The herald., 1897-06-28
In the Attempt to Conceal
a Murder
A LEGLEss, ARMLESs TRUNK
THE CLUE FOR DETECTIVES TO
WORK ON
The Hideous Chunks Make One Mans
Body, and That Man Was
Surely Murdered

NEW YORK, June 27-The lower part
Of the trunk Of a man was found in the
woods at One Hundred and Seventy.
eixth street and Undercliff avenue, this
city, today. 1t was terribly mutilated
and shows plainly that a murder has
been committed. It was wrapped in oil
cloth and manila paper. exactly as was
the upper part Of trunk found in the
East river of Eleventh street on Satur-
day. The two are parts of the same body.
The two pieces were found more than
eight miles apart, one in the water and
the other on land. The part found today
comprised the lower part Of the trunk
from the fifth rib to the hips. the legs hav-
ing been severed from the body at the hip
Joints. 1t was wrapped In three folds of
oiicioth. Tue Oiicioth was evidently cut
from the same piece as that which en-
closed the upper part Of the trunk. 1t
was new and of O cheap pattern, bright
red. 1t Is like that commonly used for
tablecloths in tenement houses. The
find of today was In a bulky bundle
lying against wall next to UndercliR
avenue, where the shrubbery Is very
thick. 1t has not been dissected, which
does away with the belief that the body
had been handled by medical students.
Besides, 1t had been terribly hacked when
separated from the upper portion. 1t
was sent to the morgue, where it >ex-
actly fits the part found Saturday. Dep
uty Coroner O'Hanlon performed an
autopsy on the upper part of the trunk
today before the other had been found.
He discovered two stab wounds, one be-
tween the fifth and sixth ribs and one
between the sixth and seventh, in the
region Of the heart. There was also
stab wound back Of the left collar bone
that extended down to the apex Of the
LETT lung. DR.. O'Hanlon found, too, a
bruise on the left forearm, and under the
right forearm was a confusion, showing
the imprint of a heel. with hob nails, like
those in heavy boots. He found an in
cised wound In the palm Of the right
hand. which he said was probably
caused by the victim selling the weapon
with which he was attacked. There was
no water or serum In the lungs, which
were we'll filled with air. There was a
knife wound two inches long in the apex
Of the heart, corresponding to the wound
between the ribs. Numerous contusions
were also found on the body, which
wounds. DR.. OHanlon thinks. could not
have been inflicted after death.
This doctor stated that the. .Tpasn aalId
twenty-four. He calculates the mans
age at about IS years and his height at
q feet 10 inches. He was a laborer, and
the nails were down to the quick, as If
from habit Of biting them. The condi-
tion Of the body indicates q we'll nour-
ished. healthy man.
The detectives Of two precincts and
the best central office men are working
on the case.
The second portion Of the butchered
corpse was found north Of the Harlem
river, seven miles from where the other
part was discovered. Two boys found
the first part Of the body and two other
boys came across the portion of the
trunk in the woods. The boys were
hunting for berries when they noticed
the bundle lying against wall. The
boys were prompted by curiosity to open
the bundle. They left 1t lying exactly
as they found. Their father stood guard
over 1t while the two boys went and
called two policemen, who opened the
package.
The work Of cutting Off the lower limbs
had been done very cleanly. without
hacking. In the wound behind the left
collar bone there was an escape of
blood beneath tho fascia and right
pleural cavity and as blood does not
HOW after death the deputy coroner ex-
presses the belief that the wound must
have been made before death and not
after. There Is also blood under the
thumb nail of the left hand and there
are numerous contusions on the body
that could not possibly have been in
ficted after death. According to the
deputy coroner's statement it is to be
presumed that the man was stabbed to-
death and the police are trying to form
a theory as to where the dreadful work
Of murder and butchery was committed.
II the murder was committed in the
neighborhood Of High bridge and the
upper part of the trunk thrown into the
Harlem river it would have first floated
into the East river on account of the
conditions of tide. The police are Won
dering in what spot the limbs of the
corpse Will be found. They think they
VIII turn up some place before long, but
40 not think it likely that the head will
tver be found. They think the murderer
has either buried or burned 1t in a fur
mace In order to keep secret the identity
OF his victim. This would hardly be
done, however, unless the identity of
the murdered man would easily lead to
The Identity Of the murderer. No surgi-
1al skill was employed In dismemberinr
}he body. On the breast of the trunk a
5arge piece of flesh had been hacked
away. This may have been done to pre-
vent Identification by means Of tattox
marks.
WEYLER,S WANTS