New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-08
THORN'S TRIAL BEGINS TO DAY.
STORY OF THE FfENDISH CRIME FOR
WHICH HE AND MRS Mack
ARE INDICTED

The trial OF Martin Thorn. who with Mrs. Au-
giIsta Mack stands indicted fOr the h'nd!sh murder
Of William Gu!densuppe the Murray Hill Bath PUB
Der viii be begun this morning IN tho Criminal
Branch OF the supreme Court IN Long Island CITY
The crime Of which the pair arc accused is one
Of the most brutal and shocking IN the criminal an
mails Of this city Il WAS presumably committed IN
a loroly cottage at Woodsidc. Long Island on June
p last
Two OF those youths Of the lower Ea.; SIDE who
spend their summer days IN tho East River u on
The stringpiece OF the piers were the accidental
d.sc0veTtrs OF the crime. They wcr" preparing for
their afternoon "iip" on juno % al Eas, Eleventh
st.. when the sight Of strange looking bundle
floating with the tide FASTENED their movements.
In a rnomcu, they were In the wate- and towing the
bundle inshore. once back on the pier. the boys
lost no time In cutting The scout cord which was
wound around their prize and uul1,ng the ron
OF olclorh which formed the outer .1ycrng. But
they had yet reached the contents OF the bundle
There SIN other coverings Of heavy brown
paper and choosecloth The boys worked until those
had been removed. and then there was yell OF
terror and both lads stood horror-strIckcn. There
tho pier lay the INITIATED trunk OF a man. win
the arms folded across the breast. The boys were
quickly surrounded by OF people. and then
the police came.
At first it was thought that some medical student
had played grim Joke AT the expense OF the sensl-
biit!es OF the general public, but coroners ply
scian. after cursory examination, declared that
undoubtedly "A murder had been committed
On Sunday morning. June q. and two
boys. while picking berries I'm ogden Woods near
Washington Bridge. In the far northern part Of
the city. several miles from East Elcventh-st
found bundle which similar TO that picked
up the day before IN the East River. The three
had read the accounts OF the peculiar bundle
picked up by the swimmers and Instantly Informed
the police. to whom they said that the newly
found package might contain another part Of the
ROD
suspicious proved. In oilcloth. brown paper
and cheesecloth was wrapped the lower half Of a
mans trunk
The head has not yet been found. but the body
MAS positively identified as that " William Gull
densuppe who had been employed as a rubber al
the Murray Hi Baths a reporters suspicion
from the appearance Of the hands that the man
had been a masscur. or bath rubber led 10 the
identification. When the body was found Gulden-
suppe had been missing several days In tie
search for the murderer. IT was discovered tnot
Mrs. Mack, who was "a midwife living AT No a9q
Ninth-ave. had left her husband for C;uldersu,ro
Her replies TO questions aroused suspicion and
she arrested Just as she was preparing IA
move from her Ninth-ave. rooms
Soon after the woman's arrest the missing loc
were found near the Brooklyn Navy Yard bou'.,
up az were the other parts OF the body " 'o''''
The arrest OF Thorn, who had riyallcd c,u,,
suppe IN the affections OF Mrs. Mack came AFR
seyera weeks searcA. Thorn confessed The mur.
ber Gotta repeated /, T. his vile and she Ins pf
ed on telling the iol!ceA Her husband made an
appoin tmcnt with Thorn a; Onc-hundred- and tween
iy-hfih-st. and Eighth-ave. Detectives were ai
hand. and the suspected man was taken into Gus
tody.
Ciotha gave TO the police statement OF the story
which he said Thorn had told HIM. According 10
this. GuiGensuppe Iured the cottage AT
Thorn lay in wai: When Guldensuppe reached The
house Mrs. Mack told him 10 60 upstairs and cx-
anime the rooms while she went Into the ward
Guldensuppe hesitated. but finally went upsia,rs
and pa ssed from room TO room. pecrlng into Inc
closc;s until he reached the one In which Thorn
was hidden. As the unsuspectInp man
opened the door Thorn shot him In the head and
then dragged him 10 the bathtub into which ne
threw him.
/ that while Gudensuppe was yet alive the barIer
drew a knife razor and cut his throat The al
vision Of the body nexi made. and TWO OF the
bundles dropped overheard from a ferryboat
In the East River Another he LEFT Ia III. wood
having driven there Ia company with Mrs. Mack
The head he incased in plaster OF paris and sank
IN the East River. Mrs. Mack mad helped Thorn
| chased the wrapping material according to Gotha's
statement Thorn's reasons for killing Guldensuppc
were revenge for his having once beaten him and
| a desire 10 be free 10 live with Mrs Mack
| Recorders discovered the woman who sold Mrs
Mack the oilcloth and the man who rented the
| Woodside house TO herself and Thorn. and thes.
| two positively Identified the prisoners. People In
had seen what they thought TO be bloody water
Friday evening. The dranpipe in question is the
| only outlet from the bathtub in which Thorn is
| said to have cut the murdered IT ans throat. In
the house itself bloodstans detected and bull.
Il Ill Al a.. H. n.