Holyoke, Mass

11 April 1926

Report Made of Woman’s Body Seen — Belief It Might be Miss Corbett’s — Ruel Boy’s Body Also Sought.

The police in cities up and down the Connecticut River yesterday had men watching the river because of a report made to the Northampton Police that a woman’s body had been seen in the river near Smith’s Ferry. It was believed if the report was correct that the body might be that of Miss Alice M. Corbett, the Smith College junior, who disappeared last fall. The watchers at Holyoke, and Chicopee and Springfield saw nothing of the body although they kept on the alert until dark.

The report to the Northampton police was made by Herbert H. Potter of 20 Dymond Street, Springfield, according to word sent from Northampton to the Springfield police.

The supposition that the body might be that of Alice M. Corbett, Smith College junior, who has been missing for five months, was uppermost in the minds of the officers sent out to watch the river. She has been missing since November 12 last, and there has been a theory that her body would be found in the river in the spring.

The Holyoke police stationed an officer to watch the headgates at the Holyoke dam. Chicopee police had men on the Chicopee Bridge, West Springfield had two men at the west side of the North End Bridge, and the Springfield police department sent two officers to the North End Bridge and two to the Memorial Bridge. Preparations were made to use a boat if the body is sighted again.

The state police at the Agawam barracks patrolled the river road from the South End Bridge to the state line but reported seeing no object in the river that resembled a body.

Alexander R. Ruel, father of Alexander Ruel, a Northampton boy who disappeared about 10 days ago came to the Holyoke police station with the news that he thought he had seen a body clothed in gray floating down the river between Northampton and Mount Tom. His son wore a gray suit when last seen. Officers also watched for this body.

Adapted from The Springfield Republican.

Note: If you search For Alice Corbett, she is mentioned in a number of places as an unsolved mystery. I believe she was never found, though her parents had ads in the local papers offering a reward and there were some false sightings of her.