Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-06-21
As to Ide0tity Of Victim Of
Trunk Murder Mystery.
Paul Sige| Identifies Remains
As Those Of Daughter.
Time and Method Of the Murder
Are Not Yst Determined.


New York. June 20.--Leon Ling.
with his string of English Chinese
aliases and his American clothes may
never be found, but the mutilated body
OF the New York girl left behind in a
trunk in his room here will not be
buried in Potters field.
Paul Sigel, the father, claimed and
positively identified the body at the
mOrgue tonight admitting for the first
time that the victim was his daughter
Elsie TIE girls mother, now in a
sanitarium, had identified the jeWelry.
another woman had identified the
stained underclothing and relatives had
said that the murdered girl was Elsie
Sigel, granddaughter of General Franz
Sigel, but until this evening the father
had maintained an attitude of silence
unexplained.
But after a conference at police
headquarters this afternoon he visited
the morgue. accompanied by Franz
Sigel, brother. and Reginald and son
and by Mabel Sigel. cousin Of the
victim. 1t was almost dark when the
little party reached the silent house
of the city's unclaimed dead There
were no tears but their faces were
strained and pale as they entered the
gloomy morgue. First the under
clothing was examined by Mabe
Sigel.
Elsie" said the girl. as she ex-
amined the clothing. used to wear
peculiar white headed pin"
A detective ran his fingers through
the clothing and in moment held up
white headed pin. Mabel Sigel
nodded Elsie wore those" she said,
and she continued her examination,
After a moment she was sure that the
clothing was that worn by her cousin
and the party passed into the dead
room where the body lay in long
coffin like drawer Amid silence the
compartment was drawn out and plac-
ed on two supports. Then the lid Of
the coffin was removed and there was
revealed, packed in oakum and pre-
servatives q mummificd thing thai
looked almost like human forms found
In Egyptian vaults. The face was first
uncovered and the teeth examined.
The father was silent as he had been
during the examination OF the clothes,
but Nab ! Sigel was quick to note the
teeth Those are Elsie's teeth" she
said land her hands. too" she added
as attendants lifted the hands from
the box. Paul Sigel stood by nodding
his head in the affirmative as each
new feature was brought to strengthen
the Identification
Il am satisfied said the father,
brokcnly and he was led away
Franz Sigel made arrangements for
the immediate removal Of the body for
the funeral
Elsie Sigels stomach, however. is in the
hands of the Columbia University profess
scr. who will make Il chemical analysis
of its contents. Although the murder was
supposed to have been committed on
Wednesday. June ., the exact cause of
her death has never been ascertained
While the autopsy determined that death
was probably due to asphyXiatiOn, wheth-
cr she was choked, smothered under a
pillow. drugGed bound with ropes and
left to die horribly in the trunk is as
much of a mystery as is the whereabouts
OF Leon Ling and his pal, Chung Sing.
aside from the positive identification OF
the body there We're few de velopmcnts in
the case here today. Chu Gain, manager
of the Port Arthur restaurant in China
town, who was detained last night as a
material witness. was held without bail
Until Tuesday He has admitted that he
knew Elsie Sicel well and incurred the
enmnity of Leon Ling and that both he
tChu CAIN and the girl were threatened
with death. He will be put through a
characteristic police ordeal before he is
released
Theories as to exactly how and when
the girl was murdered are plentiful One
woman, Mrs. f. Smith, who processes to
have known the family WELL even sug-
gests that the victim is not Elsie but Il
mysterious Nellie. who has figured i'm
Leon Lings love affairs. Mrs Smith holds
that 1t is possible that Elsie and the
Cinnamon were preparing to eope when
Nellie appeared, created IA scene and
was killed. The substitution of the cloth
ing and the packing of the body in the
trunk complete this feminine Sherlock
Holmes theory.
During the afternoon two Cinnamon
called at the Sigel home in the Bronx,
ignorant of Mrs. Sigels removal to a san
atGrium, and asked to see "Our mother
Angel. name which Mrs. Sigel earned
because of her mission work among the
Chinese. One of the men said he was
Chu Sam. a brother of Chu Gain, who is
under arrest Gnu Sam said that Chu
Sin. who disappeared simultaneously with
Leon, borrowed $3.50 from his brother, Chu
Gain. on the Tuesday before the murder
ana on the following day wrote that he
pf 60,