Connecticut western news., 1898-09-15
SLAIN AND MUTlLkTED.
Woman's Head and Limbs
 Bound In OilcIoth.
GREWsOMB FIND ON MUD FLAT
Low Tide Exposes Bundles-Trunk Not Yet Dfscovered-Eviden That Victim Had Been Killed Night Be- fore-No CIew to Her Identity.

Bridgeport, Conn.,. Sept. 14.-A mur- der, in many respects like the Gulden- suppe case, was brought to light last Tuesday, when boys at play on the Sea view avenue bridge. across branch of Yellow Mill pond, discovered two pack ages, one containing a woman's head wrapped in white rubber cloth and the other portions of both legs neatly pack ed in the same kind of covering. With in few moments the police were noti- fled, and an unavailing search was in- stituted for the missing portions of the body. The entire case is yelled in the deepest mystery.
 The place where the head and legs were found is a small arm, or inlet, of Yellow Mill pond, which extends in an easterly direction above Seaview ave- nue. The pond is located about three quarters of mile from the center of the city and Is crossed east and west by the Stratford avenue bridge. There Is not house within 500 feet of the spot, and travel in that portion is not large.
 Judging from the position in which the two bundles lay and the deep im- press they had made in the mud 1t was evident they had been thrown off the bridge when the water was high. A heavy fiat stone tied to the package containing the head had caused 1t to sink. The other package. the heavier of the two, was anchored by two stones weighing several pounds.
 The head was that of a woman ap- parently not more than 25 years old. The medical examiner. after viewing 1t, expressed his opinion that the murder had been committed not more than 24 hours. The woman had a wealth of light brown, almost auburn hair. The eyes are blue. nose aquiline. cheeks pinched. lips thin and Jaw somewhat prominent. The dead woman's teeth contained several gold filings.
 The head had been severed at about the third csrvical vertebra, and the cut was clean, as if done with a sharp knife. The lief. leg was disarticulated at the knee joint. and the murderer's saw had penetrated the bone In the wrong direction. as if a mistake had been made in the first attempt to dis member it. The right leg was sawed of above the knee joint. The legs were severed from the body about eight inches above the knee. The flesh was cleanly cut, as if . carving knife had been used. and the bones were sawed. The police believe from the nature of the work that the murderer had knowledge of butchery.
 The Trunk Discovered.
 The trunk was discovered by Neils Larsen and Henry Reddy and was con- tained in two bundles. They were fas- tened with an old clothes line. The larger package, which contained the upper portion of the trunk with the arms attached. had tied to it a rock that weighed ten pounds. To the small CT parcel was attached a stone about the same weight. The upper portion of the body was incased first In a roll of common unbleached muslin, such as is used for sheetnH. Next to this was ab- sorbent cotton, which in turn was wrap ped in . covering of white rubber sheet ing. the same as wrapped about the portions found on Monday.
 The outside covering was a black rub Der blanket, such as is used by physi- clans and nurses as a covering for in- valids. About this was wound fully 35 feet of clothes lines. the ends of which were fastened to a rock In the pond.
 Dr. Downs. continuing his examina- tion, found wrapped around the lower part of the trunk a piece of a mans undergarment-to be plain, part of a leg of a pair of drawers.
 In one corner of this garment was found the letter e." with the figures "51," the figures written in indelible ink An attempt had been made to remove the initials, but without success.
 pr. Downs calculated that the woman in life was : fs4t inches high and weighed 108 or 1l0 pounds Her figure was slight and graceful. She had a ta- pering waist, and, so far ar could be judged, her general conformation was symmetrical.
 "Everr vital organ below the dia- phragm has been cleverly taken out" said Dr. Downs, after ending his exam ination- Tt is certainly the most re- markable case I have ever heard of. Here We have every vital organ that would be affected by poison or would show indications of maternity removed, and sklllfully, too. by the probable mur- derer of this young woman. They have been artistically removed. We only can surmise as to the nature of death with these organs missing. It muJt be that the murderer placed them in another package and threw them into the river at the same time, but think not. 1t be- ing more likely that these he removed so that in the event of his apprehension there would De no way to establish that he la! murdered the victim before dis embow cling her.
 Not less than half a dozen false iden- tifications had been made up to o'clock last evening.