New-York tribune., 1910-11-27
CALLER A POLICE GUESS
ON MAN FOUND IN TRUNK
Admit Identification Impossible
Because of Condition OF Body
Without a Good CleW.
ARTIST SEEN LAST IN 1905
LAWYER Who Employed Him Sure
He Met Supposed Victim in
125th Street-Police Issue
Two Lewis Circulars.

Tho police admitted yesterday that
.hez did not know the identity OF the
| -, whose body was found ten days ago
| =. q trunk in the cellar OF the tenement
,.o~ee at No. 40 West 54th street. J.
,,.-5inc Rogers. a lawyer at No &c
~, street. and Mrs. Wallace, a friend
=. Mr. Rogers's family. both said that
-, had seen and talked TO Albert c.
--.,,iar the French artist, who had been
"a ny tho police 10 be the man in the
INK in the spring Of 1905.
Tic uoIice pat out two circulars yes
+s,- Iane asking for the arrest OF Will
a.. .y,is. the missing waiter, who sent
-, -r,,,k containing the body TO his
r-;er5 Pbiip Meagher. eight years ago.
- III. charge Of homicide. In the sec
- .frcuIar they asked that a search
1,o made for Caller, who was described
oe having been last seen in 1902 Deputy
rofica commissioner Flynn said yester-
after -h, circulars We're put out:
We do not know who the man in the
.-,,,l, WAS. The body is in such con-
5i,ion that it could not be identified
,,.bile We have not been able to estab-
,;sb the Identity by other means
Saw Caller in Spring Of 1905.
I. Harding Rogers is the son OF L. II
porers. formerly well known business
nan IN this city. who lived at NO. o4l
7erov avenue for thirty years. MI
Rogers said yesterday;
/ .,l-a1lier worked for US for five years
nre,-iops to the Christmas holidays OF
900 knew him we'll i saw him last
= tl,e sprfnE Of 1905. i can place the
-i-,e bacause il WAS about SIX months
seter The opening OF the Lenox avenue
lrsnch Of the subway.
/ y VAS on nv way TO the subway one
morning 10 take the train for my office
aovr1ovn. ] remember that it was a
era Srrin. morning. AS ] was about TO
,rter the kiosk at the northwest corner
of IsDox avenue and 125th street, / met
Caller coming out L stopped ana
-7lkad 10 him for several minutes. and II
= mv IMPRESSION now that he told me
what he was doing at that time. but the
;-cj5ent did not make enough Of an i'm
/ rrassia,, on me 10 remember our talk at
| this late date.
since this case has been published in
The papers the meeting has been recalled
| n No. knew Caller as soon as saw
his picture. and then I remembered see
,nc him in 1895. I have been trying 10
remember just what he SAID to me, but
have not been able to recall IL yet, and
] don't want to make any statements
that am not sure OF. j am certain OF
seeing him. however"
Mrs Wallace, who is friend of Mr.
| Rogers's family and knew Caller when
he worked for the family, said last
night:
| 4 remember that Mr.. Rogers told me
in the spring of 1905 that he had seen
and talked TO Caller. Mr.. Rogers spoke
to ne about il when the story came out
IN the papers, and reminded him then
that he had met Caller in 1905. l, also,
saw him in that year. / saw him in
Harlem several times
Caller Worked as Caretaker.
Mr.. Rogers said that Caller came to
this country from France in 1885.
He went 10 work for us within a week
Stter he came over here" Mr.. Rogers
said Our family at that time consisted
of my younger brother, who was in
school in switzerland. my father, who
travelled great deal. and myself. 1
was In college. We owned the house in
Harlem for nearly thirty years. and We
wanted 4 caretaker for it. somebody who
would live there and take care Of the
place and have II open for any Of US
who might he in the city and want to
stay there.
We advertised for n caretaker. and
Caller answered the advertisement He
hyed in the house and used the kitchen
FOR his studio He had the room full Of
MS naiu-ings and tools / have a vase
nov that he painted and gave TO me.
-hep ono OF Us would be home he
would scrapc up a meal for US, and we
paid him S95 a month as caretaker, and
gave him q little more If one Of us hap
peued 20 be home snd he had TO do
sc-ne work for us. ] don't think the
money made any difference to him,
though I think he would have stayed
any was for the sake Of the home.
I suppose he had friends and, perhaps,
liet came to see Elfllr DEI hcNer saw
ihen ~ the house. He seemed TO me the
loneleet man ] have ever seen. and / was
very sorry for him He knew sone OF the
'radesrcn I'm the neighborhood, but so far
p knew they were his only ffiends.
H. told me that he had been in tho
French cavalry in 1892 and 1893, stationed
n Psre After that. he said. he went to
ssncbeseer. England, and went into bust
fess there lie said that he had Inherited
Somewhere between 5000 and 10000 francs
snd he invested this IN the business But
7s lost II all I understood that II was
s'oien from him by his partner. He Oh
no, know much about business, and ]
Suppose IL was easy to get it from him
After he lost his money he came to this
country and went 10 work for us In 1879
| Ess = y idoper. and decided TO go pach
| n the old home and live there WIFI Ihf
Htrle girl Bat we had to have nurse ioi
| her end women servants, SO we let taiiief
60. That was during tie Christmas hoil-
osys in lsea ] understood that Caller so'
| work q some place near Fifth avenue Al
! the Thrries I should say that az thaN niii'
he was 2 man somewhat less than forty
Years old.
/ After ne left us he used TO come DoCh
every three OF four months for Coulne
8 q y'earS TO see how we were. 1heh ot'
i'o1 see him again for two years or q H'"'
more, not until ] met him at the suo"A'
Station. That meeting at the subway s'a
uon was the last ] saw of him nave
hever seen him or heard OF him since