Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-06-21
Father Identifies the Body.

fdlner IQentlTleS the BOQy
New York, June 2O.-Leon Ling,
with a string of English Chinese
aliases and his American clothes, may
never be found, but the mutilated
body of the New York girl behind in
trunk in his room here will not be
buried in a potter's field. Paul Sigel,
the father, claimed and positively
identified the body at the morgue to-
night, admitting for the first time
that the victim was his daughter, Ell
sic. The girls mother, now in a san
itorium, had previously identified the
jewelry; another woman had identi-
fled the underclothing and relatives
had said the murdered girl was Elsie
Sigel, granddaughter of Gen. Franz
Sigel. Until this evening, hover,
the father had maintained an attitude
4 ienee. But after a conference at
1tiasisfH t5ts7i5ts4f
visited the morgue, accompanied by
Franz Sigel, a brother, and Reginald,
a son, and by Mabel Sigel, cousin
of the victim.
There were no tears, but their faces
were strained and pale as they en-
tered the gloomy morgue. First, the
clothing on the body was examined
by Mabel Sigel
Elsie" said the girl, as she exam
ined the body, FUSED to wear a pecu-
liar white-headed pin.''
A detective ran his fingers through
the clothing and. in a moment held up
a white-headed pin. Mabel Sigel nod
ded. Elsie wore that" she said.
After a moment she was sure the
clothing was that worn by her cousin.
The party passed into the rear room,
where the body lay in long coffin
like drawer. Amid silence the COM
partment was drawn out. The face
was first uncovered and the teeth ex-
amined. The father was silent, but
Mabel Sigel was quick to note the
teeth. "Those are Elsie's teeth" she
said, "and her hands, too" Paul Sigel
nodded his head affirmatively as each
new feature was brought out to
strengthen the identification.
Coroner Hamburger asked the
father if he was certain that the body
was that of his daughter Elsie. Are
you satisfied in every way of the ac-
curacy of the Identification? he ask
ed. 81 am satisfied" said the man in
a broken voice, as he was led away
Franz Sigel made arrangements for
the immediate removal of the body
and for the funeral.
Elsie Sigels stomach, however, is
in the hands of the Columbia Univer-
sity professor, who will make a
chemical analysis of its contents. AL
though the murder is supposed to
have been committed on Wednesday, |
June 9, the exact cause of her death |
has not been ascertained While the |
autopsy determined that death prob
ably was due to asphyxiation, wheth-
er she was choked, smothered under
a pillow or drugged, bound with ropes |
and left to die horribly in the trunk, |
is as much a mystery as is the where
lbouts of Leon Ling and his pal.
Mabel Sigel discussed the case, say
ing among other things that Elsie had
been in love with an army man in
Wyoming. She read extracts from
etters, which she said had been writ
zen by this man to Elsie, all of which
were couched in affectionate words
and signed Your old sweetheart,
Howard but she declined to say
where the army man was stationed.
The mission in Chinatown where
Elsie Sigel taught has been closed.
Your money back if you don't like