The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-06-19
Police Making Every Effort to
UnraveI Mystery Of the
Murder Of Daughter Of
General Sigel.
WAS THE YOUNG WOMAN
IN LOVE WITH SLAYER?
Officers Are inclined to Believe
This From Notes Found
Among Her Possessions
A Strange Case.

New York, June 19.-Lured to her
death on what she thought was an er.
rand OF mercy, Miss Elsie c. Sigel,
daughter Of Paul Sigel, and grand
daughter of Gen. Franz Sisel. was led
to her doom in the dingy tenement
house at 7S2 Eighth avenue. She was
strangled to death and in attempting
to solve the mystery Of her death the
police are conffonfed today by A6
amazing love story-the story Of the
love ofAa pretty missionary for a
Chinaman.
A world wide search is already un-
der way for Leon Ling. also known
as William Leon Lee, with whom the
girl was said to have been in love.
Was Dead q Week.
Miss Sigel. who was twenty years
old. had been dead a week She had
been strangled by sash cord which
was tightly tied about her neck and
her body stuffed into . trunk.
The body was identified early today
by Paul Sigel. the girls father. 300
Wadsworth street. who 10 q clerk in
the board of health. He said his
daughter had been missing since
June 8.
Letters found in Leon Ling's room
where tho girl was strangied. furnish
q motive for the murder. According
OF the police the letters were written
by Elsie Sigel to the Chinaman cover
a period of two years. They are all
couched in endearing terms. In one
she speaks of the trouble her love for
Ling has caused her family.
Letter Of Repeoaeh.
One letter written two weeks ago
is filled with reproach. The girl wrote
that his love for her had grown cold
and that he had bestowed his affection
upon another woman. She declared
that she loved him alone and she
thought he was not treating her right
after the sacrifice she had made for
him.
The girl and her mother had been
missionary workers in Chinatown.
Mrs. Sigel had spent fifteen years of
her life in this work. Her daughter
took up the work as soon as she left
school about three years ago. The po-
lice theory is that she was lured to the
Chinaman's room In the belief that she
was bound on an errand Of mercy and
that there was strangled.
Ling. who with his roommate disap-
peared week ago, about the time the
police believe the girl was strangled,
- -
which operates most of the chopsuey
restaurants in this city,
An American Chinh.
He Is an Americanixed Chinaman-a
dresser. spender. sport. who at
tended Sunday school, and at the same
time plunged at fantan and the lot
teries: who took lessons in English
from Elsie Sigel and other young
white girls and at the same time made
love to them.
His American name IN william Leon
and his Chinese name 10 Leon Ling.
The police today sent out messages to
every city in the United States, Can
ada and Mexico, asking for his arrest
He is I'VE feet, eight inches tall.
weighs about 125 pounds. has black
hair and eyes and looks more like q
japanese than Chinaman.
He has been playing the mission
game. as some other Americanised
Cinnamon call It. for yeaEB here and in
Philadelphia
Elsie Sigel met him in Chinatown
through her work there, and then fell
victim to the very fate from which
her mother had saved hundreds Of 9th
er girls.
Failed 60 Reeeoni1e.
Iir. Sigel. after . loog look 1T the
body. which was In . terrible condi-