The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28
CUT HIS HEAD OFF
NEW YORK MURDERER DECAPITA-
TED HIS VICTIM
THEN TRIES TO BURN HEAD.
DOOR OF FRYING FLESH LEADS TO
DISCOVERY.

James u. Craft, Wealthy, Went Into
the TcnderIOin District and Incau-
tiousIy Displayed "a Large Sum of
MOney-POIice Assert That knock
out Drops Were First Administer
ed and Then Victim Was Taken to
Basement and Murdered with
CIeaVer.
New York, Sept 27-James B. Craft,
a wealthy resident of Glen Cove, l..
l., was murdered to-day and his body
decapitated in a Tenderloin resort
known as the Empire Garden Cafe,
in West Twenty-nnth street, within
a few doors of Broadway. All the
evidence goes to show, say the police,
that Craft, who had been making the
rounds of the Tenderloin, incautiously
displayed a large amount of money
in the Empire and was killed by one
of the walters known as Thomas To-
bin, for the purpose of robbery The
police also say that knockout drops
were first administered and that he
was then taken into the basement and
killed with a cleaver., The odor of
of the occupants of the upper part
of the house early this morn
ing and led to the discovery by
detectives of the nude and headless
body of a man in the basement. The
charred head was discovered a few
minutes later in the furnace, in which
a fire had recently been made with the
evident intention of destroying all pos
sibility of naturalization of the re-
mains. Later the body was identified
by Walter Craft of Glen Cove as that
of his father. The murdered man was
about 81 years of age and was man
ufacturer of refrigerating machinery
in Cortland street. this city.
TObin, who is charged with the muir
der, was caught hiding in the house.
The police also arrested Alexander Nc
Anerny, the bartender; Robert Kelly,
a porter in a Chinese restaurant in the
building, and several women who were
known to be frequenters of the place.
The police said tonight that Tobin's
real name is Thomas Kelly and that
he is a brother of the porter Kelly.
They also learned that Craft attempted
to get a check for $1,250 cashed before
he went to the Empire.
| A woman named Mamie Moore, who
| is known to have been in the place
with Craft, and who is held as a wit
| night, which the police declined to
make public. She is said to have i'm
plicated McAnerny as an accomplice of
Tobin.
There are now 20 homicide cases in
the Tombs, including Molineux, and the
recent acquisition, Young, the alleged
murderer of Mrs. Pulitzer.
At the examination at the coroner's
office the police declared that they
found on Tobin, McAnerny and Kelly
letters and papers belonging to the
dead man. In his story to the coroner
McAnerny said the man who was kill
ed exhibited a big roll of bills. and To-
bin suddenly told him he lied and
struck him over the head. He dragged
him down stairs and as he passed
through one of the lower floors he
picked up cleaver and struck the I'M
conscious man across the chest.
Il followed him to the cellar" Nc
Anerny continued. II watched Tobin
drop his burden and begin to hack at
the mans neck. He chopped and chop
ped and when the head refused to
come off he began to saw 1t with the
cleaver. He suddenly turned round,
and, discovering me, he said he would
cut my head off, too"
AS McAnerny related the story To-
bin jumped to his feet and said it
was McAnerny who murdered the man
and not he.