Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-09-19
MURDER MYSTERY.

Inc nuue Douy oi young Woilan
was found yesterday in the Morris
canal. between Newark and Jersey
City, and was last night identified by
Joseph Pulitzer, of New York,
as that of his wife Annie, who
had been missing since Tuesday.
The discovery of ,he body was made by
the driver of an express wagon passing
along the plank road ON the bank of the
canal on the Meadows. An attempt
had been made to sink it with twenty
pound iron weight attached to long
hitchiDg strap, the other cad of which
was lied around the woman's waist. A
long stab wound was found in the abdo-
men, and later examination by COun-
ty Physician Converse revealed the fact
that the w0man's skull was fractured in
two places aud that there was an injury
over The right temple. DR.. Conyerse
thought that two days had elapsed
since she was killed, bat that the body
had been in the water only a few hour.
The body was removed to Jersey City,
and Chief of Police Murphy put all his
available detectives on the case, Pultler
and bis wife lived in a boarding
house kept By Mrs. Fleming. MIS-.
Fleming said yesterday that the couple
bad been with her for about month,
ard that the husband was a journeyman
ta;lor. On Tuesday evening Mrs.
Fleming said that Pulitzer complained
Of feeling i'll, and that his wife went
out about midDight, saying that she
woul get him some iruit. Mrs Elem
ing said that she did no see Pulitzer
again un'il yesterday morning, when he
rold Der that bis wife was missing, and
that be had been telephoning to her
relatives in the hope Of finding some
trace Of her. Yes erday ailernoon he
went 10 police headquarters and gave a
description of the missing woman, but
did not ask 10 have general alarm sent
out. He returned home for dinner, when
he was shown an evening paper contain
ing an &c. cunt of the finding of the body
aud on reading The esc';pt;on, which
tailed with that of his wife, hurried to
jersey City, where be at once identified
the body. After the identification,
Pulitzer was detained by Chief No tphy,
who ieIepboned 10 police keadararters in
New York that he iesardcd The case as
"ve,y suspicious" and requested the
cooperation of the detective bureau. In
response, Capt.. THUS seat detectives to
the house and searched tue room occu
pied by the couple. They decline to
state what was revealed by iher search.
That the woman was murdered at
some o,her place and ;hen taken TO Che
lonely spot where her body was found
there is little doubt. As stated above,
The body was nude when found, a1d
there wss every indication of careful
attempt to conceal the crime. The mur-
derers were apparently not acquainted
with the conditions prevailing IN the
section of the canal they selected as q
place 10 conceal their victims body, for
at extreme low tide the cut is almost
empty of wafer. The exact motive Tor
the crime is not clear. Pulitzer said that
when his vile left him she wore a hand
some diamond ring, a pair of diamond
earrings, and other jewelry. Mere rob-
berry, however, in the opinion OF the
police, does not explain the murder. AT
on Tuesday closed carri lge,
with two men on the box, passed over
the Passaic river bridge going in the
direction of jersey City. There were
no lighs on the carriage, and the shades
were drawn so that the interior could |
not be seen. A description of the men
who were on The box of the carriage has
been obtained, and it is hoped to
run them down.