The Washington times., 1905-09-20
GERARD SAILING
TO WEST INDIES
Water Will Not Wash Out
Bloody Trail.
POLICE KNOW HIS PORT
Have Cabled for His Arrest-Cries of
"MurderI" Of the Pelham
Road.
POLICE KNOW HIS PORT

NEW YORK. Sept. 2o.-Joseph Gerard,
the supposed slayer OF pretty Augusta
Pfeiffer. who was found dead under the
Haunted Oak off Pelham road in the
Bronx, Is on a schooner bound for a
port IN the West Indies
This is the belief of the police today
from a new clue obtained by central
office detectives The missing man. it IS
asserted, shipped as a sailor under an
assumed name.
Two new witnesses also were found
today who give the police valuable in
formation.
In the search for Gerard. detectives
visited all the shipyards and sailors
ried photograph OF Gerard AT last
po1toersps y y. 49, sss.sl .s
man who had shipped for the West
lnaia voyage at time corresponding
with the disappearance of Gerard.
The detectives refuse to reveal the
name OF the vessel or the port to which
she is bound, but cable message re-
queStfng the arrest OF the man has been
sent to the port in question.
Date of Death
The police are now very strongly in
clined TO the belief that Gussie Pfeiffer
died on Wednesday night This is i'm
face of the original statement from the
coroner's office TO the effect that the
girl had not been dead more than twelve
hours when the body was found Satur-
| day at noon. Coroner O-Gorman has
hedsed; he thinks that the autopsy must
have been mistake.
But how the body could have lain
undiscovered for three days at a point
In full view from Pelham road passes
understanding. Small bits of evidence
| picked up yesterday nearly complete
the case against the missing joseph
| Gerard. There is no trace of him.
This chain begins with the girl getting
| on Throggs Neck car. about a mile
from home. at some time between and
/ $50 Wednesday evening.
At $50 Joseph Gerard. quite drunk
| was sitting IN front OF Dillon's barber
| shop. This IS on the Pelham road.
! about half way between the point
where Miss Pfeiffer left the ear and
| the Pfeiffer home.
Following Women. -
a little before that time. Oscar Ste!ni-
ger. stable boy. had seen him follow
ing two women along the Pelham road.
Stcinigcr waited, thinking that Gerard
might attack them But Gerard seem
ed to think better Of IL. returned to the
| barber shop. and sat down again
| At Il quarter 10 9. Joseph j. Gerard
who lives on the road about 200 yards
from the thicket where the body was
q
der! This Joseph ]. Gerard is not re-
! lated to Joseph Gerard. the suspect II
Is Just a coincident OF names To dis
tinguish him. he is known now on Pei
ham road az the good Mr.. Gerard
1t was just a quarter of ga church
| clock nearby was striking the hour
when Joseph ]. Gerard heard this noise
three shouts of Murder" in Il woman 5
voice and then moans. He jumped out
OF bed and was going 10 take "A look.
but Mrs. Gerard stopped him
Same Old Thing"
It's nothing" she said. "or the same
old thing"
The woods along Pelham road. Mr.
Gerard says, have always been rough
Such sounds have been heard when they
didn't mean anything serious. He was
nervous, however, and didn't like tho
moans He sat by his window and lis
tened Presently Frank Myer came
along. Gerard hailed him from the win
dow.
Did you hear anyone crying muir
dCr2' he asked.
Myor had heard nothing so Gerard
went 10 bed.
Gerard-the suspect Gerard this time
went home about midnight with his
clothes all bloody down in front and had
a bite on the little finger OF his right
hand. He changed his clothes, gave
them To julia Mahon. with whom he
/ lived. to be- washed and disappear red
from sight the next morning.
That Is a pretty clear chain of cir.
cumstantial evidence. Every step of il
has been verified. The question yester-
day, as the day before. lay IN the con
dition and position of the girls body II
she was murdered on "Wednesday even
p ing she must have been Gead more thar
TWO and j half days when they fOuac
her Saturday at noon.
The autopsy showed that she had been
| dead only twelve hours. Despite some
hesitation now on the part OF the coro
10 he n n 4 {
! reason 20 believe that this deduction
from the appearance exhibited by thu
, body -aS = sound one.
| Then. again. she lay in a spot easily
! visible from the much travelled Pelham
| road. If she was there from Wednes
day night why was she not seen sooner
Coroner O'Gorman hedged a good dea
on the autopsy.