Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-11-08
A FIENDISH MURDER.
TRIAL OF MRS. Mack AND MARTIN
THORN TO BEGIN TODAY.
STRONG CASE AGAINST THEM.
ACCUSED OF sLAYING WILLIAM
GULDENsUPPE II NEW YORK.
Crime Wax Most Carefully Planned
and Executed. hut the skill of
Newspaper Reporters Found
1t Ouf-Sfory OF the
Butchcry.

New York, Nov. "A murder as shock
Ing in the fiendish details of its execution
as ever took place within the confines OF
great city was presumably committed on
Friday. June %, in a lonely cottage at
Wocdside. l.. ]. William Guidensuppe. n
Turkish bath attendant, was the victim.
and Martin Thorn, a barber, and Augusta
Mack, n midwife. stand accused of being
his murderers Tomorrow their trial Will
begin in Long Island City before Judge
Maddox The story of the crime hristles
with details of the deSeneracy of human
beings. 1t Is a tragedy of degeneracy, the
last act of which has yet to come.
In itself. it upholds in startling man
ner the general belief in the wisdom of the
old saying. Murder will put" No mur-
der was ever more carefully planned. nor
did murderers ever take more pains 10
ccveI up their tracks by effectualy dis
rcsing of the remains of their victim. Yet
within twenty-four hours II was known
TO the world that murder had been COM
n.itted and the pursuit of the butchers had
been begun.
Discovery of the Body.
Two of those youths Of the lower East
side of New York who spend their sum-
MGR days in the East river or on the
strlngpiece of the piers were the acci-
dertal discoverers Of the horrible crime.
The boys were John Mcclure and James
Mckenna. They were preparing for then
afternoon dip June "a at the foot of East
Eleventh street. when the sight of a rath-
er strange looking bundle floating with the
tide FASTENED their movements. In mo-
ment they were in the water and towing
the bundle in shore. Once back on The
dock the boys lost no time in cutting the
stout cord which was wound around their
prize and undoing the roll of oil cloth
which formed the outer covering But
they had not yet reached the contents of
the bundle. There were still other COW
erings of heavy brown paper and cheese
cloth. The boys worked with their hearts
ir their mouths until these had been re-
moved, and then there was a yell of ter
ror and both lads stood horror stricken
and speechiess.
There on the pier lay the mu,ilated
trunk of a man with the arms folded
across the breast. 1t was the upper por-
tion Of the body from the hips 10 the
threat. The arms. strangely enough. had
been allowed to remain. but the cutting
of the neck and the trunk had been care
fully done. From the breast slice OF
skin had been removed. and over the spot
The unfortunate mans arms had been
placed as IL 10 conceal II. The boys were
quickly surrounded by surging mass of
people who We're anxious to view the grue-
some find and then the police came.
Thought TO Be n Joke.
At first 1t was considered that some med
ical student had played a grim joke at the
expense of the sensiblities of the general
rubiic. but coroner's physician. after a
Cursory examination, settled the discussion
as 10 the probabilities and possibilities of
the affair by declaring that undoubtedly a
murder had been committed. Then there
was genuine sensation. Death, according
to the coroner's physician. had resulted
from a stab wound inflicted with "A long.
keen knife, which had penetrated the heart.
The knife mad also been driven through the
left shoulder into the lung. Thinking peo-
pie. as well as the detectives asked them
selves. What had become of the other
portions Of the body?" But nobody had
any idea as to where an answer would
cnme from. The tide might make a gen.
era! delivery. or possibly drags would find
river. Before anything could be done in
the dragging line. another discovery was
made which further deepened the mystery
but afterward aided materially in unravel-
ing it. On Sunday morning. June %, man
and two boys while picking berries in Og-
den woods. near Washington bridge. in the
far northern part of the CITY, many miles
from East Eleventh street. found a bundle
which was similar TO that picked up on
q fnx hnfn iv,f L r;,,
had read the accounts of the peculiar bun
die picked up by the swimmers. and in
stantly notified the police. TO whom they
said that the newly found package might
contain another part of the body. and in q
minute the correctness of their suspicious
was proven.
Another Part of the Body.
In oil cloth. brown paper and cheese cloth
Was wrapped the lower half of n mans
trunk. 1t was the half missing from the
East river find.
To whom did this poor. carved body be-
lcrS? What was its owner i'm life? Who
was the murdered man? Who We're his
mrrderers? For one person alone was no;
concerned in IL. These were questions to
he answered by the detective force, but
from the chief to the humblest member il
was simply "A case of blank ama2ement and
absolute incompetence even to make he
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were made. hut hour by hour the case
seemed 10 grow more and more hopeless.