Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-27
SLAIN
YACHT FIGURES IN MYSTERY
IN JERsEY-TWo ARRESTS.

NEWARK, n. j.. December PA muir
der. combining the elements of mystery
and deliberate cruelty. was committed on
the Hackensack meadows in the town of
Harrison yesterday morning. and the nude
body of the victim. a comely woman of
perhaps thirty years. was found nearly
submerged in the icy waters of little
pond. Only the feet projected when
chance passersby broke the ice in which
the exposed portions were incrusted and
dragged the body ashore yesterday after
noon.
The dead woman was finely featured;
her hair and nails gave evidence of
recent and scrupuldus toilet, and such of
her clothing as was subsequently found
suggested in texture and style an owner
of refinement rather than one whose
habits might lead her to frequent the
vicinity of the crime. The pond in which
the body was thrown Is made by the
overflow from the Passac river and is
directly across the river from this city.
Man and Woman Seen Together.
The body had not been identified last
night. and it was pretty well established
that ii was not that of a resident of this
city or Harrison. Its description does
not correspond with that of any woman
reported to the police as missing. Two
: men, who occupied a yacht moored near
where the body was found, are detained
by the police, but the most important
clue obtained was furnished tonight by
Peter Coogan. a Waterman employed by
the Marine Engine Company, who recog-
nized the body as that of a woman whom
he had seen crossing the meadows in
company with a man early yesterday.
Later he saw the man alone. He then
carried bundle in his arms. The man
was short and stout. Coogan. whose
duties keep him in the neighborhood of
the murder, told the police:
while outdoors at o'clock yesterday
morning i saw this woman in company
with a man cross the meadows. going in
, the direction of the pond. They passed
near me that 1 was able to recognize
the woman'S features. Some time later,
perhaps an hour. the man returned and
again passed me, this time going in the
direction from which the two had come
when / first saw them. This time the
man was alone. In his arms he carried
: a bundle. which he did not carry when
first seen. In build he was short and
thick set" Coogan could not give bet
ter description of the man.
Two girls returning to their home in
Harrison long after midnight this morn
ing heard a woman's cries floating over
the marsh land. They seemed to come
from the direction of the pond. and to
me. and Help" Nearer home the
girls were approached by a well-dressed
stranger, who accosted and followed them
until a policeman was met with, when
he turned and fled. The girls had
good view, of the man under an electric
light. and, while he was we'll and neatly
dressed, his hands showed either that
he was accustomed to manual labor or
had recently been engaged in work that
solled his fingers.
Strangled to Death.
: Life had been extinct. the coroner said,
about twelve hours when the body was
found yesterday afternoon. A mark on
the neck indicated that strangulation was
the manner of death. Scratches on one
limb and the trunk and pieces of cinder
forced into the flesh showed that the body
had been dragged along cinder path
which skirts the pond Along the path
3 the police picked up a white silk waist,
slashed up the back. skirt and a pair
of silk garters. Following the path the
police came upon the yatch Idle Hour,
which was tied up at point on the
Passaic about 300 feet from where the
body was found. On the yacht the police
say that they found sealSkin mun and
fur neck piece.
The occupants of the yacht were Albert
Thompson, forty-one years old, of Eliza
beth. boatman. and Frederick kirkman,
8 thirty-eight years old. Both were en-
{ ployed on the boat Thompson said that
he found the fur pieces near the cinder
path yesterday morning. The police found
on the boat dishes enough for three din
ers. These were three plates, three
saucers, and SO on. The men. however,
said that they had no visitor on the Idle
Hour. Both were arrested as suspicious
characters. The police said last night
that they had practically nothing against
/ths-plspners but would detain them I'M
II fufNtef> inquiry could be made.
ThomhSonl bears good reputation. He
went tdAsaizabeth after coming to this
country fHNm England. and was employed
as a naoldsr until three weeks ago, when
he came tqAthis city. 1t was understood
at th-tifnA that me contemplated pur-
achasinE-a-boat. An autopsy will be per-
formed as soon as it can be arranged.
Z Il The identity of the young woman re-
mains unknown For nearly twenty-four
hours the body has lain in the morgue,
ana the fsAtures have been viewed by
hunareds Of persons, but none of them
ever saw the woman before. In view
of this and further Investigations which
have been made, the police are inclined
TO believe that the woman was visitor
/. to Ne<ark from some nearby city, pos
sfbsy Brooklyn, as the coat found near
the body was purchased in that place.
An autopsy will be performed today.
In the meantime Albert Thompson and
Frederick Kirkman, who lived on a small
yacht near to. the point where the body
was found, and who were detained by the
police, ere still under restraint. They
deny all knowledge of the woman.