Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-06-26
FOUND BODY OF
GIRL IN TRUNK
Missionary Among New York
Chinese Murdered.
HAD BEEN DEAD SOME Time

Was the victim-Letters of Endear-
,ment Found In Room--chinaman
Missing.
New York, June 19.--Packed in a
steamer trunk, tied wSh ropes and
left in stuffy little room in a house
occupied principally by Chinese, the
body of a young woman was discov-
cred. All indications are that it was
0 murder by strangulation, and while
the body has not been identified, the
police believe that it may prove to
be that of young woman missionary.
The house in which the body was
discovered is at 7S2 Eighth avenue in
the Tenderloin district. Sun Leung,
the proprietor, noticed peculiar odor,
and fearing that some one had COM
United suicide, notified the police.
Leung was frequently seen with
Miss Elsie Sigel, the twenty.year-old
daughter of Paul Sigel, clerk en-
ployed in the board of health, and a
son of General Franz Sigel, the late
Civil War veteran, and former comp
troller of the city of New York.
Miss Sigel disappeared from her
home on June g. Her father went to
the Chinamans room In an effort to
Identify the body.
On the neck of the young woman
was a spangle, apparently college or
high school pin, bearing the initials
"P. c. s." Mr.. Sigel examined this
spangle first and said that he could
ont recall that his daughter had ever
had one like it. Then he looked at
the body and went away, declaring
that 1t was not that of his daughter
The police, however, insisted on
sending the spangle to Mr.. Sigel's
home and having the mother of the
missing girl examine 1t.
The body was covered with blood
and the clothing was torn, indicating
there was a struggle. The man who
had occupied the room was evidently
converted to Christianity, for there
were about the room Bibles and pray
erbooks, containing names written in
both English and Chinese. which gave
the information that he was known in
English as William H. Lion, and m
Chinese Leong Loo Linn.
A number of letters which the po-
lice expect will throw light on the
case, were found in the room where
the body was discovered. One writ
ten in English addressed to the miss
ing Chinaman who occupied the room,
but unsigned, warned him that If he
did not stop paying attention to Elsie
Sigel he would meet a terrible fate.
The other letters were written by
girl who signed herself Elsie" Ac-
cording to the police, the missives
were written in terms of endearment.
A man who described himself as
Joseph X. Lang but who Is a China
man, called at the Eighth avenue
house quite Unexpectedly. He said he
called to see his cousin who proved
to be the missing Chinaman who oc-
eupied the room in which the trunk
was found.
Lang said his cousin came from
Philadelphia about five months ago.
Lang said he saw his cousin, Elsie
sigel, and her father and mother at
q performance at the Chinese theatre
three weeks ago.
New York, June 81. 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, ad-
hitting for the first time that the vic
tim was his daughter Elsie. twenty
years old, who was missionary
among the Chinese.
The girls mother, now In a sani-
tarium, had previously identified the
jewelry; another woman had identified
the underclothing, and relatives had
said that the murdered girl was Elsie
Sigel, granddaughter of General Franz
Sigel.
viii Ascertain Cause of Death.
Elsie Sigel's stomach is in the hands
of the Columbia university professors,
who will make a chemical analysis of
its contents Although the murder is
supposed to have been committed in
the room of Chinese convert at 1872
Eighth avenue, on Wednesday, June .,
the exact cause of her death has never
been ascertained. While the autopsy
determined that death probably was
due to asphyxia, whether she was
choked, smothered under pillow or
drugged, bound with ropes and left to
die horribly in the trunk, is as much
a MYSTERY 40 is the whereabouts OF
Leon Ling and his pal, Chung Sing
Aside from the positive identification
of the body there were few develop
ments in the case here. Chu Gain,
manager of the Port Arthur restaur'
ant in Chinatown. who was detained
as q material witness was held with