The evening world., 1901-12-27
EVIDENCE Of
MURDERERS.
Web of Circumstance Is Be-
ing Woven About Four
Men Held for Crime.
INQUEST HELD TODAY.
Strong Points Against Nephews Of
Aged Farmer, Peter HaIIen-
beck, Of Greenport.
INQUEST HELD TO-DAY.

HUDSON, ". r. Dec. T-Sherir Bes
and Chief OF Police Lane think ,h'
chain Of circumstantial evidence the,
have woven about the four nephews oi
Peter Hailenoeck. assassinated on nj.
doorstep Christmas Eve. Is strong
enough to result In the youthful
quartet being held BY the Coroner'l
Jury. which begins Its inquest to-day.
Willis, Burton and Frederick Van
wormer and Harvey Bruce are the ac'
clsed young men. Among the points
against them are these:
Imond vcner OF Kinderhook. Will
testify that on Tuesday hc sold four
black masks to the Van wormer boys.
A. J. Bauer will swear that on Tues
day he loaned his .32-calibre revolver 10
Willis Van wormer. and that while so
doing Harvey Bruce showed him 49,
cai!bre pistol.
George Brown will testify that at 5 p.
NJ. he rented the boys two-seated rig
with one horse. which was not returned
until II .. m.
The police will show that the wheel
ruts In the lane back OF Haiicnbeck's $
house alone ht the peculiarly wide
gauge Of the vehicle rented by Brown.
shoes FIT Footprints.
Sheriff Best Will testify that the shoes
OF the prisoners 1T exactly the tracks
lcf, in the snow by the slaycrs OF Hal
lenbcck.
d chief OF Police Lane will testify to
fnding three revolvcrs OF .5c calibre and
one OF ~ calibre in the Van Wormer
home.
Dr. c. +. Fri,,s will testify that OF
six bullets found In Hallenbeck's body
and seven found In the walls and i'oor
of the kitchen. three were OF IS calibre
and the others .32 caiibre.
Louis Eltng. who saw the assassins
ride of. will testify that the masks
they wore were similar TO those bought
from imond Vener.
Charles Hnllenbeck will testify TO the
family feud that estranged his dead
brother from the Van worme.s.
For further motive II will be advanced
that Mrs. Halicnbeck Is dying slowly
from cancer. and that II she had died
before her husband her nephews would
have hai no share In Peter Ha!lenbcck's
100000.
In their own defense the boys will try
by the testimony OF their mother and
their sisters sweetheart to establish an
abb. These will swear that the boys
were at home at 0 O'Clock at night and
therefore could not have been at Green
port when Hallenback was murdered at
: O'clock
Despite the insistence OF the four
young men thar they are innocent OF
their uncle's blood. and that they can
read!ly establish an alibi. the police feel
they have woven net OF circumstantial
evidence about them from which they
cannot escape. There Is a motive. and
strong one. for revenge. as far as the
Van Wormer boys are concerned. for
Hallenbeck had been at odds with their
mother and had foreclosed n mortgage
on them and driven them from home.
lnqucst TO-Day.
At the hour Sc; for the opening OF the
coroner's inqucs, this afternoon Peter
IIallcnbeck will ne buried with Masonic
honors. Aside from imond vener's
statement that he sold the Van Wormer
boys four black masks on Tuesday, the
strongest piece %! circumstantial evil
dence ngains, them is furnished by the
vehicle they hired from Liveryman
Brown. The snow tracks back OF Hal
leHbcck's house show that the assassins
drove up In n widc-hodicd wagon. meas
uring fou. feet eight Inches from tire
'o tire. The tires are extremely narrow,
only seven-efghths OF an Inca
in width. The only vehicle answering
these dimensions In all the countryside
II Browns two-seated rig.