The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-18
MURDERED MANINACASK
THE BODY SHIPPED FROM CoPEN-
HAGEN as PLASTER.

of the Victim Found in Good Condi-
ton.
From the Philadelphia Press.
NEW York, April IA cask which
arrived in this country nearly three months
ago. billed as containing a sample of plaster.
and which passed through the hands of
custom house inspectors. samplers, chemical
experts, appraisers and other functionaries
without any suspicion that it was anything
other than SO worth of a chemical CON-
Mound. u not otherwise classified, upon which
the duty would be 81 p, was opened to-day.
II had in it the body of a man murdered in
Copenhagen on Jan. last.
But for the Copenhagen police, at whose
request it was opened, it would have re-
NAMED at the APPRAISERS stores for year,
ard then have been sold "unsight. unseen''
as unclaimed merchandise to somebody in
search of a bargain.
A cablegram sent few days ago from
the police authorities of Copenhagen to
Funch, Edge q Co., the agents in this city
for the Thingvalla line of steamers. re-
quested them to furnish information as to a
cask shipped from Copenhagen on the Thing
valla on Jan. IL, billed as plaster, but sup
posed to contain the corpse of a murdered
man.
MURDERED IN COPENHAGEN.
More definite information subsequently,
obtained from the Copenhagen police was
to the effect that man named Phillepsen.
q soapmaker in that city, arrested on sus-
picion of having burned his factory and
defrauded his creditors, had confessed, also,
that he had murdered in quarrel clerk
named Meyer, and then, to conceal the
crime, ha d packed the body in cask and
shipped it by the Thingvalla to this country
through Wells, Fargo & Co., to fictitious
address in Racine, Wis. Funch, Edge g.
Co. had no entry of such a cask in The
Thingvalla's cargo, but upon inquiry of
Wells, Fargo & Co. it was found that a
cask addressed to 'Beresford g. Co., Racine,
Wis.," had been included in consignment
of packages billed to them, in bulk, by the
steamship company, which acts as their
agent in Copenhagen, and that the cask was
still undelivered.
Wells, Fargo & Co. had written twice to
"Beresford & Co.," once notifying them of
the arrival of the caslx, and the second time
requesting them to remit IS for duty and
express charges from this city to Racine
Both letters had been returned by, the post
office department., presumably because there
was no such firm at Racine.
THE cAsK IN THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
With the cask thus identified, the cable
grams from Berlin were referred to the
special agents office in the custom house
and Agent S. G. Wilbur went to the ap-
praiser's stores this morning to investigate.
Deputy Collector Burr found that a cask
had arrived there on Feb. 6, from the Thing
valla, billed as sample plaster: that it had
been examined by DIR. Jewett of the
appraisers department, and found to con-
tam chemical compound valued at $40,
duty 81 20. Ordinary samples are admitted
free and are passed through without being
entered at the custom house. The exam
lner, however, decided that this particular
sample could not be admitted free, and
wells, Fargo q Co. were notified to that
effect. Pending demand for the cask by
them, 1t was removed to the cellar of the
stores, and was there still when Special
Agent Wilbur had to-day finally untangled
all the red tape that custom house regula-
lions put about such package.
The cask was taken to the examiners
rooms, on another floor. 1t was of the size
and shape of an oil barrel, and seemed to
have held some greasy substance. 1t might
very we'll have contained materials used in
a soap factory. The address was on nine
inch square piece of coarse brown paper
nailed to the top of the cask. The words
"Beresford q Co., Racine, Wis.," were
written on it in PLAIN, clear hand, with
common black marking ink There were
e-~DS
for T. Schmidt, which was the name the
shipper had given to the express company's
Copenhagen agents.
Marks on the barrel indicated that, as is
usual in such cases, the custom house ex-
aminers had simply removed the bung Of
tie barrel, taken out little of the contents
for the appraisers department, and seaied
the barrel up again. The head of the bar
rel has not been removed.
u 10
In the presence of DIR. Jewett and Special
Agent Wilbur the barrel was opened at the
head. Both eyes and nose notified the Off
Gals that they had found what they were
looking for. Some kind Of plaster had
been thrown in loosely about the body. but
not enough to fill the barrel completely The
general form of the body could be dis
cerned, squatted down in the barrel. It
was all masked, however, in the damp,
white stuff except the face, which was
uppermost and bent over sidewise. and the
right hand, which was thrust up.
The face was that of a man apparently of
middle age, with close-cropped brown hair
and brown beard. The general cast of
the features suggested that the man had
been Scandinavian. Upon the second
finger of the hand was plain gold ring.
The body was clothed, but in what manner
could not be determined as it was hidden
uhueI Une pIdSuef covering. llere were no
marks of violence on the face.
NO TROUBLE ABOUT IDENTIFICATION.
Special Agent Wilbur said afterward that
he thought there would be no difficulty
about the identification of the body by any
one who had known the man in life. The
plaster covering and the fact that the cask
was practically air tight had preserved the
body.
The cask was headed up again and re-
moved TO a room where it can be kept safe
under lock and key until the authorities de-
eide what to do with it.
Special Agent Wilbur notified Inspector
Byrnes and the treasury department, and
also gave the facts in the case to the Danish
consul, who called to ask for information.
The treasury department will notify the
state department, and the cask aud its con-
tents will then be in the custody of that
department pending notification from the
Danish government as to whetlar it is
needed at Copenhagen as evidence in the
trial OF the murderer. 1t is supposed that
the Danish authorities will desire its reship-
ment to Copenhagen.
This is the first time that the custom
mouse people here have had an experience
OIL this sort. They have often had packages
which purported to contain corpses pan out
SIX and satins, or other valuable and duti-
able goods when sampled.
THE MURDERER's WELL-LAID PLAN.
MN T. A.