The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-01
MURDERER NOT CAUGHT.
BRooRBYy,s PoLIoE CANNOT FIND
HTELz'S SLAYER.

~ shNNN NNIhS
rns.ionai Boxes Missing from the Church.
John Einein's Arreat-The Police nave
Very Little Expectation OF duplicating Him.
From the timo Of the discovery OF the body Of
George Stelz, tho bell ringer, who was muir
dered In Holy Trinity Catholic Church In VIII
Harrisburg on Sunday night, until noon yester-
day. the police worked on the theory that StelE
was killed by two professional thieves, whose
special limo OF work was the robbing OF church
moor boxes. Tho sexton OF the church. Andrew
Rocsch, helped the police and detectives to
pick up broken portions OF the poor.box lock.
Chief of Detectives Reynolds detailed a dozen
men to search for tho metal plate which was
missing from the poor box, anc.whioh was said
10 have been forced from tho box on Sunday
night. The police believed that tho bell ringer
had received seven blows on the head from
this plate. which 1t was supposed the church
robbers had used whom they attacked him.
At noon yesterday Sexton Roesoh suddenly
remembered that the metal plato had not been
attached to the poor box since July Ia, when he
had sent 1t away to DO repaired. The sexton
told this to tho detectives yesterday, and De-
,ective Kennedy Of the Stage street station
went TO tho place where II had been left to DO
repaired, at 1875 Atlantic avenue, and got 1t
from a man named Alsopp. The metal plato
was taken to Police Headquarters, and Police
Captain Lees, in whose precinct the murder
was committed, notified his men that they had
better drop tho ~poor.box robbery theory, as he
believed the poor box had not been robbed. In
speaking OF tho matter yesterday to q SUN re-
porter, Cant. Lees said:
81 am satisfied now that the thieves got no
money from the broken Door box. and that all
they succeeded in stealing was the murdered
mans purse and watch. His purse contained
o., My men have been on the lookout at tho
pawnshops. but so far we have got no trace of
the missing watch. I have not had any sleep
since I began work on tho case. and I don't in
tend to rest until l have tho murderer safely
locked up. We have made several arrests, but
none of them 80 far have panned out. Last
night a man from New York called to see me,
mud said that he had seen two mon on Sunday
night whose clothes were besmeared with blood.
These men, he said, were at the corner Of Hous-
ton street and Bowery, drunk. and when ques-
toned as to how they came to be covered with
blood, said first that they had been In Q street
fight. Then they said 1t was another man who
was in the fight, and that the other mans blood
got on their clothing. They told so many con-
tradi ,tory stories that the New York man be-
lieved they might know something about tho
murder. l am going to New York with him to-
night to see II We can find the men.
"A . o'clock this morning We arrested o man
named John Elflein on suspicion Of being con
cerned in tho murder. At 2 o'clock Monday
morning. a few hours after the murder was
committed. Elflein went into Sautter's restau-
rant. at Broadway and Graham avenue, with
blood on his hands. He knew q girl employed
there named Lizzie Zebein. He called for Q
steak, and while 1t was being cooked for him
he got in conversation with her. She noticed
the blood on his hands and offered to get him a
towel to wash it of. He said no, and wiped
u hIH1l ~ nm hta trDt,aara vNhan hA WOO
leaving tho restaurant he dropped some money
on the floor, and when his attention was called
to it he said he had no time to pick it up. and
hurried out Of the restaurant. When ques.
toned as to his whereabouts on Sunday night
he told half a dozen contradictory stories. Con-
sequently it was thought advisable to lock him
up. He was arraigned in the Even Street Court
this morning and sentenced to jail for ten days
on a charge of intoxication,, SO thai, in case we
learn something more bearing. on tho murder
and need Elfein We will have him in custody.
aoweyes, l d Tbs not 11 think he w sou SS1n NE TED H sims
Of Eldein's arrest was not the one that was
Elfein said that early Monday, morning he
went to a restaurant at Morreu street and
sniierNt there, who punched ied his nose and made
4 bleed; He said that in wiping the blood Cd from
brothe = vent emit to the sstass street police station
leased f f6s Jail I he y would y h. apply 70 the sag g ssqs
was committed in the Montrose Avenue Church.
Eliiein was at Bowery Bay attending tho sohuet-
AT the early mass yesterday morning in tho
Father IbB i bauetre nbachD told old tie Re' eoner esS Il
any one knew ANYTHING Of the crime that per
sG F., should hat tell what he M nmsW tb 70 the P sbs eiuro,
early in the day sprinkling holy water in the
eisles. in the pews. and at the doors and win
cation went down intosthe basement to tho
Tomb Of the Right Rev. Father May and the
pastors Of the church, and whose bodies are
buried under it. The visitors to the tomb
hnsl be HsiGEe II be sn Sro D u to ' justice iee murderer OF
Mrs. Barbara stimbach, one of the cleaners in
The church, picked up an iron chisel In one Of
Is not in the church now. Mrs. Stimbach said
last night:
church, another of the cleaners. Mrs. ossen.
noticed the chisel in the confessional box. She
S sitidu ny "f Ssndis. t. t. IT p]ro /. Gs' s %si lERs fh s%a
leave it here; guess it belongs to Mr.: steelz;.
church. Mr.. Roesch, the sexton, came to Us
Monday morning and I told US rs that hsfh We had had b Bst;
anything. 1 told him about the chi e. but
Then went t, to look 20 70 for it it It. was as gone one. The The
shisel, and / told them all I know about, it.
They seemed to think that it was this chisel that
So iODoCio uboo WhOh shoJ MAS
6telz."
Coroner Mason and Sexton Roesch had a lit
te tilt Yesterday over the washing away of the
blood in the church vestibule. According TO
the sections story. the Coroner told him that
he might wash away all the blood stains In the
church vestibule, and that he gave orders to
the undertaker's man to do tho work. The
undertaker's man washed away finger marks
on the stairs and bloody fins err prints from tho
walls which the police say might have aided
then. in running down the murderer. Coro'
ner Mason denied that he authorized the sexton
70 wash up the blood stains. The Coroner said
that Sexton Ioosch asked him If he might wash
away the pool of blood on the stairs beneath
the murdered mans head, and that he told the
sexton he might have one stop cleaned. The
Coroner said that Detective Booker Of the Stage
1treet precinct was present when, the under
takers assistant washed away the blood.
Al the house Of the murdered man. o. Mon,
6ose avenue. a stream Of people passed In and
out all day yesterday. The funeral. which will
take place at . o'clock this morning, will be at
tended by the members of tho st. Raphael Sick
BENEFIT Society. one of the organizations at
St. GATHERINGS Hospital Benevolent Society
Of which stelz was a member. Tho church
"a. and Capt. Lees has made arrangements u