The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-13
CLUE IN NEWSBOY MURDER.
POLICE LOOKING FOR 4 GREEN
FLOWER SELLER.
The Man They're After Hated ana Often
Beat the Lads of the Neighborhood
And Hes Missing -One Other Theory.
bot IT'S Not Considered Probable.


Several clues developed yesterday which
may result In the capture OF the murderer
OF Michael Kruck the ten-year-old news
boy OF I'll Columbus avenue who was
strsngled in Central Park on Wednesday
night.
Detectives McCaferty and Price OF the
Central Office and the detectives attached
to the police station in the Arsenal in Cen
trail Park were on the case all dayy yesterday,
and in the evening Deputy Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Chadwick was at work with
the Central Office men. From that fact it
was inferred that an arrest might be
looked for in the near future.
Capt Thomas of the Central Park police
said yesterday that his men had narrowed
the case to two theories. One, he said il
that the murder was the WORK Of newsboys,
who were either jealous of a new conner or
who were initiating him into some imagi-
nary order During this initiation, the
police think, the boy may have been taken
to the park and accidentally strangled
The other theory on which the police
were at work yesterday. and on which evil
IDENTIFY they placed more reliance. was that
the murder was committed by Greek
flower seller who worked near Eighty sixth
street and Central Park West, where the
kruck boy usually sold papers.
Since the murder the Greek has not been
seen in the neighborhood.
A story which gives this theory more
weight than any which have yet been adj
vanced was told by Joseph Esperanza Of
"a West Ninety-eighth street. He ls a
little fellow who sold papers on the corner
where Mike kruck did business until about
two weeks ago, and he is known to the other
newsboys as SKINNY.
he said that The ncwsboys and the Greek
always had trouble because the boys pes
tered him, The Greek retaliated by thrash.
ing them when he caught any Of them ard
even carried "A knife wi h which he threa, =
ened them. He usually had stones in his
pockets, which he threw al the BOYS and
In some cases succeeded in hitting them
skinny said that on the night Of the
Yale Princeton football game the Greek
thrashed Jimmie kruCk, brother Of the
murdered boy, and he had troubl" with the
others constantly after that.
The EsperaiZa boy said that he himself
had been struck by the flower peddler only
few weeks ago. and he was sure that the
latter had %oh dreR sr1dSe against the lew
able boy Of the 10, and was not a boy to get
into trouble with any one. but the Greek
was inclined TO pitch into all the boys who
sold papers there.
The Greek. the boy said, usually left IN
con er late IN the afternoon and went to a
stand further downtown skinny" also
told some things about the newsboys who
sold papers near where the murder oc-
CURED which apparently discredted the
theory that the kruck boy was murdered
by jealous rivals,
He said that he and his brother worked
on that corner until about two weeks ago,
ard that the kruck hoy worked for them
az first in order 10 make little money for
Christmas. Later the kruck boy found
that he could make more money sellin z
for himself so he started il DEEPER DEF tly.
There was rivalry between all the boys,
but they were all friendly enough and
lever had arv alterations. He said that
lately most f the newshoys had stopped
selling parers AT Eighty-siXth street, and
Mike lad thin e. pretty well 10 imseIf
The oply utiiNs iIroeh-- no $1,000 Wnere
,be truck boy was accustomed to stand
is Archibald Bly,, who was the last person,
20 far a. ia known, who saw Mike. He saws
that he saw Mike at about $50 O'Clock on
"Wednesday night just a. he was lea wing
He also said he had no grudge against the
murdered boy and didn't know Of any one
who had.
The detectives at work on the case would
not tell what clues they were running down,
but il Is believed that they are looking for
the Greek II was learned that he IL about
10 wears old, about 5 feet inches tall
thin and dark.
The body Of the murdered boy was taken
from the Morgur yesterday morning and
in the afternoon the funeral was held. The
burial took place in Brooklyn