Evening star., 1905-09-20
SLOWLY, BUT SURELY
Police Fitting Evidence in
Pfeifer Case.
HOW THE GIRL DIED
EVIDENCE IN HAND SHOWING
MANNER.
Movements of Joseph Girard Known
to Some Extent-Other
Facts.
HOW THE GIRL DIED
speciaI Dispatch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The STAR
NEW YORK, September 20.-Slowly, but
mely, the police are fitting together bits of
evidence that go far toward clearing up the
my stery as to how and when Gussie Pfeiffer
was murdered. The police have today in
their hands pretty conclusive proof as to the
manner of the girls taking off and the time
she died. They have also more evidence re-
garding the movements of Joseph Girard,
the missing suspect, before and after the
murder and they are more than ever GER
tain that when Girard is captured they will
practically have eliminated all mystery
from the case.
The police have up to date met many
be fling features in competition with the case
and have been sent off on score of false
trails since It became known that Girard
was wanted on Sunday last, the day after
the discovery of the murder. These trails
have led to Bridgeport, Nashua, n. H.;
Philadelphia and various small towns In and
about New York. The latest clue to Gil
rard's whereabouts cropped out late last
night when the detectives learned that O
man answering his description had taken
working passage on ship bound for the
West Indies.
The man shipped under assumed
name. and although the police are by no
means certain that he was Girard, they
cabled today to the ships port of destina-
ton. asking that 1t be searched on ar
rival. The ship is a sailing vessel, how
ever, and 1t may take several weeks for II
to arrive Among the new bits of evil
donce collected is the testimony of two
witnesses whom the police intend TO eX-
anime carefully today. One witness throws
light on the movements of Girard and
the other upon the time of the murder.
Oscar Steiner. a stable boy, sixteen years
old, declares that he Girard following
some women between 8 and O'Clock on
Wednesday night the night Gussie dis
appeared.
Followed Several Women.
ION Wednesday night" says oscar. Il
was around Dillon's barber shop. l saw Gil
rard there sitting out in front. 1t was about
or $40 o'clock as near as | can remem-
Der. I could him very plainly. 1 saw
him get up end follow several women as
they passed along the road. After follow
ing one he would come back and sit down
again until another one came along.
II only recognized one of the women he
followed. 1t was Mrs. Boyle, who lives
up the road from the barber shop. lie
came back IN few minutes.
''I did not see Gussie Pfeiffer come along
while l was there. l did not stay after $50
o'clock. and did not notice where Grard
went
The other witness Is a man who bears the
same name as Girard, but who is not re-
lated to him. This Girard told one story to
the police, but today he makes some change
In It.
The story first told by Girard. who lives
near the scene of the murder, was of hear
ing the screams of woman from the d.
rect!on of the Pelham road at S:43 o'clock
on the night of Gussie's disappearance.
II was mistaken before, says this Girard,
'Hn the time l heard the screams on We'd
nesday night AS now remember the cir
cumstance 1t must have been about 1O:45
o'clock when l heard a loud scream coming
from the direction of the Pelham road. 1t
was loud and shril but not prolonged 1t
was suddenly hushed, and then there came
another. muffied and broken, that of wo-
man who could not get her voice. There
was a third scream. but 1t was SO low
could scarcely hear It. Then there came
means and soon all was still.
Paid Little Attention.
IT did not pay much attention to these
cries for during the summer the young fel-
lows and their girls walk along that road
and scream like that just for fun when they
pass the haunted oak
The haunted oak is the tree near which
Gussies body was found on Saturday after
neon. which is credited with having served
as gallows for British spies in revolution
ary war days.
out among the boulders to one side Of the
road. about 100 yards from the spot where
the body was found, there was picked up
yesterday afternoon woman's aluminium
hatpin, made in the shape of a golf stick.
Flom this is constructed the theory today
= that the first struggle between the girl and
her assailaEt took place where this hatpin
was found. 1t is a lonely place and dark
The assault could have taken place even
at that time OF night. 1t Is thought, and no
one might have been near to gee II.
The girl was perhaps followed along the
road as she trudged homeward and was
overtaken by her apursuer at this point.
Then according to the theory, she was
forcibly carried to the side of the road
which is bordered by high bouliers. Then
finding his victim either dead uncon-
scious, the assailant decided TO take the
body TO u more secluded place. and drag
ged or carried IT up the road for hundred
yards TO the haunted oak, where II was
found.
Some new light on the suspect Girard's
history was brought out today. Capt. Bur-
feind learned that the suspect used to be a
cobbler and made tours of New England.
going from village to village with a horse
and wagon in pursuit of his trade. He was
an adept with tools. AS a result of this
discovery an alarm has been sent broad
cast throughout New England, New York.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the ar
rest of any travelling cobbler answering
Girard's description. This is done in the
belief that Girard may have returned to
his old trade as a disguise, and is perhaps
working his way from New York by this
means. II is known that he had but little
money. but II would probably not have
been difficult for him to procure tools some
where sufficient for his purpose, even IL he
did not already possess them.
-v
HAD NARROW ESCAPE,
in ~