New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-18
A MURDER STILL A MYSTERY.

A MURDER STILL A MYSTERY.
UNCERTAISIY WHETHER THE BODY FOUND ON
STATEN ISLAND Is THAT OF ELLEN MURPHY
Tue INQUEST CONTINUED.
A tragedy does not often occur on Staten
Island, and shocking murder s therefore a OF
almost endless talk among the inhabitants OF the quiet
villages The discovery, sunday OF womaD's body
which had been crushed into barrel and hidden in the
woods near Silver Lake, has thrown New-Brighton and
the adjoining villages into a state OF excitement from
which they Will not recover Various exaggerated
rumors sUt afoat on Monday when 1t was discoy
cred tina. the woman the victim OF criminal mai
practice. Among these mmOrs one that the crime
had been traced to Mrs. Myers living at Totenyle
and that she had been arrested. This pronounced
a falscnood by Coroner Dempsey yesterday. An
anonymous letter which received by the Coroner
yesterday added a for speculation. TGis
letter had been mailed In the NewYOrk General Post
Office 23O p IN. Monday The writing was in a
masculine hand. and effort had evidently been made
TO conceal the writer's identity, the letters were
M in unnatural manner. The letter read as
follows:
DEAR CoRoNER The Good Boy has found her at last
at snort way from silver Lake. Please have her buried
IN a good Place.
And have her clothing in good Place. Her name is
MISS FANNY ST. CLAIR.
Coroner Dempsey and many others who the letter
believed that 10 hoax. IL was thought by some
persons proof that the body OF the woman had
been taken from the city. This theory was strengthened
by the somewhat incoherent talk OF an old German
named Joseph ueimer lives in little cottage
w-Brghtou and spends most OF his time In the woods
gathering waer-crcsses He Is known TO most persons
In the village quiet ana harmless but be s believed
10 be insane viager who the old man on Monday
spoke 10 him about the finding OF womans body near
Silver Lake. He.mer shook bis head and laughed " IL
WAS only dog thoY found in that barrel. guess" he
said. lie the village again yesterday, trying TO
baskctful OF crosses and he repeated to every one
| he talked with this story: He had been out the
| woods day, two or three weeks ago, to gather
crosses and on his way home he saw man digging IN
the ground with spade tue road 70 the lake. He
asked the man why he was digging the hole. and the
man replied he going TO bury his dog there
Hemer told him that he could find easier digging farther
down the hi and pointed out the place where the
| womans body aferward found.
Are you from SewYork r. the man asked
NO." Heimer answered.
"Wen" said the man. II will go further down the
hill where the smell viii not be nuisance, but was
| going To put the dog in q barrel anyhow"
Heimer says ho never saw the man before or since
that time. lie describes him as German, OF medium
height and rather slender With light hair aud blue
eyes He did not look ike laborer, although he was
poorly dressed
Two men called NJ the Coroncrs Office the afternoon
and obtained pormissiu to the body, which Is
! IN a vault al West Brighton. They SAID that Mary
ONen, OF GrecnpOint, L. L. had disappeared recently,
and 10 was supposed that she had met VITA foul
play They brought with them some articles Of clothing
which Miss ONcicft behind her They did not succeed
IN identifying the body. The police able yesor-
day to read markings on the sack IN which
| tb, body had been placed before It was put
in the barrel. Tho markings were simply those OF "A
manufacturing Hrm. aud read, "Neidlingcr, Schmidt &
Co. maltsters, No. 4O6 East Pory-seyenthst., New
| York" Many persons In New-Brighton doubted that
tho body was that OF Ellen Murphy whose betrayal and
disnppcarauce revealed on Monoay By her lover,
Ioui- Ricgc woman called az the Coroners office In
the morning and stated that she had cut OF Ecn's hair
! ) me moths before. Enough time had not
| to Inc length Of that found the body. Mrs.
Cuthbcrtson Of Chiffon WAC had employed Ellen MUIR
nby VA. .LoW "A lock ~ the hair taken from the head
| of the corpse. She said that Elcn's hair was much
lighter m color, ana too snort 10 h9Ne Deen FORMED mo
a long braid. Mrs CutnberisOu said she believed that
Ellen had really gone to Ireland ON the lnman steam-
ship Guy Of kchmoGS, %nlGh 5S on AuxTa IN me
old country several months before she lclt ne mouse
cPk AZ 6e Office OF the Inman Line in this city said
Yesterday the passenger lists had been locked ny IN
Inc safe and could be at before this morning, but
| he dtd not think that Ellen Murphy had engaged
passage the flee. she might nave bOuSht TICKET Ut
Inc compauys pier Tue superutondent OF the pier cA-
amiucd the stubs Of the tickets sold there TO sleerage
passengers who sailed by the Guy oil klchmohu on tne
date mcntoped but Ellen hurphys name uld NOT ap-
Coroner U berlpsry and Louis Rece sti Of the
opinion that the body that q Ellen Murphy Riege
IuI i'm ,nsiody he was allowed freedom TO move about
as he pleased lie had SEATED to Coroner Dempsey tnat
]
| whose name be- did not know. Mrs. Cuthber-
son had also heard Ellen speak OF this uncle
Sa[one Tne expeeted that tins uncle would come
New-Brigat0n send some message, but nothing wac
Richmond County Police. set out eslerdy on tour OF
Inspection throughout the Island, intending 70 vls va
ions IyIngn Embellishments. He was OF the opinion
thai Ellen Murphy was stu alive ana could oe lSlnu
somewhere on the Island lie had moi re'uIeu 70 new
Te naucs on the body was continued by the Coroner
~ M A large number of people crowded into the
| h..u hear Hg
Tompkinsyr, to whose house Euen Murphy sent nef
unk before sbe disappeared. Mrs COudren Is stout
iaprfeatir.d woman OF forty, who speaks in positive
manner She was dressed in mourning. When called to
she ans wsfed cultiv "Nothing in particular"
The iurymen were anxious TO nave we inquest t,
one OF them objected 10 proceeding iurtber on cue
ground that the regular CLERK was aosVs, "u m IeSt
TO adjourn until tho next evening" Inc Jy NY, ecu ne
tber seats aud Coroner Dempsey called out 10 tne
phn ,,tteu,nts 10 leave the room" Tue greatest
confusion prevailed for few minutes nut the jury were
"iiowpd TO give her testimony follows: |" have
Known Ellen Murphy about fifteen months, sne hvSa
u I'M me about week. sey eral months ago, ana she
visited my house several times afterward saw her on
August 90 ana sue said she wanted to come ana ana
bought trunk in New-York she said, and
You'll send Il 20 nv house she again the next
dav and said that she was going TO New-fork ana
would return 10 my house ON the evening DoaI. hot
sbc dd not come herself and have not seen her since
do not know anything OF her actions since iast saw
her sne did not tell me that she had consulted any
nhysleiaus or that she intended 10 90 any hospital
expected return to my house and know nOtnB
moro about her Some months ago sne visited my mouse
in company With Louis Riege. lie has called NJ my
house several within the past two weeks 10 make
inquiries about her" go, , ia IA
louis ReGe was recalled, and said that he could be
found AZ his home No 1877 SeooDdst, New-fork, Wheh
ever ne was wanted The Coroner set him at liberty,
aud adjourned the inquest TO an INDEFINITE ue, as o
was pre pairing to leave the ball Coroner Dempsey re-
eeiysd telegram from Dr. A. Rose,of No. Al West IwSn
ty-tbird-st NewYork The message stated tnat VI 'ns
body found at Silver Lake should prove 20 DO tnat OF
Ellen Murphy the doctor could give some interesting
faets about the case