Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-21

Guldensuppe murder, for which Mrs.
Augusta Mack and Martin Thorn are
to stand trial The first steps in the
trial will begin this week in the
Queens county supreme court at Long
Island City. Victim and slayers be-
longed to New York, but as the crime
took place on Long island the case
goes there for trial.
On June 26 the trunk Of man was
found floating in the East river. The
next day other parts of the body were
found miles away, but the head is
still missing. Some masseurs from a
Turkish bath establishment identified
the remains as those Of William Guild
ensuppe who had been brother
workman with them. On his breast
where a woman's picture had been tat
tooed was a CHASTITY hole, showing
how the murderer had destroyed what
he feared would be a tell-tale mark.
The police soon found a motive for the
murder Guldensuppe, man OF 80
years and popular with women, had
been the paramour of a Mrs. Augusta
Mack, a midwife, who had been lly-
ing apart from her husband, an easy
going German. 1t was at first thought
that he was the murderer and he was
placed in custody, but it was soon as
certained that he had had no love for
his wife for some years on account OF
her fondness for other men. A few
hours later it was learned that Gulden-
suppe had had a rival for the woman S
affections in the person Of Martin
Thorn, a boarder. He did not have
the fine person Of the bath rubber, pc
ing short and stout, and in night III
the Mack woman's house a few days
before had been soundly drubbed. Mrs.
Mack was feal fully excited over the
beating he had received. She no
Logger loved Guldensupre, and as
Thorn had taken his place she knew
that the rubber might turn on her.
She had received much money from
him and she knew his rage would be
terrible.
Mrs. Mack told Thorn she was tired
trying to please two men at the same
time. They talked the matter over
until it was decided to put Gulden-
suppe out of the way. For this pur-
| pose Mrs. Mack interested Gulden-
suppe in a plan to open house OF
questionable reputation at Woodside
on Long island. By this scheme Mrs.
| Mack hoped to lure Guldensuppe to
lis death The plan succeeded. When
she had rented a lonely house she
ade an appointment with the bath
| rubber to to look it over with her.
! She then informed Thorn who Sc
creted himself in the house armed
with a revolver Guldensuppe arrived
| a little before noon. Mrs. Mack let
| him in and told him to look the house
over. She made an excuse and stayed
| out in the yard. Guldensuppe went
upstairs and into a room off the bath
room. There was a closet in one cor
ner which Guldensuppe had to pass
J and in this Thorn was lying in wait.
| AS the rubber passed Thorn fired at
| the back of the head, the shot passing
| through the skull. Guldensuppe sank
to the floor without a sound ut was
| still living when Thorn dragged him
into the bathroom, where, lifting Lis
| head over the tub, he severed it from
| the body. Mrs. Mack, used in her
, trade of midwife to all sorts of suf
! fering, had still too much pity left IN
| her gross frame and coarse nature 10
| witness the killing Of her former
! lover and did not venture up to the
| slaughter room until Thorn was well
| along in his work of dismembering
i He and Mrs. Mack had several days
! before purchased the necessary
cheesecloth and oil cloth in which the
sections of the body were tied up,
All afternoon the two worked saving
up the remains and tying them in
parcels. When night fell they took
the trunk on board an East river fer
ryboat and threw it overheard. In
ten minutes it floated ashore. SINH
lar disposition was made later on of
the other parts of the body What
was done with the head is still a
mystery. 1t is supposed to have been
incased in plaster of Paris and sunk
in the river.
Though strong clues pointed toward
Mrs. Mack there was nothing against
her till Thorn confessed to John
Gartha, a barber, who had once
worked in the same shop with him.
Gartha let his young wife into the
secret. Horrifed she told her hus-
band if he didn't turn Thorn over to
the police she would. Then Thorn
asked Hartha to meet him again at
night and picked out a lonely spot
Gartha made up his mind that Thorn,
sorry for having confded in him,
; wanted to kill him, and so informed
the police. The chief of detectives
disguised as laborer with four
; sleuths was at the rendezvous and