Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-20
THINK CHINESE
MURDERED GIRL
FOUND IN TRUNK
GRANDDAUGHTER OF GENERAL
SIGEL STRANGLED
BODY IS FOUND CROWDED INTO
LEATHER RECEPTACLE
Father Fails to Identify Body of Young
Woman-orientais Involved in
Mystery on Way to
Vancouver
CRx Associated Pressl

n EW YORK, June IL ne iHuIuor
III of Miss Elsie Sigel, grand
~ daughter of Gen. Franz Sigel,
whose body was found last night
crowded into a leather trunk in the
room of a Chinese after she had been
strangled with a curtain cord, appears
to be the most remarkable case the
New York police have had to investi-
| gate in many years.
One of the odd phases of the case is
the failure( of the murdered girl S
father. Paul Sigel, to identify the body
as that of his daughter, while the
girls mother has declared that the
articles of jewelry found in the room
with the body belonged to the daugh-
! ter.
Acouaintances of Miss sigel, who
have seen the body of the murdered
girl, assert it is that of Miss Sigel,
and a number of persons have been
| found by the police who declare the
| young woman has been a friend of the
Chinese, William l.. Leon, in whose
room the body was found Notwith-
standing these identiflcations it was
stated at the home of Mr.. Sigel to-
day that Paul Sigel, the girls father,
had gone to Washington TO prlhg Ell
| sic home"
Leon, who is also known by several
| Chinese names, was still missing to-
day, as was Chung Sin, who occupied
room adjoining that of Leon.
Today the police gave out report
! that Leon and Chung Sin had sailed
last Friday for Vancouver, B. c., on
steamer going by the way OF the
Isthmus of Panama. Precautions have
been taken to intercept the steamer at
an intermediate point If possible.
| nzI.ao
The police of Washington have been
asked to aid the New York police
by finding the original copy of tele-
gram, which was received by the
| girls parents from that city last Satur-
day, saying:
II will be home by the end OF the
week. Don't worry"
| 1t was signed with the name Elsie
| Sigel Miss Sigel had been engaged IN
missionary work among the Chinese OF
| the city for few years, having become
| interested therein by the activity of her
mother in behalf of the Christianization
| of the Orientals. The young woman
was about 20 years old This morning
Florence Todd, one of the missionaries
In the Chinese section who identif1ed
Miss SigePs body, told the police that
the girl and the Chinese had been
thrown much together for few years,
and that Leon was greatly enamored
OF the girl; that he was intensely Jeal-
GUS of her, and disliked her to receiVa
the attentions of other men. This had
caused Miss Sigel to fear Leon, MISS
Todd said That Leon had other corre-
spondents than Miss Sigel was revealed
when between 1900 and 1000 letters,
mainly from various women in New
York and other cities, were found In MS
room. Among the number were num-
ber signed "Elsie." which were de-
scribed by the police as love letters.
Girl Reproaches Chinese
But in one of them "Elsie" reproached
Leon for causing trouble between her
father and herself. Just think of the
sacrifice 1 have made for you," she
wrote in one letter. A note BOOK pc
longing to Leon and containing tne
names and addresses of hundreds or
women was found in Icons room.
One of the discoveries regarded Dy
the police as significant is that MISS
Sigels shoes and stockings We're not
found In the room where her body was
found. 1t is inferred from this that
She had been kept a prisoner there and
that her footwear was taken from her
to prevent her from leaving the room.
Several Chinese were examined by
Coroner Hamburger today at the pre-
liminary inquiry into Miss Slgel
death, and three OF them We're, IN de-
fault OF $lVOU DAHL H0i" oo
nesses.
One of them was On Wing, who ac-
companied Sun Leung, the restaurant
proprietor, when the latter went last
night to notify the police or the mys-
tery in the rooms connected with ms
establishment. Sun Leung Is cousin
of Leon. and could not be found by the
police later when they wanted to ques-
ton him. He is still missing:
Wee Kim a waiter in the E1ghth ave-
me restaurant, told the coroner he had
never seen a white woman upstairs
over the restaurant. He said that last
Sunday evening Mrs. Sigel, mother or
the murdered girl, called at the restau-
rant and asked for Leon, but left arter
being told Leon was out.
An autopsy performed by Coroners s
physician O'Hanlon today brought the
statement from the physician that IN
his opinion Miss Sigel had been aspnyx-
lated. The, organs also lndicareG Una Imd'
poison might have been administered.
Trhe physician was unable to tell now
long the girl had been dead.
NEW YORK, June 19.-Until a dap
per, stockily- built Chinese, well educat-
ed. and when last seen dressed IN
black suit of American cut, is under
arrest and put through the police IN
ouisition known as the third degree,
II is likely that the murder OF Elsie
Sigel granddaughter of Gen. Franz
sigel, Civil War hero, will remain un-
solved. -.
Leon Ling, alias Leong Lee Lin,
alias William Lion, alias William l..
T,eno converted Mongolian. restaurant
nroprietor, admirer of white women
and sweetheart of Elsie Sigel, is the
man. -.
while the girls body lay cramped and
decomposed in a battered trunk in the
stuffy little room he formerly occupied
remains to be learned.
With him is supposed to be his COM
panion and erstwhile roommate, Chung
Sin, who alike may be able TO throw
some light upon the murder
Some reports say both Chinese are
on their way to Vancouver, via. Pana-
ma. but this rumor is only one of many.
Few murder cases in New York have
developed more rapidly, and at the
same time come no nearer solution,
than the Sigel case.
The mysterious phases of the girls
CONTINUED on Page Three)