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| NJF8870326 March 26, 1887; Rahway, Union Co., NJ | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 18 2012, 09:25 PM (787 Views) | |
| monkalup | Mar 18 2012, 09:25 PM Post #1 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.s..._unknown_w.html 125th Anniversary of Unknown Woman Murder Mystery Published: Saturday, March 10, 2012, 9:30 AM Asia J Martin / The Cranford Chronicle By Asia J Martin / The Cranford Chronicle RAHWAY — On March 26, 1887, the frozen corpse of a brutally murdered young woman was found by four brothers on Central Avenue near Jefferson Avenue in Rahway. Her throat was slashed and her body was covered in bruises. To this day her identity remains unknown as does her killer. To commemorate the 125th anniversary of this local unsolved crime, the Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum Association (MDTMA) will be hosting a tour of Rahway Cemetery where the unfortunate victim is buried under a tombstone marked “Unknown Woman Found Dead March 25, 1887”. The tours will take place on the anniversary, Sunday, March 25 beginning at 12 noon, with the last tour leaving at 4 pm. Reservations are recommended and can be made by call-ing: 732-381-0441. Visitors will be guided through the cemetery to meet the “ghosts” and hear the real-life stories of both victim and witnesses, as well as theories of investigators and accounts of other spectators of the event, many of them buried in the circa 1724 cemetery. “The Case of the Unknown Woman”, an internationally famous crime in its day, caught the attention of people all over the nation as well as Europe. A brutal murder such as this would get much attention at any time, especially under these circumstances, however, that no one was ever convicted, nor a motive established makes it even more intriguing. The most bizarre element of this murder is that no one was ever able to give a positive identification of the poor victim. This strange case focused world-wide attention on Rahway, particularly noteworthy in a time without television or radio. As many as ten thousand people from outside the city came and filed past her coffin. Rewards were offered, photos of the young victim were published in leading newspapers around the country, hearings were held, hundreds of witnesses called, dozens of suspects questioned and both professional and amateur detectives flocked to Rahway to weigh in with their theories. In the years following the murder, new names and theories came forward although none were conclusive enough to close the case. Exactly 125 years later, the case remains cold, but the mystery and the intrigue remain hot. Alex Shipley, Museum Director and city historian is also the author of the recently published book “The Case of the Unknown Woman”. His account provides readers with the fascinating details of this 19th century cold case, a crime that some have speculated is a possible link to the hideous murders of Jack the Ripper. “This 125 year old murder mystery of an ‘unknown woman’ by an ‘un-known assailant’ still captures the attention and imagination of people today”, stated Alex. “While researching this event I was sur-prised to find a great number of people who were not only aware of it, but had theories and possible solutions as well.” He also noted that throughout the past century, national and local newspapers such as the New York Times and the New Jersey Star-Ledger have run several articles noting the case’s history and keep the mystery alive for yet another generation. The March 25 tours which begin at 12 each day and run every 15 minutes, will take participants through the cemetery to meet and hear from 16 interpreters, in period dress, stationed by the graves of the participants they represent. Alex Shipley’s book will also be on sale and the author will be available to autograph copies. The last tour on Sunday leaves at 4 p.m. and all tours begin at the Merchants and Drovers Museum located on the corner of St. Georges and Westfield Avenues in Rahway, next door to the cemetery. Tickets can be purchased at the museum both days at $10 for adults, $8 for members, $5 for students and children under 12 years of age. Reservations are recommended due to the popularity of the event. Please call the museum at: 732-381-0441. ![]() Uploaded with ImageShack.us |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Mar 18 2012, 09:25 PM Post #2 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...0&#entry9857444 |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Mar 26 2012, 05:07 PM Post #3 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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RAHWAY — On Sunday, it will be 125 years since the frozen body of a brutally murdered young woman was found by four brothers on Central Avenue near Jefferson Avenue. The woman was found March 25, 1887, with her throat slashed and her body covered with bruises. Her identity and her killer remain unknown. To mark the 125th anniversary of the unsolved crime, on Sunday, the Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum Association will host a tour of Rahway Cemetery, where the woman is buried under a headstone that reads “Unknown Woman Found Dead March 25, 1887.” The tours will take place on the anniversary beginning at noon. The last tour will leave at 4 p.m. Visitors will be guided through the cemetery to meet the “ghosts” and hear the real-life stories of residents and witnesses, as well as theories of investigators and accounts of other spectators of the event, many of them buried in the circa 1724 cemetery. Tours will run every 15 minutes and will take participants through the cemetery to meet 16 interpreters, in period dress, stationed by the graves of the people they represent. “The Case of the Unknown Woman” was an internationally famous crime in its day, catching the attention of people from across the country as well as Europe. The fact that no one was ever convicted, nor a motive established, made it even more intriguing. And the fact that no one was ever able to positively identify the woman made it especially bizarre. The unusual crime brought 10,000 people to Rahway to file past her coffin in hopes of recognizing her. Rewards were offered, photos of the young woman were published in newspapers around the country, hearings were conducted, witnesses interviewed, suspects questioned, and professional and amateur detectives offered their theories. Exactly 125 years later, the case remains cold, but the mystery and intrigue have not diminished. Alex Shipley, museum director and city historian, is author of the book “The Case of the Unknown Woman,” which provides readers with the details of the 19th-century cold case that some have speculated might be linked to Jack the Ripper. “This 125-year-old murder mystery of an unknown woman by an unknown assailant still captures the attention and imagination of people today,” Shipley said. “While researching this event, I was surprised to find a great number of people who were not only aware of it but had theories and possible solutions, as well.” Last year, an Australian woman contacted Shipley believing one of her ancestors might have been connected to the case, but there was no definitive proof. All tours will begin at the Merchants and Drovers Museum at the corner of St. Georges and Westfield avenues in Rahway, next to the cemetery. Tickets can be purchased at the museum for $10 for adults and $8 for tavern museum association members, $5 for students and children 12 and under. The tour is one of the most popular offered by the tavern association. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 732-381-0441. All proceeds will benefit the continued restoration of the Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum which dates to the 1700s. The Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum Association is dedicated to preserving the Merchants and Drovers Tavern, circa 1795, and Terrill Tavern, circa 1735, developing the site as a tavern museum and to interpreting the important role of taverns in early American history, to provide regional education, cultural and historic resource and preserve local history. The tavern, is recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/201...ase-turning-125 |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| Guard Dog | May 29 2012, 02:30 AM Post #4 |
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Advanced Member
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Perhaps the museum should take up a collection for funds to exhume the body and have it examined using today's forensic technology. Maybe a DNA sample could be extracted. |
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1:58 PM Jul 11