New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-09
MI1RpER AND BUTCHERY.
MOTHER MYSTERY OF THE RIVER.
,onv FOUND At EOoSEvELT-sT. MUT1LATED
,v- THAT OF GULDENsUPPE FEWER
cI.r-ws TO WORK on THAN ~
T,uE FORMER CASE


,. No almost equal in horrible detail to the
,so,surne butchery About 10 O'Clock yes
- morning the mutilatcd and nude body Of
IN was found floating in the East River at
r,oseyelt-st. The entire front portion of the
S..a was missing. the only part OF II left being
~. -,eh, ear and a small portion OF the back
ENDING w as far'as tho lower part Of the
.rn This portion o. the head was covered
-, thin growth Of sRndy-colored hair. The
80. log was missing from A poin: just above
-. knee and the right leg was cut of at the
-, Both arms were missing. They had been
49,, o~ at the shoulders. The body had the ap-
...-snce o. having been in the water at least q
week.
Tho cuts we're 50 clean and smooth that Il pre-
.,raas the possibility Of the missing members
,.vng been taken OF by The paddle-wheels of
.o., That they were cut on the police firmly
,.reve and other marks about the body ind-
20 that the man was murdered and butchered.
,ropnd the neck was regular mark about
So, an inch wide. which indicated that the
nan WAS first strangled with rope The mark
voc green. but had evidently been turned this
,o,,r bv the action Of the water on IT.
n, The norton Of the left leg remaining on the
,,v are three sharp cuts about four inches
,onv which look IKE the slashes Of knife. and
o.r them Is three-cornered wound which
,,esrs 10 be a stab with a three-cornered
,iads There were scratches upon the back
rb,cb may have been made with fingers in a
struggle or may have come from contact with
wreckage in the water
From appearances the man In life was about
1--WE feet ten inches tall. with broad shoulders
and muscular body. He was evidently work
,rgman who weighed about 1S5 pounds From
the nature Of the peculiar stab wound on the
leg. which resembles that Of stiletto. It is
thought that the man was Italian.
Peter Peterson. a deCkhand of the Roose-
velt-st. ferryboat Montana yesterday morning
had occasion 10 enter the slip adjoining the ferry
slip and directly behind the freighthOuse Of the
Long Island Express Company The slip is an in
closed one between R0osevet-st and James slip
The inclosure is made by the slip tenders against
which the ends Of the ferryboats strike before
reaching their moorings. on the inside of this
inclosed slip spies have been driven. and across
them long stringers have been laid. Peterson
was wandering aimlessly about waiting for his
hour to go TO work. He was looking down
through the spiles when his attention at
tracted by naked body floating in the water
and humping against the spiles. Peterson called
Policeman Hawkins Of the Oak-st. station, and
the policeman sent a report TO his commander.
Captain Vredenbursh. Soon the captain and
Detectives Hahn and Armstrong were at the
slip.
INSPECTOR CROSS IN CHARGE.
Word was sent TO Police Headquarters. and
Inspector Cross accompanied by Detect Ser
geant Reap. OK Captain McClusky's staff. hur-
''eo oo"h Town. As soon inspector Cross had
viewed The body ne was positive that the man
had been murdered and his body Gus up. 1t
vas evident from the manner in which the
front portion of the head had been cut away
that the murderer OF murderers intended 10 re-
move all marks "a Identification in this direc-
tion.
From the slash like cuts on the portion Of the
leg left on the body. 1t thought that they
were caused while the leg being amputated.
One Of the strange features Of the case is the
closed slip. There are small openings into the
river, but it would hardly be supposed that
body OF the size Of the murdered man could
have passed through any OF them.
Detectives Holland and Reap of the Central
Office staff have both started TO work on the case
with the detectives from the Oak street station.
man may have been thrown into the river from
any part Of the city and the tide carried the
body 10 where il was found.
In the Guldensuppe case the police had oil
cloth and other things upon which TO take up
clews. bat in the present instance there is not
single article on which to work.
All portions Of the city inhabited by Italians
vii be carefully canvassed on the theory that
The murder the work Of the Malta. some
o'her organized bands Of Italian assassins
Deputy Coroner DOnlin went 70 the Roosevelt
81. ferry about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and
had the body hauled out Of the water When
he had made critical examination he said
that the man had undoubtedly been murdered.
The corpse was taken to the MOrgue. There
was crowd Of persons all the way up the pier
body
Captain Vredenburgh. of the Oak-st. sta
ton made report Of the case to Chief Nc
Cullagh yesterday. description of the body
was given. the Captain stating that the ampu-
tation Of the arms seems 10 have been performed
by skfu hands"
Captain Vredenburgh said that he thought
the body had been in the water about ten days.
y was thought that it might be the body of
William A. Kerns. twenty-One wears old, Of No.
10 East One hundred and -eleventh-s who
mas been missing since January ;. He was re-
ported ported missing by his mother, Mrs. Ellen Kerns.
ne was a laborer and about five feet eleven
Hirhes tall He had sandy hair.
ne police In looking through the record of
missing people found that Edgar w. Chichester.
W weight years old Of No. 142 Columbus ave.
sv, ~no mas been missing since January = TO some
eeA'eht answered the description OF the body
.vuhd IN the ferry slip. William j. McGarigle.
thirty-fve years old Of No 24S East Fortieth
-, also partially answered the description. He
mas been missing since New Years Day.
DIR. DONLIN'S THEORY.
1T Donlin said last night that he had thus
laf been able TO make only superficial exam
ihanon OF the body. He added that the absence
u the brain made il impossible 10 determine
accurately the cause Of death until a post
VEN examination was made He said that ne
nao come 10 the conclusion, from cursory eX-
animation. that the man was in life at least
'H feet in height and that he weighed close
% =Zo pounds. He believed the body to nave
'een that Of man not less than forty-fVe
ears old. DR. Donlin thought from the appear
nee Of the flesh that the man must have been
hrown into the water some time on Monday
light. He said that he had been dead less than
wenty four hours
MY theory is j" Dr. Donlin said. that the
nan died from injuries TO his head. He was
ither shot with a pistol perhaps while asleep
n hnnd with mallet or