The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-04-04
THE HISTORY ON ACALlIE
The Latest New York Murder
Mystery Cleared Up.
SUPERINTENDENT BYRNBs' STORY.

Unparalleled Brutality of a Negro who,
Killed His Mistress, Dismembered the
Body and Then Carried II Through the
Crowded Streets on a Horse Car.
New YORK, April 4.-The mutilated
body of the young oolored woman which
was found Sunday morning at Waverly
place and Sixth avenue has been identified
as that of Mrs. Mary Martin the wife of
Thomas s. Martin, West Indian negro.
She had for time been livingat 14S West
Twenty-seventh street, with William
C@sar colored employed as a porter in a
hat store under the Hoffman House. Mar
tin, woman named Louisa Miller and
Caesar were arrested the two former as
witnesses, and the last suspected of having
committed the murder
superintendent Byrnes last night told
the story of the murder as revealed by the
Investigations of his detectives. For cold
blooded brutality it is one of the most re-
markable crimes in the history of the city.
Inquiry as to the mode of domestic life
pursued by Caesar and his reputed wife re-
vealed the fact that there were frequent
quarrels between the two, caused by the
mans jealousy. On occasions he would
knock her down, and other tenants in the
house said that he had often threatened
her life 1t was ascertained that on Fri
day night the couple had violent quar-
rel and that the woman threw glass at
the man, hitting him on the head. He
then threw her down on the floor, after
having grasped her by the throat with
both hands.
There, lying on the floor, it is said, he held
her throat in such grasp that he thought
| he had killed her. But when he released his
hold he discovered that she was still
breathing Then, according to the police,
| he secured the piece of cheese cloth which
was found tied around her neck on Sun
day morning. This, it is alleged, he put
around her throat and twisted it, and
| then tied it into a double knot and stran
| gled her. He slept as soundly, it is said
as if the corpse Of the woman was not al
most within his very sight. The next
morning he went to work as usual lock
ing the door behind him. At noon he went
| back to the house, unlocked the door to see
| if the body had been disturbed and then
returned to his work
| On Saturday evening, according to the
story of the police, Caesar went back to his
home and prepared TO dispose of the body
| of the woman he had killed. On his way
| to his rooms he borrowed butcher
| cleaver from man he knew. The cleaver,
which the superintendent showed, was as
keen as a razor, and still showed marks of
| blood spots upon the blade, which are sup
posed to be human blood
He had an idea in his mind it is con
jectured, that he had better throw the
body in the river but to do this, in order
Co transport the body such a distance, he
must get it into smaller compass He,
| t,, 3 R,,.t
attempted to cut the legs off at the hips
but failed in that, and then cut them both
off just above the knees Having proceeded
so far, he TOOK piece of the carpet on the
floor and an old rug which was in the room
and rolled the body up in them, after hav-
ing tied the hands firmly so that they
might not fall apart.
1t was at this time not later than $3.50 or
! S:45. He picked up the bundle and took it
in his arms from the house TO Sixth ave
nue. where he boarded a Sixth avenue
horse Car, bound down town, and stood on
the front platform. There were other
people in the car at the time, but no one
appears to have paid any special attention
to the negro with large bundle.
The car on which the man happened to
take passage was one of those which stop
at Waverly place on the down trip and
then switch and go northward. AS the
car stopped at Waverly place Caesar got
off and walked over TO the west side of the
street in front of the building of the New
York Bank Note company. The man is
not powerful. He leaned against the rail
ing in front of the building TO rest, and
put the bundle on top of therailing which
is some five inches in width. In some way,
however, the bundle slipped and fell over
the railing upon the ground on the other
side To attempt to put it together again
the negro saw would be useless, and so he
concluded to let it remain there, and
walked quietly away. There it lay undis.
covered until o'clock on Sunday morn
ing,
On Monday the police received letter
stating that the murder had been commit
ted in Railway, N. j.. and that the body
had been brought to this city in wagon
The letter purported to have been written
by the murderer, who said that he was go
ing TO Washington. The missive was dated
from Philadelphia, but was postmarke(
from New York The writer forgot thai
the place from which the letter was dated
and the place which it was postmarked
should correspond Sunday evening, after
having returned the cleaver to the person
from whom he procured it, Caesar went tC
his rooms and burned up the effects Of the
woman.
Caesar is about 28 years old, and was
born in the West India islands He is O
little above medium height, and is very
black skinned. He has been in this city
since 1890
Governor Mitchell on Prize Fights.
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