The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-04-25
MURDERER
CAUGHT.
Teresnick Found Lying on
the Ground at His Old
Home.
S2s,48 AND 4 KNIFE THE MOTIVE
Police Pleased at the Cap
ture of Capt. Biddlecum's
Assassin.
S2S,46 AND 4 KNIFE THE MOTIVE

After searching diligently for more
than a week the police authorities OF TINS
city yesterday arrested the murderer OF
Captain William Biddlecum of the coal
barge IVY. The man is Casper Teresnlck,
nineteen years old. He gave his address
as Winfield, L. I. When arrested Teres-
nick made a full confession of the crime.
He is now confined, in the Long lslano
City Prison, awaiting extradition.
The body of Captain Biddlecum was
found on Thursday last by Christie
Bickle, collector of wharf fees for the
I,ehigh Valley Company. Mr.. Bickle no
ticed that everything was very quiet
about the boat and went aboard. He
found Captain Biddlecum dead in his
bunk with a deep. ugly cash across his
forehead A blood-stained, double-edged
axe was found near the bunk. and there
was every indication of murder Mr.
Bickle reported the case to the police
Inspector Archibold, Captain Cody and
Detectives McNally and Gallagher went TO
the boat Inspector Archibold searched
the clothing and found it entirely devolo
of money and valuables of any kind. The
police learned from Mr.. Bickle that the
Young man was seen on the boat py hlm
on the Sunday previous, April Is. Nobody
recoIlected seeing the old man and boy
after that day.
The Inspector put the entire detective
force on the case the next day. Inc
police then got from Mr.. Chase, OF the
Pennsylvania Railroad Towing Company,
No. 129 Broad street. New York, printed
diagram showing the name and location
of twenty-six canal boats that constituted
the tow that left South Amboy on April
-. among which was the canalboat Ivy.
Mr.. Chase also told the police the Where-
abouts of those boats, which were scat
tered at various points from the Jersey
Flats up the Hudson and East Rivers
The detectives started to find the boats
and interview those on board concerning
the Young man. On Saturday Detectives
aIcNallv and Gallagher found Captain
Vanderveer of the Lille and Nellie. at
YYeehawken, and from him learned that
the boy was known as 'tPoliack Fred
and his name was Teresnick. He belong
ed. Captain Vanderveer said, somewhere
in the vicinity of Newtown Greek. His
mother was dead and the boy had been to
some reformatory. but what one he did
not know He had heard, however, that
Teresnick's father had worked in a cheni-
cal factory at Newtown Creek, The
detectives learned also that the man
wanted sometimes sold flowers in East
one Hundred and Thirty-eighth street,
New York
All day Sunday and Monday McNally
and Gallagher, assisted by Detective
John Shaw Peake of the Seventy-seventh
precinct, New York, tramped all over
Winfield, Newtown and Long Island City,
trying to locate the father of Teresnick.
Detectives Hottie and Bennett were sent
to Randall's Island yesterday morning to
look over the records. Superintendent O.
". Sage of the institution on the island
found that Casper Tersnick was commit
ted october II, 1895, and was released
January T. 1897. Judge Bowman of Win
field, L. l., had committed the boy.
Detective McNally telephoned the Chief
at three O'Clock yesterday afternoon that
he had just learned the name of the
bows father and the information as to the
boys commitment at Randalps Island.
McNally, Gallagher and Detective Peake
went to the residence of Joseph Teresnick
on Hurlgate Road, Winfield, L. l., about
six o'clock last night. In the yard they
saw young man and an older man ly-
ing on the grass. McNally said to the
young man
Young man. we are looking for a Mrs.
Worling. a washer woman, does she live
In this house?"
The young man approached him and
said
.'No, she don't live hire"
AloNally then said. "Why, hello, Fred
die"
The boy replied, my name is not Fred
die"
McNaliy said:-.No. you're Casper"
at the same time raising the boys derby
hat. He discovered an old scar which the
police had heard the murderer had.
Detective Peake then placed the young
man under arrest and brought him to the
seventy-seventh Precinct Station, at
Newton, L. I While on the way to the
station the detectives. realizing the inn
portance of getting some information as
nobody had witnessed the commission of
the crime, questioned the boy as to his
whereabouts the past two weeks. Teres-
nick at first had very little to say but
gradually admitted being on the canal
boat Lille and Nellie and knowing Cap
tain Vanderveer of that voat. McNally
telephoned for Chief Murphy, who went
to the Newton station house and got the
following statement from the prisoner.
After the usual caution by the Chief, he
said the following
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