Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-25
A WOMAN FRIGHTENED
By a Colored Mans Actions on Syl-
van Avenue the Very Same
NIGHT OF SARAH JOYCE'S DEATH.
The Description She Gives Tallies With
That of Pulpus.
PROGRESS IN SOLVING THE MYSTERY

| PROGRESS In SOLVING THE MYSTERY
The veil of mystery is being gradually
drawn from around the death of poor Sarah
joyce, and it is quite probable that by the
time the Coroner's inquest is concluded on
Saturday morning the identity of the muir
derer will have been clearly demonstrated.
From present indications John Pulpus, the
colored suspect first arrested in connection
with the case, will be held for her murder by
the Coroner's jury. The tolls are closing
about him tightly, and each day the police
are adding strength to the evidence against
him.
They have now secured three witnesses
who will testify before the Coroner that
they saw Pulpus on the Sylvan avenue
road within few feet of where Sarah
Joyce's body was found on the night she
met her death. The importance of this
testimony lies in the fact that Pulpus pos
itively denies being on that part of the
lonely road known as Sylvan avenue on that
night. He positively and repeatedly in
sists that he left the road by foot path at
point fully $50 yards further down the
hill, and that he went directly from that
point to his boarding house down in the
ravine.
A woman's Important Testimony.
The direct contradictions to this story are
statements by Mrs. Bridget Holleran, of
Bates street, her 12-year-old son Thomas
and by Jeremiah McDonough, who lives in
the ravine near the colored mans boarding
house. McDonough is boy of 10, and
knows Pulpus well He tells the police
that shortly after dark on Thursday night
last he was making his way up the hillside
to Sylvan avenue, when he passed Pulpus,
who was going down, almost on a run. The
boy showed Inspector Whitehouse and De-
! tective Fitzgerald the point where he met
Pulpus and showed that the colored man
was going in directly opposite direction
from that indicated by him in his statement
to the police and Coroner. The boy also
showed that Pulpus was coming from the
direction of and he met him near to the
spot where the girls body was found. The
| boy is unable to fix the time of the meeting
any more definitely than to say it was
shortly after dusk, but the police consider
his evidence of the highest Importance.
Mrs. Holleran and her son also met Pull
pus, or man whose description fits him
closely, on the Sylvan avenue road within
| 80 feet of where Sarah Joyce fell or was
thrown over. Mrs Holleran had received
word early last Thursday evening that her
sister living east of Sylvan avenue was Sc
rlously ill. Immediately after supper she
and her son started from their home on
Bates street to call on her sister,. going by
| the way of Sylvan avenue. 1t had grown
dark enough to light the lamps in her
house when she left. A walk of from 10
to Is minutes brought them to the bend in
the road near which the tragedy occurred.
Just as they reached that point they OBJ
served man lettering along and when they
came near him he stopped.
He Frightened Another Woman.
Mrs Holleran was frightened at his
actions and eyed him closely She passed
over to the other side of the road in passing
him and as she did the man spoke to her.
She was too much scared to notice what he
said and walked as rapidly as possible away
from him. He made no attempt to follow.
The description given of this man by both
Mrs Holleran and her son is so close that
there seems no doubt but that Pulpus is the
man, though they have not yet identified
him. The Identification will be attempted
at the inquest.
Police Surgeon Meyer yesterday said that
the full report of the post mortem examina-
tion when submitted to the Coroner's jury
on Saturday would show that the girl had
died from sufocation. Her blood was dark
colored, as is usual in cases of asphyxiation,
and the lungs also gave evidence that she
had met death in that way. DR.. Meyer
thinks it probable that her assailant threw
the girls skirts up over her face until she
had suffocated. 1t is his opinion that he in
tended then to assault her, but was fright
ened away before his purpose was accom-
plished.
The Views of DIR. Meyer.
'T have no doubt but that she was mur-
dered, he continued "and criminal assault
is the only object her murderer could have
had in view. There was no evidence of in
tention to rob, and the position of the body
and the clothing support the other theory"
SIS it then settled beyond doubt that no
assault was committed, doctor?"
"Well, 1 should not swear as to that.
Her assailant must have had motive, and
1 think the assault theory explains it. /"
The police of the Second district are fol-
lowing up every suspicion of clew in the
case, and are hopeful of clearing it up in a
few days. A statement published yester-
day that they have fixed the crime on
white man, and are simply holding Pulpus
as a blind, is branded as silly by Inspector
Whitehouse. The officers undoubtedly have
evidence that they will not divulge at pres
ent, but they say it affects no white men,
and may not affect anyone but Pulpus.
They seem to regard Pulpus as convicted
man already, though they are guarded in
their statements concerning the case.
Several persons not yet mentioned in con-
nection with the case will be called for the
inquest on Saturday, among them Dr.
Wishart, who lives near by and was one of
the first to examine the body on the hill
side. but his evidence is not expected to be