The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-31
STELZ WAS STRANGLED.
1TE FIRST, TBEN CHoKEDi AN
IRREST EARLY THIS MORNING.

IRREsT EA RL THIS MORNING.
nHn. or the Ola BcilrlnEer'S Hard FiEht with
,be burglars Mt Holy Trinity-Hia Mnrderera
.,,no.ed TO BeionE to n GnnE OF Poor-Box
Robbrr--The One Ciue-Two Men Wanted.
Al o o'clock this morning Capt. Lees OF tho
s,acg street station, Williamsburg, arrested
Iohn Enloin OF 2O5 Moore street, who, he sus-
n.cts. may have had something to do with tho
murder OF Bellringer Stclz.
According to Information which came to Capt.
Iccs. EfIcin was in a restaurant near tho scene
NJ the murder not long after II took place, and
II was noticed that his hands were bloody.
n. was asked II he wanted to wash his hands.
hi, he refused, and wiped them on his clothing.
He also had considerable money in small change.
As he went out OF tho restaurant he dropped a
quarter OF a dollar. His attention was called to
this. but he said: Never mind; Two got plenty
OF money"
After the patrol wagon passed taking him in
the station house this morning n pocketbook
WINS picked up. which is said to resemble the
ope stolen from the dead man. This was turned
over to tho police.
Fully 100 Brooklyn detectives worked all yes
terday to clear up the Sunday night murder in
Holy Trinity Catholic Church. in Williams
burg, while thousands of persons sought adj
mission to the home Of George Stelz, the old
bellringer, who had been beaten to death by
those who robbed tho church poorbox. Although
tho police made 1--WE arrests in the case, they
did not solve the problem of tho murder,
Early In the day Brooklyn's acting chief Of
police, John Mcclellan. left his office at Police
Headquarters, aud, going to Williamsburg, as
sumcd charge of the case. After n visit to the
scene OF the murder Acting Chief Mcclellan tcle.
rraphed to tho chief Of the detective bureau,
James Reynolds. who is away on his vacation.
Chief Reynolds hurried back to Brooklyn, and,
taking ten OF his picked men, went carefully
over tho ground that had been covered by the
precinct police before daylight.
As stated in Yesterdays SuN Stelz's body was
found in the church vestibule at 1890 o'clock
on Sunday night with five ugly gashes in the
head and the imprint OF the murderer's fingers
on the throat. stelz was found lying in a pool
Of blood at the foot of the stairs which lead to
the church belfry. 1t WAS part of his duty to
zee that the church doors were all locked at z
, o'clock in the evening. He left his home at 7:15
and went to the house of Andrew c. Roesch.
the sexton of tho church. at 100 Mon.
aisS ,S Ss'e Church sn' Il was & Is s s%S 1'0f e
and then, after locking the church. to bring the
hallway. After getting the keys, as usual. on
Sunday night, he was seen to enter the church.
Of the block on Montrose avenue, between
Graham avenue and Even street. At z there
the many who were there on Sunday night none
appears to have NOTICED any one leaving the
eh y, Ta. e '1n misS Stssr TO st : a,s sntlFS %h isi stelz wa,
In the belfry. pulling the big ropes that swung
the bells. The priests in tho house adioinin:
the church heard the Anselus bells toll until
i've minutes after 7. so that at that time Stelz,
the bellringer. who was also assistant sexton OF
leave one light burning in the church vestibule.
This light was burning on Sunday night when
stairs. passed through the organ loft, and
went on two flights further to the church
E EssI,1ale but Just Is is wh supp as ald thar stte he ' bssr Is t TIM,
noise made by thieves in breaking open a poor,
box on the floor below In the basement OF the
were of metal and fastened to the ceiling in the
basement. These poorboxes were at the front OF
the church in a room that contains the bodies OF
the former pastors Of the church. There was
an iron rail partition put up to separate tn.
church basement. In this inclosure. opposite
the tomb, a kneeling. bench had been placed
in metal. These dgures are five feet tall.
When the murder of the old bell ringer wa:
discovered: , on SUNDAY 10 n lay night light ,n one Of @,o the =.
, snh ton1edu PlasSis ,. to one Ssn Of the ,S corners m.1s Of 1 tn;
other side, beneath tho other poor box. was
i Is,a'. the .k knsslin sb bench %afi, ' .snains on shs end 4 and and
the poor box, The poor box over the Eneel
*. The metal plate. which took SSSn' The 3;
place Of a door. was gone. This meta,
skey. but 1t had been forced open by the church
thieves, and had been carried away. after they
been put in position only a short time since &c
take the place Of the old-fashioned square boz
%ere iy.d Hi tb1aasb to tom the nin church .iS in pillar !, The They
eter that passed, through the flooring and led
into the body Of the church.
CHIEF N Detectives Reynolds. after going over
the ground yesterday, said that probably aftcI
the bell ringer came down to the church vestt
on The poor boxes below. and, going down into The
basement, saw them at work. 1t was probable
was at work at each Of the poor boxes when thu
6S!l ringer discovered them, and that the thieI
who had succeeded in opening one Of the
thief. tho detective believed, was standing OF
old bell ringer appear. theIthieves had started / t
leading 10 the church yestibule. This was til,
only way they could get out: They had gop.
not be reached excepting by a person who had
led + from the vault room. stelz. the detectiy,
% bead the 't Thieves es off of. wiser" and By S'I th'
time he got up in the church yestibul'
Detective f Rsyno ID P PSihfps th 9Hth ono or of fhf n,
thieves carried the iron plate that he had re
Weapon upon the old bell ringers head. Will,
the other thief was engaged in a struggle witt
btelz. Then. the detective believes, Stel.
fought hard for his life from the doorway lead
Ing to the church basement to the newell post a
the foot. of the belfry stairs. This Is a dis
lance of about eight feet. The oak vain
seoting there, along the entire distance
was spattered with blood. the floor WA
s~pAtterod with blood. and a pool OF blood ex
tended six feet from the foot OF the stairs, aut
over to the basement doorway; The basemen
sneared with blood. There was blood ali owe
the glass portion OF 1t, as high as q mans head
and extending down to the floor. There was alsl
blood on the knob of the door.
A littlo wire gate at the foot Of the belfrl
stairs was turned back and hooked to the vain
sSotinR. This gate also was covered witt
blood: stelz's body was found lying on tn
stairway. his feet on the floor of the vestibul
and his head on tho fifth step of the stairs. Tn,
oody was on rs back. From its position 1t wa
ey Ta that the str1ggle had ended there;
Getsctiye's belIof that one Of the m'rderers wal