The Washington herald., 1908-02-22
HIDE CLEWS TO CRIME
SlayerS of Sicilian in Brook
lyn Leave No Traces.
THOSE WHO KNOW ARE SILENT
Italian Squad of Detectives Have
Typical Murder Mystery in the
Case of Salvatore narchinne, Whose
Body Was Found in Dumping
Ground on Outskirts of FIatbush.

New York. Feb. 2l.-The Italian squad
Of detectives attached to the Brooklyn
police headquarters and Capt. Kuhne.
head of the detective bureau there. ad-
mitted to-day that they were attempting
70 solve the hardest kind of a mystery
in running down the men who were re-
sponsible for the murder of Salvatore
Aarchiune, whose mutilated and dis
membered body was found early Thurs
day morning in a dumping ground on the
edge OF "Pigtown," a dreary settlement
on the outskirts of the Flatbush section
of Brooklyn
What the detectives have TO seek out
is believed TO be a typical murder. pos
sibly having the handspring OF its motive
back in Sicily. In such an instance the
sleuths know by experience that they are
going to find witnesses who are blind and
dumb and accomplices, perhaps. who
would rather face a term in the peni-
tentiary than tell one word of what they
know. Mariohinne was found with his
tongue cut out; he had told too much.
The crime has been tranSplanted from
Sicily to Brooklyn in all of its blindness
Of mystery typical Of the things that
transpire when Scilians hate and plot to
remove one hated.
Find Home of Friend.
The only thing that Capt. Kuhne could
count as progress made in the case TO-
day was the location of a house some
where in the Italian district about Cole
street from which a lodger. who is very
much wanted, according to the clews that
are now in hand. had recently disap-
peared, and another place on the same
street in which Antonio Coma. a friend
Of the dead man, lived
GonZa's address was shadowed all of
to-day. but the man failed TO appear.
Although the sleuths do not believe that
he had anything TO do with the murder
OF Marchinne, they are convinced that he
was eognizant Of the trend Of events
which led to the deliberate planning Of a
murder
Coma was the writer OF one OF the let
ters found in the pocket Of the murdered
mans coat on Thursday. The police at
the time gave IL out that the letter had
come from Palermo along with another
from Marchinne's father. also found in
the coat. The detectives learned to-day
that Marchinne. who had been in the
habit Of having his mail from Italy for
warded to a small Italian bank in Union
street, was very much distraught a few
days before he was murdered because he
did not receive letter he had confidently
expected.
. From this fact and the added develop
ments that he was in Philadelphia before
he came TO New York. they have deducted
ha hot
was hunted by sssassins and relied upon
n friend in Italy to send him accurate in
formation Of the whereabouts of the men
who were trailing him.
Shopkeepers Are Silent.
Following the clew offered by the
strangely figured oil cloth in which the
two bundles containing the trunk and
limbs Of Marchinne were wrapped. Capt.
kuhne's men to-day found three shops
where identical oil cloth was sold. But
that did not help them any Although
it was evident that the wrappings about
the portions of the corpse were new. and
had probably been purchased very re-
Gently for the express purpose to which
they were put, none Of the shopkeepers
carrying the garish red and yellow oil
any Of it within the last six months.
The Brooklyn detective bureau sent a
dispatch to-day TO the police of Palermo.
requesting that a record OF Marchinne. IL
any existed, be forwarded them. They
hoped that some slight clew to his as
soeiates in Sicily. or a report OF trouble
with the police there might give them
lead on the events which led I'D to
his murder here on Wednesday night.
It Is nov definitely known that the
Sicilian was victim OF a gang, and that
revenge for the betrayal Of some sort
OF secret. or. possibly. the embezzlement
OF funds OF an association Of counter
letters or briga1ds was the motive that
prompted the murder. The underground
workings Of Sicilian assassins are be-
yond the comprehension Of the average
member Of the police force.