Wednesday, December 7, 1892
San Diego Union
The Coronado Suicide’s Identity Still a Matter of Conjecture
On Monday Undertaker Johnson sent a photograph of the dead girl supposed to be Lizzie Wyllie,
to Mrs. Wyllie at Detroit. He wrote a minute description of the girl and her clothing, noting in addition,
to the points already published, that the girl’s ears had never been pierced for earrings, and that she
carried a large Canadian penny for a pocket-piece. In examining the girl’s effects Mr. Johnson noticed
that the handkerchiefs, instead of being marked "Lottie Anderson,” as stated at the inquest, were
marked plainly “Louisa Anderson.” Mrs. Anderson of Grand Rapids, Mich., Lizzie Wyllie’s aunt, with
whom she visited before disappearing, will be asked as to her given name, and if it is Louisa instead of
Lottie, the last doubt will be removed as to the dead girl’s identity. Mr. Johnson yesterday heard from
Mrs. Wyllie, asking him to hold the body until she received the photograph, which will be next
Saturday.
The following dispatch appeared in the evening papers yesterday:
HAMBURG, Ia., Dec. 6 – It is not believed here that Mrs. L. Anderson Bernard, who killed
herself at Coronado, was Lizzie Wyllie of Detroit. It was learned that there was recently in
this place a man named L. A. Bernard, a professional gambler, and he is believed to be the
suicide’s husband. Bernard left Hamburg November 7 for Topeka. He said his wife was sick
in California and he intended to bring her back to Iowa. He tried to borrow money for that
purpose, but failed. No word had since been received from him. G. L. Allen of this place, to
whom the woman telegraphed for money, was a schoolmate of Bernard’s in Illinois, and had
never met Mrs. Bernard. Simply out of charity he sent her $25. Therefore, it is strongly
believed here that the Detroit identification is a mistake.
The story is not believed in San Diego. On the contrary, it strengthens the opinion that somehow
Allen is more deeply interested than to the extent of $25, and has invented the above as a blind. A San
Diego man, who happens to know Allen, says he is a man of some wealth, a sport and a lady-killer.
The situation in this mysterious case resolves itself to this – either Allen is a consummate liar and
had dealings with Lizzie Wyllie, which he is trying to conceal, or the girl lying on a slab at the morgue
here is Mrs. L. A. Bernard, the wife of a gambler.
Los Angeles Times
THE CORONADO SUICIDE
The Detroit Identification Now Thought to Be a Mistake
HAMBURG, Ia., Dec. 6 – It is not believed here that Mrs. L. Anderson Bernard, who killed
herself at Coronado, was Lizzie Wyllie of Detroit. It was learned that there was recently in this place a
man named L. A. Bernard, a professional gambler, and he is believed to be the suicide’s husband.
Bernard left Hamburg November 7 for Topeka. He said his wife was sick in California and he intended
to bring her back to Iowa. He tried to borrow money for that purpose, but failed. No word had since
been received from him. G. L. Allen of this place, to whom the woman telegraphed for money, was a
schoolmate of Bernard’s in Illinois, and had never met Mrs. Bernard. Simply out of charity he sent her
$25. Therefore, it is strongly believed here that the Detroit identification is a mistake.
San Francisco Chronicle
NOT LIZZIE WYLLIE
THE CORONADO MYSERY ABOUT SOLVED
Mrs. Bernard, Who Committed Suicide, Was an Iowa Gambler’s Wife
Special Dispatch to the CHRONICLE
DETROIT (Mich.), December 6 – Miss Lizzie Wyllie of Detroit and Mrs. L. Anderson Bernard, who committed suicide at San Diego last week, were not the same persons. The Wyllie girl is alive and in Toronto and Mrs. Bernard is supposed to have been the wife of a Hamburg, Ia., gambler. She had been in California for some time. G. L. Allen, who telegraphed her $25 on November 25th, did so because he was a schoolmate of Bernard.
As he promised in his dispatch of yesterday, Longfield, whose name has been associated with Miss Wyllie’s disappearance, inclosed to his wife a letter from Miss Wyllie, dated Toronto, in which she says she is not coming home.
This almost completely severs the connection between Lizzie Wyllie and the San Diego suicide and indicates that Lizzie left home on account of trouble with her family and did not wish to let them know where she was.
The Wyllie girl worked in Toronto several years ago and has a great many friends there, and the natural conclusion from her letter is that she is working in some store at that place, as bookbinding is her trade.
