Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-04
MARY MARTINS MURDERER
Work of the New York Police in Running
Him Down.
without q Clue the Detectives Locat-
ed the Criminal-StOry of the
Horrible Crime.

The story told by Police Superintendent
Byrnes to the newspaper reporters In New
York last night Of the pursuit Of the muir
derer of the woman found dead at 9Th ave-
nue. and Waveriy place Sunday morning
would have been a revelation to admirers
of Sherlock Holmes theories and methods
it was so different. AS is well known,
there was no clue. The woman had been
strangled and then chopped. Immediately
the superintendent began thorough can
vass of all the districts in the city in which
negroes are to be found. and particularly
in the eighth and ninth wards and the ten
derloin.
The Woman Identified.
The first piece of definite information
gathered by the detectives was unearthed
at o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, as said
in yesterdays Star, when they found
woman who positively identified the dead
woman as Mary Martin of this city, the
mistress of William Caesar, who had lived
with him since last August in two rooms
on 9th street. Caesar, the woman's pro-
tector, they discovered, was a porter in the
store of Youmans the halter.
The detectives hired apartments on the
opposite side Of the street from Caesars
house and kept a close watch. This was
Tuesday afternoon.
After the murdered woman was identi-
fed Caesar was found by some reporters
and questioned as to his mistress where
abouts. He manifested surprise and fright.
but replied that she was in Washington,
and he had received a letter from her.
Yesterday he was taken to the morgue
by a detective and inspected the body,
but denied that it was that of Mary Mar
tin. In the mean time. however. the police
had visited his rooms and found innumera-
bic evidences of the crime. Caesar was
a rraC fa6 n h0r mir low nd fol f0r
headquarters.
After interviews with Supt Byrnes,
which lasted nearly three hours, Caesar
utterly lost his nerve.
What investigation Disclosed.
Inquiry as to the mode of domestic life
pursued by Caesar and his reputed wife
revealed 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 often threatened her
life. 1t was ascertained that Friday
night the couple had a violent quarrel, and
that the woman threw a glass at the man,
hitting him on the head. He then threw
her down on the floor, after having grasp
ed her by the throat with both hands
There, lying on the floor. 1t 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 Sunday morning. This 1t is al
legged. he put around her throat and twisted
it, and then tied it into a double knot and
strangled her. He slept as soundly, 1t is
said. as if the corpse Of the woman was
not almost within his very sight.
The next morning he went to work. 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,
Afterward the murderer went about as
usual. He told his neighbors pleasantly
that his wife," as the murdered woman
was known. had gone to Washington, and
would not return for some time. He was
so calm and pleasant in talking with his
friends that no one suspected him.
Cutting Up the Body.
On Saturday evening, according to the
police, Caesar went back prepared to dis
pose of the body. On his way to his rooms
he borrowed butchers cleaver from a
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 supposed to be human
blood. He had idea in his mind, it is
conjectured. that he had better throw the
body into the river, but to do this. in or
der to transport the body such a distance
he must get it into smaller compass.
He therefore proceeded to cut it up.
the hips. but failed in that and then cut
them both off just above the knees. Hay-
ing 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 having tied the hands
firmly. SO that they might not fall apart
II was at this time not later than $50 or
$40 o'clock, SO the superintendent said.
he picked up the bundle and took it in
his arms from the house, which is not far
from Ith avenue. to 9th avenue, where he
boarded 9TH avenue horse car, bound
down town. and stood on the front plat
form.
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.
DePOsitinE the Corpse.
He leaned against the railing in front of
the building to rest, and put the bundle
on top of the railing. which is five inches
in width. In some way, however, the bum
die slipped and fell from the railing to
the ground on the other. In attempting
to regain possession OF the bundle Caesar
met with some difficulty, and finally de-
cided to let it remain where it had fallen.
There it lay undiscovered until 9 o'clock
| on Sunday morning, when young Phillips
found it as he was on his way to early
morning mass in a nefghborng church.
| On Monday the police received a letter
| stating that the murder had been COM
| mitted in Railway N. j., and that the body
| had been brought to New York city in
| wagon. The letter purported to have been
| written by the murderer, who said that
| he was going to Washington. The missive
| was dated from Philadelphia, but was post
| marked from New York. The writer for
| got that the place from which the letter
| was dated and the place from which 1t was
| postmarked should correspond
burning discriminating Evidence.
On Sunday evening, after having return
ed the cleaysr to the person from whom he
procured it, the superintendent says Caesar
| went to his rooms and burned UP the eff
fects of the woman. So much smoke and
| so curious an odor arose from the flames
| as he proceeded that the attention of a
| woman living on the floor above was at
| tracted. She came down stairs, knocked
| at Caesars door, and asked if his room
| was afire The door was locked, and the
murderer refused to open it, but he called