suffered a severe attack, and her mother, Mrs. Hannah Westmon, aged 87, who lives with her, sent for Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Green. These women asked about the girl, and were surprised to learn that Mrs. Ritchie did not know where she was.
"We had been reading in The Journal about the strange young woman who was found dead," said Mrs. Green, "and we at once came to the conclusion from the description given that this was Wealthy. Mrs. Davis went to the undertakers' this afternoon, and sure enough, it was she. Had we been told earlier, we could have identified the body at once."
Mrs. Ritchie's condition is critical, and she has not been told that the body of the young woman is that of her niece, for fear the shock would end her life.
WHERE DID SHE GET IT?
Those who know the girl are at loss to explain why and how Miss Cook got the Sunday school leaflet which bore the name of Loretta Kurster. So far as is known she never attended the Forest Avenue Methodist church, where the leaflets were distributed.
It is thought by some that perhaps she quarreled with her aunt and started to go back to her home at Springfield. She carried all her money with her and as the body was warmly dressed, three skirts and other extra clothing being worn, it is not unlikely that she meant to go to her home and took this method of carrying her extra clothing rather than excite suspicion by packing it in her suit case.
A. Cook, the father of the girl, has been notified by Mr. Newcomer and has advised the undertaker that he and the girl's mother will arrive here today.
