The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-01
SOLVING THE MYSTERY
COTHAM's HEADLESs BODY IDENTI-
FLED As WM. GULDENsUPPE'S.
The Legs Found in the River-Mrs.
Augusta Mack Arrested-TvvO
OVerzeaIous Reporters.

NEW YORK. June 30.-The headless body
~ the moygue has been identified by ten
men as that Of William Guldensuppe, a
rubber in Turkish bath establishment in
this city The head is lacking to complete
the body. The first fragment of the body
from the neck to the waist. was found in
East river on Saturday. The second frag-
ment the lower portion of the trunk, was
found in the ogden woods north of Har-
lem river. on Sunday. The legs were found
i'm the river off the Brooklyn navy yard,
this afternoon. Guldensuppe had recently
been living with Mrs. Augusta Mack, who
left her husband for Guldensuppe. Mrs.
Mack had quarreled violently with Gulden-
suppe last Thursday on account of his sup
posed unfaithfulness to her. She is held d
prisoner at police headquarters and will be
charged with the murder. A storekeeper at
Astoria. l. l., has identified her as the
woman to whom he sold oil cloth similar TO
that in which the fragments of the body
were wrapped.
Detectives to-day searched the rooms of
Mrs Mack and found hidden there pieces
of this red and yellow oil cloth. Mrs. Mack
when arrested was preparing to leave for
Europe. Herman Mack husband Of the
woman. was arrested to-day but was sub
seQuenty released, as he proved a complete
albi and the police had no evidence
against him. Mack said that his wife was
capable of committing the murder, and he
suggested that another lover OF Mrs. Mack
was implicated Mrs. Mack is a Bavarian,
thirty-eight years old, a large muscular
woman, with a determined face. Her sec
ond lover, d man known as Fred" cannot
be found. He is supposed to have been a
participant in the crime
AIR the rubbers in the baths. as well as
DR. J. S. Cosby frequenter of the baths
have identified the remains of the man at
the morgue. Dr. Cosby's identification was
by means of a cicatrix on the finger,
caued by a felon. which he had lanced for
Guldensuppe. Five of the bath attendants
visited the morgue last night and three to-
day, and all of them were positive that the
mutilated remains were those of Gulden-
suppe Mrs Mack the midwife with whom
GuldenSuppe had lived, was Identified as
bne of the two women who purchased the
figured oil cloth in which the parts of Gull
denSuppe $ body were wrapped when they
We're found. She was identified by Max
Riger and his wife, who keep small store
on Long island. While the identification
was in progress at police headquarters two
reporters OF the Journal and Advertiser
whose help had given the cleWs 10 Mrs
Nack's arrest traced Mrs NacIs husband
bakery wagon or the street. Mack re
sisted arrest furiOusly and was taken to
the station house half demented with rage
The police late this afternoon released Her
man Mack, saving that there was no evil
dence connecting him with the murder of
Guldensuppe.
Gundensupps was a German forty years
cd. When tundensuppe asked for leave
from his employer on Friday he said: I
have an engagement to go TO Long Island
City with the old woman. She has received
an offer for a place over there, and it Is
cheap. She intends to start baby farm.
and she wants me TO go along TO look at
the property. Where that place is has not
yet been learned. 1t may be that Gunden-
sUppe was killed there and his body cut up,
or ~ may be that the man was killed in the
Ninth-avenue rooms. The detectives have
found 40 blood stains in those rooms. be
cause Mrs Mack before her arrest, had
taken up all the carpets and packed all her
goods preparatory to an alleged trip to Eu-
rope to visit her mother. who she says IS
rich. They will be unpacked and examined
for blood stains. and efforts will be made
10 learn for what property in LOrS Island
City Mrs. Mack was negotiating. There
may be evidences of the struggle and blood
stains in it.
The soles of the feet. which were not of
course in the mo que until late to-day, fur
uished further identification of GundenSup-
pc They showed the callOsities caused
by constant contact with the marble floors
of the bathrooms. In Mrs. Nacks house
was found a knife that might have made
the wound in Gundensuppe's heart, and a
saw of the same thickness as the one that
was used to sever the body. There were
stains on the saw. The knife and saw VIII
be examined for human blood.
Captain stephen . Brten, in charge of the
detective bureau. late tonight gave out a
long statement regarding the mysterious
case. 1T contains the story of the identii-
cation of the body as that of Gundensup-
Hill baths; Mrs Pauline Riger $
version of the sale OF the oil
cloth TO woman at Astoria, Long island
last week. and Mrs. Augusta Nack's con-
f.aee cir of h.ar- elaf =
suppe since she parted from her husband
Mrs. Riger is not now positive that the
Mack woman was the purchaser OF the o.
cloth. and the prisoner AYERS that she saw
Gundensuppe last Saturday morning about
o'clock After ten'~g about the sale of
Mrs Mack to-day. she looks very much
like the woman purchased the goods
from me- but I would not like to swear
She has the same cOlOred hair, about the
same size of bust. but not dressed as she
is now. The woman / saw wore light
colorcd shirtwaist and dark skirt
Mrs. Nack's statement to Captain O Brien
Is given as follows Il have been living
with William Gundensuppe about sixteen
months. When / first met him he had a
furnished room from me, when l was liv-
ing with my husband. / had trouble with
my husband, and when | left him Gun
densuppe and I took adurnished room One
month afterward we moved TO fiat where
we have been living ever since. He was
working at the hurry Hall baths and
earned about $40 a week. Some of this he
gave to me, but he got most of it back be
fore the end of the week.
Mrs Mack said further that on Friday
morning GundenSuppe came home and de
manded s. and she save him $50, saying
in anger: You can go where you want to.
All you want of me is money" Camden
suppe was about the house until > o'clock
on Friday afternoon. when Mrs. Mack says
he went out and did not return again till
next morning at I a.. m, when he demanded
more money and later on she went to the
Franklin Bank and drew $50. In the mean
time Cfundensuppe had gone out, but Mrs.
Mack is positive that he returned between
rs and 4 o'clock in the afternoon, which is
after the upper portion of the mutilated
body had beeen found in the East river.
When he came in, Mrs. Mack says
Gundensuppc again demanded money and
she threw the roll of bills on the table.
which he picked up and then walked out.
Mrs. Mack denied that she had ever had
any other lover but Guldensuppe and said
brighten the woman into confession she
was asked if the legs found in the river
looked like Gundensuppes :. Mrs. Mack sim
ply looked at the CHASTITY things, shrugged
her shoulders and replied that she could
not tell whose legs they were.
Herman Mack husband of the prisoner
told of his unhappy married life. He said
that on two occasions his wife threatened
10 Kill him. and had a table knife in her
hand. but he held her and she could not
hurt him. Mack continued: she has such
a wicked temper that at times she mas gone
nEs~saf