Lillian M. Hisey Gross of Congress, Arizona, passed away on Friday, July 9, 1897, at the Ford Hotel in Phoenix. She arrived at the hotel accompanied by an unidentified man on the Prescott train, and they registered under the names "E. M. Scott and wife" from Chicago. They were given separate rooms, and the man disappeared the following morning.
Lillian had been suffering from uremia, a kidney disease exacerbated by excessive drinking. Upon arrival at the hotel, her health rapidly deteriorated, and despite medical attention, she passed away. Before her death, a nurse discovered that Lillian lived in Congress, and that her husband, George Gross, was a miner employed in Wickenburg by Richard Baxter.
Lillian mentioned that the mystery man was a gambler but refrained from providing further details, only stating that "he is all right." When doctors suggested that she notify her husband, Lillian resisted, not wanting to worry him.
Nonetheless, the doctors sent a telegram to Mr. Gross, who had been working at Vulture. Upon learning of his wife’s critical condition in Phoenix, he immediately traveled there. However, instead of heading straight to the hotel, he sat at the courthouse plaza, although it's not really known why. When he finally arrived at the hotel, he encountered men carrying his wife’s body.
George Gross was perplexed by his wife’s behavior. She had been struggling with kidney disease for some time and was only 29 years old. The couple had married in Prescott four years earlier and had lived happily in Congress until George lost his job. Three weeks before her death, he had started working at Vulture, with plans for Lillian to join him later.
The unknown man was described as slightly over six feet tall, with dark hair and eyes, and a tendency to carry his head forward. He was of an age below middle-aged. George Gross did not recognize the description, although he had a specific individual in mind, but the description did not match. Mr. Gross did not believe that the individual had any ill intentions.
It was speculated that the man had met Lillian on the train and, upon realizing she was unwell, took care of her. Registering at the hotel as his wife might have been the most convenient way to avoid unnecessary questions or complications. George Gross sent inquiries to Congress to learn more about her traveling companion, suspecting someone from there might have accompanied her.
The mystery even reached California, with San Francisco authorities searching for the unidentified man. However, it remains unclear why the mystery man was suspected as having come from there.
The identification of the man, based on this researcher's initial search, was not discovered. There was an E. M. Scott working in San Francisco and Los Angeles at about this time. He was a real estate broker, and traveled to other states. However, it's not known if this was the E.M. Scott that Mrs. Gross registered with at the Ford Hotel.
-summary By Val (Resources: the San Francisco Call and Post, July 13, 1897 and the Phoenix Weekly, July 15, 1897)
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