Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-07-28
BOLD CRIME.
Thugs kidnsp Girl on
Crowded New York Street.
Garry Her Out In Harbor and
Commit an Assault
After Which She Is Thrown Over.
Board...Police Puzzled,


South Brooklyn are diligently investi-
eating relnarkab BILE story told by 49,
year-old Amelia Stechel of No. Cos Goth
street. who was found unconscious
Yesterday, clinging to a rope at the
side of q pile driver anchored about
100 feet off the foot of 18th street. She
said she had been in the water nine
hours.
Her hands clutched the rope so con-
vulsively that they could not be loos-
ened, so the rope was cut off, and rope
and girl We're taken to the Norwegian
hospital, where her grip was finally
released. but not until after she had
been restored to consciousness.
According to the young woman she
was seized at a lonely spot in Bay
Ridge at 9 P. NJ. Saturday by two men,
whom she described as Italians
gagged, carried out into the bay in a
rowboat and there ill-treated and then
flung overheard at about 10 p. M. She
swan for shore, but was exhausted
by the time she reached the pile driv-
er, and had just enough strength left
to grasp Il rope, after which she be-
came unconscious and remembered
nothing more unit! she woke up IN the
hospital.
The precinct police said there were
evidences that her story was true, and
a number of detectives We're at once
put on the case.
Miss Stechel, who is a stout. good
looking young woman, and has always
borne an excellent reputation, makes
her home with her parents on 65th
street, between Sixth and Seventh
avenues. Her father Christian Stech-
ell. is a builder The family came to
American four years ago. All it's
members speak English For several
weeks, according to the police, Amelia
Stechel has been spending much ol
her time at the home of Henry Meyer
and wife. Fifth avenue and Attn street.
Meyer is a druggist. He is 65 years
old.
On Saturday evening Miss Stcchel
left the Meyer house at p. NJ, in
tending to go down to Third avenue
and buy present for her mother, in
commemoratiOn of the latter'S birth
day. The young woman, according to
her story, walked along Fifth avenue
to 4Sth street and thence down to
Third evenue. There. she says. she
was decoyed down 4Sth street by two
we'll dressed young men. AS soon as
she was a few steps on 4Sth street
below Third avenue the two men seiz-
ed her Before she could make an
cutlery one of the pair had stuffed a
handkerchief into her mouth. The
other bound her arms
BY this time, she says. they had
reached point on 4Sth street where
there We're no more houses. The two
men seized her, as they would a
bundle and carried her, bound and
gagged, to the pier at the foot of the
street. where they placed her in a
row-boat The men then rowed out
some distance into the bay. They
then united her arms. and. after
threatening her with death if she made
an outcry-one of the men holding a
cooked pistol at her head-they re-
moved the gag from her mouth.
According to the girl both of the
men then attacked her. after which
they started to row back to the pier
from which they had started, When
within about 100 feet of the pier, &C
cording to the young woman. they
flung her overheard and kept on row.
ing for the wharf.
Miss Stechel told the police she was
too scared to make an outcry. even
when she was pitched into the bay,
as she believed the men would shoot
at her if she called out for help. An
other reason why she did not YELL she
4 IL
mer and relied on her ability to reach
shore, leaving the men to go their own
way.
Accordingly. she says, she started to
swim in another direction from that
taken by the men in the boat. She
bent her course for the foot of 50th
street She had gone but little way
when she had nervous collapse. The
strength went out of her arms She
still feared if she made an cutlery the
men in the boat might come back and
kill her
She had barely strength enough left.
she told the police and the surgeons
at the hospital, to reach the pile
driver anchored off 50th street
AT A. NJ, according to Henry
Houghton, a night Waterman at the
Bush Terminal Cos. docks, he saw
the girl clinging to the rope and row.
ed out to her. He found her uncon-
scious. Houghton notified the police
and called an ambulance
When Miss Stechel did not reach
her home at p. NJ. on Saturday, her
parents collected the neighbors, and
after reporting her disappearance to
the police made a search with lanterns
for the girl in the deep railroad cuts
at Bay Ridge.
Police Inspector Flood said last
night that he was puzzled by the case.
He and men from his staff. he said,
had been unable to find any house
holders in 4Sth street who had seen
the girl being gagged and carried to
the river, although somebody was sit
ting on almost every stoop till mid
night.