The Washington herald., 1909-06-19

home early this morning and showed
the bracelet and IOcket 10 Mrs. sigel.
She identified them - the property
OF her daughter Elsie.
New York. June 1S-The body of a
young woman who had been strangled
&c death was found early this evening
crammed into a trunk in the room occu-
pied by a young educated Chinaman Of
the Sunday school type at 7S2 Eighth
avenue The Chinaman disappeared from
his lodging place a week ago. and it was
the coroner's opinion that the body had
been in the trunk fully that length Of
time
William l. Leon. the young Chinaman
who occupied the room. was we'll known
IN missionary circles in this city. he
was frequently seen with Miss Elsie sigel.
the twenty-year-old daughter Of Paul
Sigel. a clerk employed in the board OF
health and son Of Gen. Franz slgel, the
late civil war veteran and former comp
troller Of the city Of New York.
Bliss Sigel disappeared from her home
on June 8 and her father went TO the
Chinamans room late tonight in an ef-
fort to Identify the body.
Fails TO Identify Body.
Around the neck of the young woman
was spangle, apparently a college or
high school pin, bearing the initials P
Z. ). Mr.. Sigei examined this spangle
hrst, and said that be could not recall
that his daughter had ever had one ike
1t. Then he looked al the body. and
went away declaring that It was not that
Of his daughter
The police, however. insisted on send
ing the spangle TO Mr.. Sigers home and
having the mother OF the missing girl
examine IT, That was about midnight
and the police had made no further
progress in their attempt TO Identify the
body.
According 70 the story which Mr. Sigel
told the police, his daughter gave no
warning when she left home on June 6.
On the 18th. however. he received a teIo-
sram from Washington bearing his
daughters name.
This telegram. the police say, read as
follows:
VIII be home Sunday evening. Don't wurry.
ELSIE.
Both Mr.. SigeFs wife and her daughter
were interested in missionary work
among the Chinese In this city. It was
through work OF this sort that Miss Sigel
met Leon. The police said that there
was picture OF the missing Chinaman
IN the Sigel home.
seen Together RecanfIv
One OF two persons informed the de-
tectives that they had seen Miss Sigel
with the young Chinaman at the theater
about week ago. OF the young China
mans own inclinations toward religious
life, there was plenty OF evidence fl. the /
room where the body was found. On
bureau lay a Bible in English and Chi
nese. while the walls bore pictures OF
the Virgin and the Apostles. In a trunk /
which apparently contained Icons cloth /
ing there was book OF gospel hymns.
The building in which the body was
found is rented by sun Leung. who runs
a chop suey restaurant on the second
floor, using the third and fourth floors for 4
living purposes Leon occupied a hall /
bedroom on the fourth floor. His room
adj0ined that Of Chung Sin on the rear.
Chung Sin is another Chinaman Of the
Christian type, and he apparently was 4
sharing his quarters with Leon. At anv 1
rate, when the police broke into Icons 4
room they found the door between the I
two rooms open. Chung has also disap- I
peared and the Chinaman who runs the /
restaurant on the second floor saws that 4
he left when Leon did
The front room on the fourth floor IS /
occupied by the proprietor Of the restau- 4
rant who Is a cousin of Leon. He had 4
tried once or twice, so he told the police, i
10 enter Icons room, but had found it /
locked.
Calls In Police.
Tt was not until this afternoon. how
ever, that the odor in the house became
unbearable TO him. About 6 O'Clock he
went around to the West Forty-seventh
street police station and told the lieu
tenant there that he feared hts cousin
Leon had been murdered. He had been
missing for FIVE or six days Policemen
Fitzgerald and Riordan returned with the
Chinaman 10 the house A Iocksmith
tried TO open the door, but grew faint and
gave It Up. The two policemen battered
in the door
In front Of the bed in the little room
was a big black trunk tied with several
yards Of awning rope. When the police
cut this the cover OF the trunk flew up.
Body Tied with Ropes.
The womans body had been bent dou-
bic. head downward and a piece Of rope
had been tied under the knees and Ground
the back so that the knees were drawn 4,
close up under the chin. The lower part
Of the legs had beer doubled back and
also tied. About the woman's neck was
q moose. made OF the same awning rope
with which the body was tied. The
moose had been pulled so tightly that It
was buried in the flesh and the coroner
S2O25 TO Cincinnati and Return,
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