The herald., 1897-10-10

NEW YORK, OCT. 4.-(Speclal CorreS-
pondence to The Herald) In short time
the eyes. not only of this community but
of hundreds of others, will read the clos
ing chapters of tragedy such as is not
duplicated In the criminal records or the
world. While all the papers have been
filled with the news of the Luetgert
trial, all that can be said OF this does
not for a moment dwarf the Importance
Of the Guldensuppe murder case. Prepa-
rations are now under way for the trial
of Martin Thorn and Mrs. Mack for the
murder Of William Guldensuppe. Such
murder as this is not realized in its full
ness until the case is studied from an
analytical standpoint.
The trial will offer an opportunity for
exactly this sort of study. Vague hints
are being thrown out by the prosecu-
ton that when the evidence they have
In the background is introduced, the
facts that are already known will pale
into insignificance. Such absolute dia-
bolism they say has never been known
since the days OF the Borgias. There is
no desire to condemn accused persons
before they have been heard, but it is
NO exaggeration to declare that such
evidence as has been made public against
the accused persons seems to render
their guilt beyond the slightest Ques-
tion.
Martin Thorn, who owing to his con-
fession made to the talkative barber is
number one of the accused in the case,
Is a man of less than ordinary intelli
gence and of more than ordinary bru
tality Five minutes conversation with
him will demonstrate to the satisfaction
of any intelligent person, that he was
wholly incapable Of planning the MUIR
der Of Guldensuppe. 1t is also evident
that his particular characteristics rem
dered him an apt tool for Mrs. Mack.
While he Is in the eye of the law the
principal in this case, in the eyes Of the
people he takes a secondary place to
Mrs. Mack.
The personality Of this woman ap-
proaches the marvellous. Rarely does
one observe such strong animal ma
ture as she possesses accompanied with
SO vigorous mentality. While her in
telligence is not Of a high order she
is shrewd and cunning in superlative de-
gree and capable of making just such
a plan as that which lured poor Gulden-
suppe to the little house on Long Island
where he was butchered like a steer in
the shambles.
The deeper the probe Of the law Is in
serted into his case, the more it Is ap-
parent that Mrs. Nacks mind planned
the murder in the most minute detail 1t
has been said that every criminal, no
matter how wise, has always made some
error in even the most carefully laid
plans. A careful survey Of the plans of
Mrs. Mack, aided and abbeted by Thbrn,
show that up to the time they carried
the torso Of the murdered d man from the
little Long Island house aboard the
ferry boat, not a mistake had beSn made
1t was on the ferryboat that the fatal
error was committed. Even Thorns
dull intelligence grasped the fact that
the step was wrong one to take, and in
the confession to the barber he said as
much. There was more than one oppor-
tunity to conceal this part of the mur-
dered man in the vicinity of the scene of
the crime, but Mrs. Mack, like all per-
sons of her nature, had laid out the
course to be followed, studied it, and
refused to vary from 1t. Thus it hap
pened that the torso Of the dead man
was thrown from the ferry boat and
within fifteen minutes was drawn
ashore by the men who found it,
there was the beginning of the public
ity of the tragedy. The end of all is
now practically in sight. If ever two
persons went to their trial condemned
before even particle Of evidence was
submitted it is Martin Thorn and Mrs.
Mack The mistaken idea has gained
prevalence that Mrs. Mack cannot be
sentenced to the electric chair. Under
the laws Of the state of New York she
is sufficiently guilty, even If secondary
to the principal, if the charge against
her be proved, to be sent to the electric
chair. 1t is considered more than likely
that she will be the first woman who
will suffer the death penalty in New
York under the present method of in
hicting it.
Careful investigation Of the testimony
to be submitted makes it possible to
present here for the first time the names
OF the persons who will contribute the
links of the chain Of evidence which
when placed together form a perfect
whole. Never in the history of crime
has the term circumstantial evidence
been personif1ed. as in this case. The
first on the list of those who will develop
the history of the tragedy is John Co
tina, the barber, Thorns friend and con-
f1dant, to whom Thorn, racked by that
desire of every criminal to talk to some
one Of his crime, revealed the whole
2 story Of the frightful butchery.
Gotha viii tell exactly what Thorn
said to him, how, as he thought day by
day OF the dreadful deed, and the des-
perate brutality of the man who had
told him of it, he became terrified by the
belief that perhaps, fearful of betrayal,
Thorn might put ar, end to his life as he
had to that of Gudersuppe. Borne
Gown by the weight Of this idea, and
nlad,e so nervous by fear that he was
liable to follow his vocation, Gotha will
describe how he went to the police and
revealed all that he knew.
There are several facts in the testi-
lnony which he will contribute to the
jury which have not yet been made pub
lie. One of these is that Thorn admit
ted TO him that it was not his brain that
Rad conceived the plan. for taking Guild
ensuppe's life, and that IL the reward
that was offered to him had not been SO
great, he would never have committed
the deed. The brain that plannedit was