The sun., 1909-02-28
PADLOCKED BOX MYSTERY
FORGOTTEN CHEST SUPPOSED
TO HOLD A CORPSE.
Health Department seizes II After Hear.
inE the story OF an Undertaken. Who
Says He Chiseiled an Iron Door to
Get It-But His Tale Il Denied.

Health Department SeiZes II After Hear
ing the story OF an Undertaken, WhC
Says He Chiselled an Iron Door Il
Get U-But His Tale Is Denied
A padlocked iron box supposed to con-
tain a corpse by the Health Department
policemen who seized It yesterday at the
undertaking rooms OF Theodore Palumbc
at 247 Mulberry street. was taken to the
Willard Parker Hospital at the foot oi
East Sixteenth street for examination.
The information on which the seizure
was made came from Joseph J. McMahon
who Is employed by Paul A. Giudetti, an
undertaken at 2s7 Mulberry street. and a
rival Of Palumbo's.
According to MoMahon he was supplied
with a chisel and sent by Palumbo, for
whom he formerly worked, TO the War
den-Clark Company. o chemical concern
at 1874 West street. Brooklyn. with an order
for an anatomical specimen. There he met
a man he did not know TO whom he had
been directed. The man helped him to
break open an iron door and take from the
room the by 0 metal box seized yester-
day. Mcmahon took 1t to Palumbo's.
That was two months ago and the box
was found yesterday untouched. The
Warden-Clark Company went out Of
business and the box was left on Palum-
bo's hands.
Mcmahon further asserts that the
box contains a body upon which ex-
periments were being made with a new
process Of embalming by an Italian who
came to this country for that purpose.
n AlAA.1 - ka nANa rfy ant
Of Health. who signed the order on which
the seizure was made. said last night
that the box would not be opened until
Monday.
Undertaken Palumbo was found at his
place OF business last night. When asked
about the box he said:
Let me tell my story in full and judge
there Ia no body In the box-of that l am
confident. However. the box will be
opened on Monday and then we will all
know what's in il. The Willard Parker
authorities have already told me that
thre can be no body in the box. How
they know am sure don't know.
"A little after Christmas Francesca
Tocd, q merchant at $40 Broadway and
lifelong friend Of mine. came to me
and told me that q friend OF his. Dr.
Vetri who had been working on a new
process Of embalming known as the
Mico process. had been suddenly called
70 his home in Italy. Mr.. Tocci told me
that a chemical company in Brooklyn
had gone into bankruptcy and that the
chemical company wanted box left there
by Dr.. Vetr removed.
He asked me II l would keep the box
In my shop. said that would. and my
self went over In a truck to get it,
found box weighing thousand pounds
and covered outside with metal. 1t
was about nine feet long and four deep.
did not like Its looks and asked the
in the box. He assured me that the
only thing In the box was a set OF tools,
several bottles carefully packed and
some specimens I asked what kind Of
specimens, and he said that he didn't
know
81 refused to take the box and went back
TO talk TO Toooi. Tocci told me that he
then sent Mcmahon over for it. Nc
Mahon was then q driver for me. sub
sequently fred him for carelessness and
this In spite work Of his, I am sure Nc
Mahon brou ght the box back and IL has
rested ever since just inside my front door
and In plain view.
To-day while I was away q policeman
came to my place and said that he was
looking for body. Ny ass istant thou ght
he was joking and sent him to me at a
cssket house upown. l went back with
the policeman. I told him there was no
body, but that there was box. He asked
me n ! objected to its removal and l said
no.
.It took six men to get it into wagon.
I wanted 10 make sure about the BODY
and the six men shook the box, stood il
this way and that. and there was no move
ment In the box. As an undertaken
know had there been a body in that box
l could have told IL at once have called
up the Willard Parker Hospital people.
They laughed at my question as 10 body
and assured me that II was absurd.
That Ia all that know about the mat
ter. Mr.. Tocci may know more than do,
but he cannot be reached tonight