New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-04
WAS THE WOMAN MURDEREDf
CLEws TO THE CARLETON HOUSE MYSTERY


THE AUToPsY-A PRINTER WHO OCCUPIED A ROOM
WITH A TRAP-DooR-HIs VISITORS.
The police did little or nothing yesterday, TO
all appearances, toward unrayelling the mys-
terry surrounding the dead woman whose
body dug out of ash heap In
the subcellar of the Carleton House
on the previous afternoon Early in the day the
heap of ashes earth, bits of broken glass. bones
and parchment-ke flesh which was called tho
body was removed 10 the Moreue There
the clothing was cnt from tho skel-
cton and an examination Of tho
remnants was made at o'clock by Coroner Merkie
aud his deputy, Dr. Mcssemcr Tho antopav was
IA complete ~ circumstances prtmittr'l. hut after
II was finished Dr Mesacmcr said that he waa una
able 10 toll whether tho woman died from violence
~ otherwise, There wa, no ffaotufrof tho skull,
aud lar aa he could Hea M marks of violence
| could be distinguished, Tho onglomofaiion II
dirt homes ete,, was replaced IN Tho rude wooden
ooilln, tho clothing which had bean ou: oi waa
hung upon wooden pegs on the side of tho Morgna.
and Coloners and dead-keeper, went about their
business to await Identification.
At nightfall Charles Baker. Of No. 100
Waverly Place. a machlnist. called to look at tho
skeleton and inspect the clothing, hoping to find
his wife, who had been missing for nearly two
years. When last seen she was on her way to SOC
her father at Schenectady. lie did identify the
| remains
ATTRACTIONS OF THE CARLETON HOUSE.
The Carleton House proved o source
of attraction to many people through
ont the day. They stood the street
corners and stared vacantly at the eight-story
structure. The revelations of the previous day
stirred the tongues of all the gossips in the neigh
borhood and IN the hotel itself. and many people
vicinity satisfied that hidden murder out"
last. The fact that the spot where the body was
found in the SUD- cellar scarcely accessible to
drunken person cropping blindly in the dark, with
the additional facts that shoes hat could bo
found near the body, and that the mans white un-
dershirt which was mutfled about her face had
been tied so tightly with two bits OF stout cord
that it necessary to cut it loose with O knife
furnished reasons for believing that the woman
murdered. Such is the belief of the people
about the hotel
BAD ODOR FROM THE CELLAR.
The body when found, was lying close against
brlcked-up arch in partition of the sub-ceari
almost directly overhead was big trapdoor that
had lately been made fast by two heavy cleats
nailed underneath. This trapdoor, which Is six
feet eight inches by four feet eight inches wide,
is in the floor of basement room, long, narrow,
damp aud dark, occupied by Charles Williams,
bill poster, as a shop since May l, 1888.
When Mr.. Williams took possession of his shop hs
noticed strong smell that resembled the smell OF
a dead body and it seemed to come from the cellar
He complained of 1t to John Hayes, who looked
after the sanitary arrangement of the houses be-
longing To the Cromwell estate which included
the Carleton House. Other tenants noticed the
same smell and complained of 1t. Mr.. Hayes
sprlnkled disnfcctants about the room and into
the cellar through the trap-dOor, and by-and-bye
| the obnoxious smell ceased. The origin of the
stencil was not dreamed of until the discovery Of
| the wOman's remains.
! Benjamin Gray, printer, occupied the room with
! the trap-door in it before it was rented to Mr..
| Williams. Gray was man of about twenty mine
years. He was tall, thin and had black eyes and
long black mustache. He kepta prlntin Dress in
his room and also a mattress as it was his sleeping
apartment TO the other tenants of the basement
rooms to the right and left of him Mr.. Gray
said that he a married man. lie often
visited in his subterrauean apartment by two
women. Their frequent calls and cvdeat jealousy
attracted the attention of William Hest, who
keeps a. tailor's shop just above him. two doors
north, and of Mr.. Strcctmatter. who kept q
restaurant just above tho entrance TO
Grays basement. Mr. Hest said yesterday
that one day Mr.. Strcetmattor called hls attention
to the small lady like hand of ono of Gray's visi-
tors. His attention was drawn to IL ~ the hand
rested on the iron rail that led down:to tho priu
tcrs room. ihc two women, according 10 Mr.
llcSt. were nOrdiuatcIy jealous ot each other.
GRAY said that one of thcln-thc Que with tho
delicate haud-was his wife. There wcro
frequent quarrcs IN tho printers room aud tho
sound of blows sometimes camo through tho ilOor
to the ears of the other tenants over head. Ono
day the woman who was sealed Mrs Gray knocked
Nainly ut the door of her husbands room Tor adj
mittancc She weat away crying. The last timo
slo was seen sh, had BABY IN her
res below ceased. Shortly after that Gray also
disappeared. Gray's lease of the premises was TO
he for year from May /. 1883, bu, rs 'he former
occupant Nicholas Buck hear "a kalSominer lad
ment about Christmas, lss2. lie paid - mouth
rent but on March 20, without saving ANYTHING
with the building the estate, he
went away, leaving no word behind HIM as TO
where ne had gone, inr Mp, ne?t fald r1 that
printer. had last winter been arrested IN lioboken
for knocking woman down with club, robblng
her of -, and leaving her for dead IN Ihe road.
He said the woman who was assaulted lived
formerly IN the Carleton House, where she was
employed as a laundress: Some OF his children
vicinity of New Chambers-st. and New Bowery re-
Gently. A printer of that name is known IN the
printing house of Green x GRAY, in Bceknian-st.,
and lives in Brooklyn.
C:IARAC rERIsrICs or THE WOMAN.
The most striking thing about the skeleton Of
the dead woman found under the trap-dOor Ut
Grays basement room is the smallness Of her
hands. Dr. MESSENGER said she not over tweL-
ty-Gve years old. Her clothing consisted of a black
polonaisc sacque with a wide fringe. red calico
waist with lace embroidery about the throat aud
wrist bands. Her brown hair was abundant and
tied behind with a string From her clothing Mr.
lielst said that he could not identity her; nor
could he by the color of her har
Contractor Hayes said that on February III,
1882, he went into the cellar and moved large
fha xlll xhaIa lL
was found He Will swear that there was body
there at that time. subsequently, he went into the
cellar and noticed nothing wrong; that
before Gray moved in. year ago,
when he went into the cellar