The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-27
HEADLESS BODY MYSTERY.
A HUMAN FRAGMENT IN THE RIVER
SUGGESTS MURDER.

SUGGESTS MURDER.
nsay Saws in Two-Mnn Hrad Net Been Dead
Moro Than 10 Hours, Possibly Only 9a-
No Medical Htudents Cut Up the Body
Coroner Sets Central Once Mes at Work
The headlcss upper half OF the body OF q man
wrapped arst In checsecloth. then In brown
paper, and finally in a red nnoloum table,
cloth. was found in tho East River at the
foot Of Eleventh street yosterday afternoon
By two boys who had been playing on the
pier. There was absolutely nothing about the
body or the coverings in which II was wrapped,
which has yielded, as yet. a clue to the identity
Of the dead man, and tho police but forth the
usual surInise that some medical students. hav-
ing cut the body up for dissecting purposes, had
disposed OF the remains by tossing them into
the river.
Last night. however. q number OF the doctors
OF the Bellevue Hospital star, summoned by the
Morgue keepers. who wero positive that tho
man had not been dead moro than thirty.six
hours, made an examination Of tho trunk and
announced that the work could not bavo
been that of q medical student unless he was
crazy. It had been done in n bungllng and
clumsy manner, they said, and gave evil.
dence Of foul play. Acting Captain Hogan OF
the Union Market police was Immediately noti-
hed and he ordered his detectives, who had been
on the case SINCE tnC Uouy "do iouuu, W SoH'
tinue, their in yestigations until they got some
clue to tho identity OF the man and found out
who threw the body into the water.
Tho boys who discovered the fragment in the
water arc John Mcguire OF 722 East Twelfth
street and James McKenna Of l02 Avenue G.
They were on the pier Mt tho foot Of East
Eleventh street when Mcguire saw n package
floating in the river about fifty feet from the
shore.
Somebody has dropped his clothes over
board he said.
"well. we might as well get them then said
McKenna, and u minute later he and Mcguire
had stripped themselves Of their clothes and
were swimming toward tho floating bundle.
When they reached 1t they turned and pushed 1t
ahead of them back TO the shore, pilinF 1t up on
tho rocks under the pier. They left 1t there
while they put on their clothes and then clam.
bored back again to open the bundle and see
what IL contained.
The outer wrapper, the red tablecloth, was
tightly tied with Irvine, which ran around IL sew
eral times each way. Tho brown paper was Sc
cured IN the same way. and 30 was tho cheese
cloth. Whom the last cord was cut and the cloth
opened disclosing the contents the boys
almost tainted. Recovering they began
10 shout, and when n policeman stuck
his head over tho edge of the pier and
asked what was the matter they were
Too frightened to make any reply. As soon us
they were able they upon the pier,
ana while McKcnnu stayed with the policeman
Mcguire run 10 tho station house and notified
Acing Captain Hogan OF tho discovery. Hogan
Immediately sont a squad of policemen to the
pier and the fragment was brought to the sta
lion houseRnd examined.
The head had been cut and sawed off close
under the chin. The trunk had been cut in two
below the firth rib, and there were marks OF a
saw ON he vertebrte here, also. The heart and
part OF the lungs remained in the chest. The
flesh Of the chest had been cut of with u knife.
nh, r. vprr no marks on the rheespclOth.
paper, or tabicciOth which promised to reveal
anything. The police concluded that some medi-
al student or stuucnts had thrown the body
Into tho RIVER. but. nevertheless, after notifying
ID. aiorspe anlsoritiss, CAPT Hogan az, S stUrtsd
They made Inquiries in the neighborhood Of
irolt rs FAR as their precinct extended without
te.rning ANYTHING, on value. No one had seen
une had seen any stranger around with a bundle
hs large az the one found.
and said it looked like a case Of foul play.
The white skin Indicated that the man had been
Si'vo within With rn " short RI. time Eiea and ros. the small hx soft soft
whose bodies fell into the hands OF medical stu;
tents. When the bellevue physicians examined
cutting WAS not the work Of medical students.
The cutting of the breast. they thought, had
been done to remove some mark which might
have led to the Identification OF the dead man.
They thought the man was about % years old
una a little below the average height.
Coroner Tu!hill went to the tlorgue at IL
o'clock last night and examined the remains
and on The chs had been cut with a knife. and
!hen the bones had 6eeI sawed thEonsh'
Tor to disaIt culate the bones. They were
s nv q th nsG sIin ana in nns saving rTt ~ the +. spinal n, Go COLUMN y. d
Of the right shnnpaiaer. THIS indicated that the
body had lain PRONE Whine It was d~ismemhered
Itn t ihSt IN p Person on dais ssh ing y stool at tht
The arms and hands. whi,h were still in the
trunk. were shapely and well kept. They we're
small for a man, and soft. But they were larger
the Coroner said, than those Of any woman ex
ioused spots on them. it was evident that they
mus have been those OF a man.
chest in the shape of u horseshoe, the smalle
end being at the neck. The space from which
tho hesh was removed. widened rapidly. so as tt
include the breasts.
This Disagreement suggested the iden that thu
corSne @'f Faih hh's said Ti' that iad this 81 was ~ impossiS bic
There wore several wounds on the body which
the Coroner could not explain;
From the condition of the body the Corone
decided that the, man was in excellent healtl
and well nourished. He had not been deaf
ING ias0f ths s Sa1e0" With ne wh ssia the lns' body sG@'iS %a
was possible that tho man had been dead thirty
six hours, He thought the man hair was ligh
Coroner TnthiiI said that the manner in whicI
the arms wcrc folded over the breast above,
mis- tFn easiIy be e Carried az HeSpV by ,"iV n man S"" or w wnia
without attracting attention.
The Coroner refused to hazard an opinion
after his necessarily superficial examination
as to the cause of death. He said, howevel
that 1t was plain that the cutting ha
not been done by a medical student @
@ 1Ss his { maaissi iRn sEtREs;fis by f ns ADDED HRs f t2"f iSsl
was a possibility that the man had died. and hi
relatives being too poor TO bury the body an
not wishing to have the city take charge OF
had chopped it up and tried to make way with
piecemenl.
After his examination the Coroner went to tn
Union Market police station and consulted III
officers on duty there. From there he went
the Detective Bureau at Police Headquarters
aud had u long talk with the detectives.