The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
COVERING UP A MURDER.
CoNCLUSIoS OF THE POLICE REGARD
ING A MUTILA TED BoDK.

| 1t Was Found in tho Narrows, and the Man
nor of It's Dismemberment Suggests q
Crime Like That of Martin Thorn-The
Head, Arms and Parts OF Legs Missing.
The trunk OF mans body. almost identical
| In appearance with the first portion OF the
body of William Gieldsensuppe. the murdered
| Turkish bath rubber, which was found on
June 20. 1897. was picked up In the Narrows
| at the foot OF Eighty eighth street. Brooklyn.
| yesterday morning.
John Brennan. the Waterman at the Crescent
| Athletic Club house. took his dog to the cove
used as q launch anchorage at S:15 o'clock.
| The dog acted peculiarly. and Brennan soon
| discovered white object which he took to be
part Of human body floating in the cove.
He went back to the clubhouse and told
| Clerk John Bowler OF what he had seen. Bow
| Ter suggested that Brennan get another man
| and rowboat and go out and recover the body.
Il won't do it." replied Brennan. You
| don't catch me handling such a thing. Think
that you had better notify the police"
Acting on this suggestion Bowler called up
| the police OF the Fort Hamilton station
| on the telephone and told them OF Bren-
mans discovery Policeman Johnson was
sent to the place and securing row.
boat he rowed out to the body and
| placed rope around IL. Then he towed 1t to
| the foot OF Seventy-seventh street. where he
dragged 1t on the beach and covered it with o
black cloth. It was removed later to tho
Brooklyn Morgue.
The trunk. which Is nude. is complete
| from cut through tho chest Just be-
| low the arms to about three inches be-
| low the knees. The right thigh has been
| cut into from behind. and the thigh bone
| snapped just above the knee but the flesh
OF the front part OF the thigh Is not severed.
The body appears to have been in the water
less than twenty-four hours. and It Ia evident
that 1t was not exposed In the air for any con-
| siderable time before 1t got into the water.
So far as has been discovered the portion OF
the body now at the Brooklyn Morgue has no
special marks by which 1t can be identified.
The dead man was evidently not far from 5
feet 10 inches tall and he weighed nearly
200 pounds. His body was long as compared
with his legs. He was deep-chested. muscular
| and evidently in the prime Of life. There is a
heavy growth Of dark hair on the body The
| skin is white and smooth.
There 10 some difference Of opinion among
the police officers who inspected the body as
| to how II was cut up. Among the suggestions
made yesterday was that the man had been
caught on a railroad trestle while in swimming
and run over; that the body had been dismem-
| bered by the paddle wheel or propeller OF some
| steamer. and that it had been cut up by hand.
| The last theory had the greatest number OF
| supporters. and there Is much evidence to cor
| roborate 1t. The cut through the chest shows
clean. smooth edge. the tip OF the breast
| bone being severed neatly. The ends OF
two ribs are gouged out. Two other ribs
were cut across diagonally. This part OF the
work looks as though 1t had been done with
| very sharp knife with thin blade. The
| backbone. however. and the bones OF
| the legs were hacked in two by an
edged instrument. heavy enough to crush
! through them with one or two blows.
| The cut through the chest is Just below the
| nipples and just above the diaphragm. 30 that
| the diaphragm and the abdominal cavity are
| intact. all the organs OF the thoracic cavity
| being gone completely.
| At the cuts on the legs. the skin appears to
| have been cut around first. and tho bones
hacked OF in the same hasty manner in which
| the back bone was cut. The cut in the right
thigh appears to have been made before the
| leg was severed lower down. as the lower cut
is very jagged. owing. probably. to the break In
| the bone above which made the leg less steady
| to work upon. II the legs had both been sew
| cred at the point at which the thigh bone was
| broken. the trunk would have been precisely
similar to the first portion OF Gieldsensuppes
body which was found. There were no wrap
pings and no marks OF any on the body.
The body was discovered at food tide and
| this leads the police to believe that It came
from the Staten Island shore. They argued
| that. Judging from its condition. it could not
| have travelled very far or been in the water
| long. Accordingly Capt Driscoll OF the Fort
| Hamilton station and his mon searched the
shore from Gravesend Beach to the foot OF
| Fifty fifth street. South Brooklyn. hunting for
| the missing portions OF the body or for any
| other clue. They did not find anything. Dep
| uty Chief Mackear put number Of his men
| at work on the case. but they did not make any
| Roadway. The lack OF distinctive identifying
marks bafiled them.
:" To my mind" said Acting Inspector Camp
| bell. there can be no doubt that this Ia MUIR
der case. The rough way In which the work
| was done shows that no medical student had
| anything to do with the dismem berment OF the
body. The work was done hurrledly. too
1t is simply impossible to believe that
aassGsy sSs$ %s!rtsa th sf
were possible the entire lack OF other cuts and
81 as
w s u se ths Fas o
derer either shot the victim in, the head
'e crime by cutting Oh the hesS bssye
the arms and legs were removed 6ScaqsS they
Dore MARKS Inat .WOulu lebu 10 luentlHcatlDn.
portions OF the body are found"
| Deputy Chief Mack elar went over the list Of
missing men Yesterday afternoon and notified
| the relatives OF each to call at the Brooklyn
Morgue and see Il they could identify
| the body. The police. however. have no
record q Any missing man which corresponds
sent from Police Headquarters to the stations
at Coney Island, Bath Beach and Sheepshead
ing for other parts OF the body: Detectives
Desmond, Murphy. and others Of Cant Reyn-
ODDS staff are also at work on the case.
The disappearance OF Charles Baschemieder
from the hon" OF his brother Jacob. at q Mon
roe avenue. New Brighton. s. l., has been re-
ported. and in some respects the description Of
the man corresponds with that OF the body.
Baschemieder was 20 years old, 5 feet IN.
inches tall, and was stout He had dark hair
His body Is described as long for his legs. He
had identifying scars on the left foot and left
arm. His brother Jacob will visit the Morgue
to-day.
Ballschcmieder was last seen on May IL. so
far as his brother knows. and no explanation
OF where he may have been from that date until
a day or two ago is offered.
At 9.3O O'Clock on the night OF May 81 an
italian man was reported TO have been lost
overheard from the Hamilton avenue ferry
boat Whitehall. 1t IL thought that he was
struck hy paddle wheel as he did not come