The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-09-06
WOMAN'S
BODY IN
A TRUNK
SEARCHED IN FAR
EASTERN PORTS FOR A BRUTAL
MURDERER.


A great sensation has been caused in
Far Eastern ports by the discovery OF
brutal murder of a woman at Hong
kong, and the mail steamers, especially |
the Hongkong Maru, were searched for
the murderer, who is said to have been
at one time a captain Of American ma
rines On August 3 large trunk was
sent on board the c. p. r., S. S. Mont
eagle on Saturday, by sampan. 1t was
put in a cabin, apparently according to
instructions; and some time afterwards
attention and suspicion was drawn to it
by its very unpleasant odor.
On the 9TH the Chief officer opened
the trunk, and discovered the corpse
of a European woman, whose throat
had been cut. The police were inform
ed, and the body was removed by SAM
tary Board coolies. The body of the
woman when found was so decomposed
that identification was practically inn
possible.
The box containing the murdered
woman was taken aboard the steamer
by a European, who was particularly
anxious that it should be slowed away
in the hold. AS 1t was stated to be
luggage however, this was not done.
1t was placed in the luggage room, and
on Wednesday the offensive odor led to
closer inspection of the trunk, from
which blood was found to be oozing.
In these suspicious circumstances, the
Chief officer decided to open the box
The ships carpenter Erasmus Lorson
was instructed to remove the lid. When
this was done the decomposed body of
woman was revealed to the Mortified
onlookers. 1t had been doubled up
and crammed into the box. When the
trunk was removed to the mortuary
and the woman taken out and examin-
ed, it was found that she had been
strangled.
A piece of calico was tied round her
| neck, a hair brush being used as a lever
to tighten it. Her face was very much
bloated and as previously stated, I'M
recognizable. Her only garment was
chemise, and although this bore an
initial it could not be deciphered owing
to the blood stains. The murdered wo-
man had auburn hair and was about
five feet nine inches in height.
After removing the body to the NOR
tuary Sergeant Watt, 81 the Yaumati
Police Station notified all the police
stations of the occurrence so that no
time might be lost in searching for the
murderer.
The murder is one of the foulest and
most gruesome in the annals of the
Colony of Hongkong, while at the same
time it was one of the most mysterious,
and at first blush there appeared little
chance of bringing the murdered to JUS
tice. But the energy Of the detectives
increased in proportion to the magni-
! tude of the crime; an unexpected clue
was discovered, and following this up
) they have been successful in tracing
r the movements of the man who arrived
in Hongkong with the murdered WON
: an.
9 These visitors were from Manila. Ac
cording to the steamers passenger lis
they Travelled as Mr.. and Mrs. Jones
but on landing in Hongkong and goinj
to stay at one of the leading hotel
:. their names were entered as Mr.. AM
: Mrs. Davis.
Both are believed to be citizens O
the United States, and so far as can b
. Iascertained at present, the man was
. captain, or ex-captain in the America
=. marines.
y 1t would appear that the murder wa
- committed some time on Saturda
night August 3, probably between tie
= and eleven o'clock, for according to tn
" story of the lift boy at the hotel, th
Il box was taken down by him befor
midnight
When the police visited the room
which the murdered woman and he
'e companion we're staying they discover
II ed three trunks which had been lei
II behind by the man, and these the
y seized. They have also in their pos
y session the trunk in which the bod
L was placed. It is a brown iron-boun
/ box about two feet six by one foot eigt
10 and has depth of about two feet I
% squeeze the Lody of a woman about fiv
10 feet nine inches high into this, it wi
y be realized must have been a difflcu
n task.
d When the murderer had completed 1
however, his next arrangement al
It parently was to keep the corpse frol
% humping against the sides Of the boz
To effect this he damned one OF h
Is nightshirts between the body and II
s. wood, thus making more solid the col
" tents with the object Of averting SUI
1t picion so far as the bearer of tf
le trunk was concerned. The nightshi
Of thus found bore the initial a."
lie After this he secured his victim
60 of considerable value, and there is ali
TX a suspicion that he obtained a sum
4.