The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-17
A DEAD BODY IN A TRUNK.
A New York JeweIry Pcddter Robbed
and Murdered.


and Murdered.
NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-The body of
Myer Weisbard. an itinerant jewelry
salesman. was found in & trunk on an
East River bulkhead, between piers 10
and II, at noon today. The mans throat
was cut. The trunk had been on the
bulkhead since early morning. Weisbard
had been reported to the police as miss
ing by his employer, Jacob Alexander,
of 2SS Madison Street, and by the ped
dler's wife. Ida, who was worried be-
cause he did not come home last night
at The usual time.
Mrs. Weisbard, with her eight children
and many Of the other tenants Of 212
Henry Street, where Weisbard had lived,
searched for him among the Italian tene-
ments last night. His customers were all
Italians of that neighborhcod. Mrs
Weisbard and one of her daughters walk
ed the streets all night. The searchers
could find no trace of Weisbard's move
ments after Tuesday noon. When he left
the place of the Manhattan Household
Supply Company, at 2SS Madison Street.
he bad 5000 worth of jewelry in his pos
session. Jacob Alexander, who owns the
company. and Mrs. Alexander, who iden-
titled Wristbands body. said tonight that
they believed the man had been murder
ed by an Italian family who had stolen
his jewelry.
Capt. George Titus, os the Detective
Bureau, within two hours had all these
facts in his possession. Tonight the
Italian quarter was overrun with detec-
tiyes, and Captain Titus had forty men
at headquarters to meet emergencies.
AT o'clock this morning Tom Murphy,
longshoreman. noticed battered old
trunk perched on a pile of wooden skids
on the edge of the bulkhead between piers
10 and IL. 1t was pier IL. which had
no shed over it, and is used for the most
part by vessels carrying lumber between
the Atlantic coast ports and the West
Indies. 1t was tied up with lot of clean
manila rope. The fact was noticed that
there was no label or tag of any sort on
the trunk. The trunk attracted the at
tention of other longshoremen, and they
speculated as to its contents. Al Sparks,
who has an Office on the pier, called Po-
liceman Riley's attention to the trunk.
Riley surveyed the trunk. Sparks tipped
it up on end and looked at the bottom
of it.
Riley" he said, there's blood on it."
Riley took a knife and cut the rope over
the top Of the trunk. The knots were so
tightly tied that his fingers could not
bulge them. The trunk was not locked,
and when the rope was cut the cover was
easily lifted. A blue overcoat and lighter
coat were the first things the men saw in
side
These were pulled aside and crowded
against the corner OF the trunk was re-
veaied a mans head. The curly black hair
was matted with blood about the temples,
and the thick beard was clotted with
blood. Close under the beard, which was
thick and full and curly, was tied dirty
black aad white figured apron. The face
was of a eleancut Russian Hebrew type.
Under the apron the rest of the mans
body was cramped into the trunk. There
were no shoes on the feet The shirt front
and necktie that had once been black and
green, were stiff with blood.
Riley called two longshoremen who
carried the trunk to the police station
where It was set down in the back room
and the body was lifted out. The over
coat had been cut and slashed- about the
collar and the left shoulder. There was
deep, wide hole in the left side of the
mans throat. apparently severing the
iugular vein
The central offlce was notified and
Captain Titus made second and more
thorough search OF the murdered mans
clothing. lie found in one of the waist
coat pockets the business card OF Alex
ander C Sipp, OF 2ss Madison Street De-
tectives Weller and Petrosino were sent
to that number. While they were gone
Captain Titus went to the pier and look
ed over the ground where the trunk was
found. Weller and Petrosino came back
to the station at O'Clock in a cab. They
had Mrs. Jacob Alexander with them
She entered the room, took one look at
the body lying cramped up on the floor
and began to cry. moaning, That's him;
that's him She was hurried out of the
room and into the cab in another minute
and was gone. No more discoveries were
made in the neighborhood of Pier IL.
Some of the men on the schooner Harold
c. Beecher said that they had seen truck
drive up to the stringpiece at o'clock
Tuesday night-long after most OF the
trucks had been left there by the drivers
They had not noticed anything else about
the late truck
Weisbard lived at PIP Henry Street with
his wife. four children. and four step
children He was an orthodox Jew and
very devout. He was a strictly steady,
sober man. He earned from sS to SIS
week by exhibiting jewelry. which was
sold by Alexander on the installment plan.
He handled no money. 1t was his GUS
tom TO go into the Italian neighborhood
and show the contents of his pack to the
dwcllers in the tenements. II any wished
to buy, he drew up contract which the
purchaser signed. This contract was
turned in by Weisbard to Alexander
Weisbard ordinarily started out at
o'clock in the morning with jewelry worth
about 5000. On Tuesday morning he went
out with Adolph Sachs, collector for the
firm. They parted. but Welsbard failed
TO keep an appointment that afternoon
with Sachs. Sachs went to the salesman's
home. Weisbard had not been there
Then he went to one of the regular
Italian customers of Weisbard. a woman,
and asked her if she had seen Weisbard
She said he had called on her at 10 o'clock
in the morning. The police wish to keep
the identity of tie woman and a list of
thirty or more others customers of Weis-
bard a secret for the present.
THE ALABAMA DISABLED.