The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-23
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IN MURDER
CASE
ExOnerated in Suspected
Crime--RObbery or Fear
Possible Motives.

Robbery and fear are advanced as
two motives for the supposed murder
of Louisa Liggins. an unmarried ne
gress, whose body was found partly
buried under straw and ashes in the
city dumps at Avenue b and Miller
street, on Tuesday morning, by two
Italian women. The Rev. G. w. Desk
ins, whose love missives, found In the
woman's trunk. led to his arrest on sus-
picion yesterday afternoon. was this
morning exonerated from all connec-
ton with the case and released.
The body has been claimed by rela-
tives and the funeral expenses will be
betrayed by the congregation of the
Bethany Baptist Church. on Bank
street, of which the Ligglns woman
was a member and an ardent worker.
The funeral services will be held this
afternoon at 2 o'clock.
Detective Sergeant Templeton' and
Plainclothesman Byrne of the Third
Precinct Station, yesterday notified Mrs.
Mary Fuller, sister of the dead woman,
who is a domestic employed by a family
living in Clinton avenue, and this
morning she was questioned as to the
habits of her sister. It was then that
the first mixing of a motive for a crime
was advanced, the police having been
at loss to establish motive until
after identification was made positive.
The Fuller woman was accompanied by
her sister and a negro named White, VINO
seemed to know much about the dead
woman's life and habits. They went to
police headquarters. where they were ques-
toned by the detectives and Captain car
roll
As was told in the night edition Of the
EVENING STAR last night the Ligg1ns
woman was feeble-minded and religious
fanatic She was in the habit of visiting
some of the worst dives In the city on
Saturday nights and preaching to those
she found frequentine them. and even per-
sonally pleading with them to turn from
their sinful lives.
According to the story told by Mrs.
Brooks and substantiated by the man
White. the Liggins woman left her home,
"a Arlington street, on Saturday. She had
small handbag, in which she carried a
subscription book, one of her customs being
to solicit subscriptions for the Bethany
Baptist Church. She also carried small
sum of money with her
1t is the belief of the police that the
woman collected some money while on heI
rounds and that she afterward felkinto the
| hands Of some criminally inclined men OF
her own color, who murdered her for her
money. This belief Is borne out by the
condition of her waist when the body was
found ii being torn In several places and
entirely loosened from her belt and wrink-
led under the back or her head.
1t is said by the police that the Liggins
woman was feared in many circles because
OF the possibility of her using the informa-
tion she gathered on her weekly visits
and informing the police. The police
think that this may have been a motive
for the crime. The authorities working
on the case are endeavorIng to locate the
black wagon seen driving toward the
dumps early Sunday morning. They also
think that the occupants of the black wag-
on could throw some light on the mystery.
and are today exerting their efforts toward
locating these men.
1t was learned that Miss LAggins owned
a small piece of property In Bellevllle,
which she purchased from Mrs Brooks. and
on which she had been making small
monthly payments.
While the Identification was first made
by Mrs Brooks. with whom the woman
boarded, 1t was made positive by the iden-
tification of some dental work done by DR..
W. F. G.. Urling, of 118 Market street.
The teeth which had been treated were re-
moved from the mouth, at the suggestion
of Plainclothesman Byrne, and taken by
Byrne to the offices of several dentists
DR.. Urling identified some work he had
done Later they discovered the dentists
receipted bills among the dead womans
effects.
Miss Llggins was between q and % years
old