The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-11-29


saw: Then she cut through the middle
of the body and l asked her why she cut
It SO and she said: I know enough not 10
cut through the bowels Next she cut
off the legs, after which she went out
for q while as it was. very warm there.
On her return we encased the head in the
plaster of Paris. We brought away the
dead mans clothes IN a bundle and | car
ried the head in another bundle. The saw,
knife and revolver were in the bundle with
the clothes We took the car to the
crossed to New York. l threw the head
overheard while the boat was crossing the
river. Then we went to Mrs Mack 5
house on Ninth avenue, where she burned
the clothes in the cooking stove.
The witness then told of the surrey ride
on the following day Saturday, June rs,
and the disposition of the other portions
of the remains, which were wrapped up in
oil cloth, cheese cloth and paper, which
Mrs. Mack had purchased prior to her
visit to the cottage on June rs, the day of
the killing.
Thorn told of his meetings with the
woman after this and how Mrs. Mack had
made preparations to go to Europe. Mrs.
Mack met him on Tuesday night, June 30,
the papers that she had been arrested.
He explained his conversation with Gotha.
He said that he had told Gotha that Mrs:
Mack killed Guldensuppe and also told
the barber how the body was cut up and
disposed of. He told Gotha of his inten-
ton to give himself up to the police, but
Gotha asked him to wait. He gave Gotha
some pawn tickets and made an appoint
ment to meet him the following night.
Thorn kept the appointment. He was
arrested.
During his conversation with Captain
O'Brien Thorn said he told the detective
some truths and some falSehoodS.
During the time he was giving this di-
rect testimony Thorn looked directly at
the jury. He spoke clearly and distinctly,
although at times his voice dropped to a
rather low tone. He used very good
English, with only a slight trace of a
German accent.
His direct examination lasted three-quar-
ters of an hour. Surrogate Weller then
proceeded with the cross examination
Mr.. Weller, in several ways, tried to
get the prisoner-witness to write his
name on a sheet of paper. Mr.. Howe
objected and was sustained by Justice
Maddox. The Court Euled that Thorn
could not be compelledVto write his real
name or any other name except he wish
ed. He should do it voluntarily.
Mr.. Howe, when the witness was asked
to write of his own volition, jumped up
and said, 81 direct my client not to do
so.' Thorn, in reply to Mr. Weller, said,
yers counsel"
AS to the hiring of and getting the
keys of the cottage, Thorn was closely
questioned. He said there was five or
the different rooms, but it did not trans
pir whether there was more than one
for the entrance door from the street.
In explaining why he gave false name
cottage, Thorn said it was because Mrs.
Mack did not want anyone to know that
he was living with her. Later on he
said Mrs. Mack accompanied him to the
cottage the day he paid the rent. He
got .the bunch of keys from the care
taker, Mrs. Haftner. He retained them
until the 24th of June, when he gave
them to Mrs. Mack about o'clock in
the evening.
Thorn said that Mrs. Mack gave him
the gold watch and chain on the Satur-
day following the day of the killing. 1t
had belonged to Guldensuppe
The pawn tickets which Thorn gave
Gotha were shown to the witness and he
identified them. None of them called for
a watch or chain and neither the watch
nor chain has been recovered as yet,
although the police have kept UP care
full search for them.
Some of the articles belonged to Mrs.
Mack; one of them was womans pin.
Some of the tickets bore the name of
Braun.
In reply to Judge Maddox, Thorn said
he went for the plaster of Paris after he
had gone upstairs and had seen Gulden-
suppe lying dead in the room near the
bath room.
This was about IL O'Clock. He did not
see the girl who testified that she was
in the store when he bought the plaster.
He only saw her on the witness stand.
sold it to him. 1t will be remembered
that these two witnesses, the man and
girl stated that Thorn bought the plas-
ter of Paris about O'Clock on the morn
ing of June %.
When he returned to the cottage he
helped undress the body and also to carry
it to the bath tub He believed Gulden-
suppe was dead and he heard no snore 70,
Mrs. Mack did all the cutting. He could
not say how Mrs. Mack got the oil-cloth
and other stuff to the cottage when she
only got the keys from him on the night
of June "a. She must have brought them
with her when she brought Guldensuppe
to the cottage that morning, June 25;
He never bought any cheese cloth and did
not tell Gotha that he did.
Mrs. Mack left the cottage about four
O'Clock and came back an hour later.
They then took two of the parcels with
arm the woman carried the clothes and
weapons which were in the other bum
die.
They took the trolley cars to the Nine
ty-second street ferry. They did not
change cars; Mrs. Mack went to the front
of the boat, the witness stayed at the
away; there were only few passengers
on the boat When they reached the New
York side Mrs. Mack and Thorn took the
First avenue car to Thirty-fourth street.
Mrs. Mack then went home and he went
elsewhere.
Thorn again acknowledged that he had
lied to, Captain O'Brien when he said he
street and Eleventh avenue on the day of
the killing. He said that for the pur-
pose of establishing an alibi.
He said 1t as much to save the woman
as himself He stayed at Maloney's Ho-
tel until eleven o'clock on Saturday, June
20. He met Mrs. Mack at Thirty-fourth
street ferry at that time, and they went
to Woodside by trolley car. They reached
the cottage about 80 and found the re-
mainder Of the body as they had left it
cut up the night before. The first por--
ton they wrapped up was the chest and
arms
The Court declared a recess of forty
minutes at ten minutes to one o'clock.