The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-08
NEW YORK'S MYSTERY
UNRAvELED BY THE CONFESSION OF
MRS. NACK's ACCOMPLICE.
Martin Thorne Alleged to Have Told
How William GuldensuDpe
WINS Murdered.

NEW YORK. July THE mystery sur
rounding the murder of William Gulden-
suppe. whose body was cut into pieces
and scattered about Greater New York,
has probably been unraveed. AS stated
in dispatch this morning. Martin Thorn,
the supposed accomplice of Mrs. Augusta
Mack in the crime, was arrested last night.
He has made A confession, in which he
tells how the crime was committed. This
confession is in possession of Acting In
spector O Brien and presumably was made
to John Dolpha barber, who betrayed
! Thorn. According to this document, the
| murder was committed in the house at
| Woodside which had been rented by Mrs.
| Mack. Mrs. Mack drove out to the Wood
side house with GuIdensuppe a week ago
| Saturday. Thorn, with a revolver in hand,
was concealed behind an inner door. Mrs.
| Mack sent her victim inside to see how he
liked the house" and on his entering Thorn
| shot him through the head. The body was
! placed in the bathtub and carved up, the
sections carefully made UP in bundles, and
! the head incased in plaster of paris. Mrs.
| Mack returned to the house in the after
noon when all was over, and, driving with
| Thorn to the river, threw the packages
overheard. How one package found its
/
the confession does not say.
THORN BETRAYED.
Thorn was arrested at 10 o'clock last
night at Eighth avenue and One-hundred-
| and-twenty-ifth street. The arrest was
accomplished under the instructions of Act
| ing Inspector OBrien, and was made by
him and several detectives from the central
office. The streets were thronged as usual
there at that hour. The arrest was made
very quickly. All the spectators saw was
that two men suddenly approached a short,
stout man, who was leaning against a rail-
ing which guards an area in the basement
f Spears drug store on that corner. No
words were spoken. The two detectives
quickly pushed their man into the side
door of the drug store from Eighth avenue.
They made a hurried search of his pockets.
He appeared to have no weapon, and the
only thing they took was a roll of money
from his trousers Thorn was very pale
and agitated His face was smoothly
shaved. His mustache, which had been not
ed in all the descriptions of him as having
been large, and curled at the ends, had
lately been cut off.
Thorns arrest came about through a
TREND whom he had known Tor years.
This man is John Dopha, barber who.
while a friend of Thorn, did not care to
be considered a confederate in a crime
OF the most hideous character. Had
Dolpha he might perhaps al this time be
free. As it was a message from Thorn
to Dolpha to meet him last night at 10
clock at the corner of Eighth avenue and
Observation-Disclosures wenty-flfth street had
the effect of worrying Dolpha TO the point
where he could no longer conceal his secret.
Dolpha told Acting Inspector 'Brien of his
proposed meeting, which was to occur at
10 O'Clock at the corner of Eighth avenue
and One-hundred-and -twenty-tlfth street
AT just 10 o clock Dolpha met Thorn. The
latter backed against the railing, resting
himself with his arms extended. Doipha
remarked: Let's take drink. Come on
Thorn at first seemed willing. and took
few steps, but said: mo- L don't want
drink. You go along by yourself" Doipha
then started away. Just at this point De-
tectiVe McCauley, not willing TO take any
risks, jumped forward and caught Thorn
by the arm, at the same time feeling of his
hips to see If he carried any weapon. De-
tective Brice came up on the other side,
and the two officers walked their man to
the drug store, where he was searched.
They then boarded the downtown train,
taking their prisoner to police headquar-
tiers.
Thorn was taken into court and remanded
till Friday, when Mrs. Mack will also be
| given a hearing. He had apparently made
no attempt to leave New York after the
plurder and made no attempt at disguise
| Beyond shaving off his mustache In
| Thorns room was found a valise full Of
newspaper clippings giving an account of
the murder which he had evidently taken
from local papers. Mrs. Haften, who lives
next door to the Woodside house which fig
ured so tragically in this story, was at the
| police station, where the alleged murderer
is detained and positively identified Thorn
as the man she saw in Mrs. Nacks COM
pany at Woodside, and a Frenchman in the
employ of Buela, who owns the Woodside
cottage also recognized in Thorn the man
who hired the house and who came to
Buelas office in Twenty-siXth street. Mrs.
Mack is apparently unmoved at these de-
velopments, but refused to discuss the case
Acting Inspector OBrien thinks he knows
where Thorn dropped the head of Gulden-
to arrange for the dragging of the river
at that point this afternoon. He also says
that Thorn in his confession to a friend said
that he had been disappointed in the house
instead of running into a sewer. ran into
ditch outside the house. Mr.. O'Brien de-
clares there was no trace of blood in the
Woodsde house. He admits that one of his
detectives went to the house and carried
away sections of the drain pipe from the
bath tub. No trace of blood could be found
by him. Brien also states that portion
Of the floor was scraped In the hope of
finding some show of blood stains and also
that mud from the trench into which the
drain pipe leads was taken up in the hope
of finding traces Of blood. So far as the
police will admit there was no blood to be
found
Martin Thorn is thirty-two years old. His
features are strongly German in type and
he looks younger than his age, giving the
impression of being an even-tempered,
good natured man: Acting Inspector
OBrien said that Thorn said that he had
no fear OF death. The boys who carried the
mysterious valise from Mrs. Nack's house
to at the corner of a nearby street
were taken before Thorn to identify him
as the man who had sent them to the Mack
house. They did not identify him. In his
talk with Acting Inspector O'Brien Thorn
accounted for his movements all the time
for several days before and after the muir
der. OF his movement on the day the act
ing inspector says his account is not good
and points strongly toward his guilt.
Before Thorn was sent TO court a police
surgeon carefully removed all SUBJ
stance lodged under Thorn's thumb and
finger nails. This will be analysed.
This afternoon George Vockroth a stable
employe identified Thorn as the man who
had hired the surrey at the stable on Satur-
day.
Acting Inspector o Brien summoned Capt.
Schultz VINO had charge of the harbor po-
lice to headquarters tonight to give him
instructions for dragging the river for the
missing head with its covering of cement.
The police boat patrol, with three barges,
will start up the East river at 10 o'clock.
Capt. Schulz. who has had experience in
dragging water. does not think the head
will be picked up with graphing irons.
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