The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-27
Most Revolving Crime
Unearthed in New
York.
CORPSE is FOUND
ON FIRE ESCAPE
Fifteen-Year-Old Ruth Wheeler,
. stcnographer, Who Disap-
pcared Last Thursday, the
Victinl-Man to Whom
She Applied for Work
Is Under Arrest.

Especial to The Times- Dispatch.l
New York, March cs.-One OF the
most revolving crimes ever rerpctrated
.in New York was uncovered this SITTER
noon, when the charrcd body OF Ruth
Amos Wheeler, the nftcen-year-old
stenoKrsphcr who disappeared last
THURSDAY, was found ON the ire
escape in the rear Of ~: Eaaf Seventy
fifth Street, next door to the house
In which lived Albert w. VOTERS, now
held on charge OF homicide. VOTERS
had been arrested on charge OF
abduction when 1t was found that the
sirl had gone 10 his rooms seeking n
position ~ stenokraphcr, but the
charge was changed when the body
wss FOUND.
The body WAS wrapped In an oil
soak ed kunny sack aud was burned all
most beyond recognition. The legs had
been burned on almost TO the thighs
and the arms almost to the shoulders.
A charrcd fragment OF rope sticking
10 the neck showed that the. girl wa.
.stranKled. Wrapped UP in the sack
with the body was a package contain
ing mans white shirt, bearing the
initial "W." The police believe that
1t belongs to VOTERS.
The fire escape on which the body
was first discovered is of the balcony"
type. and was for tho use of tenants
of both Mes. 22c ana 2:i. Tho flat oc-
cupicd BY Wol,crs opened upon 1t.
Pushed Into Chimney.
ton OF the apartments VOTERS had
occupied and discovered that a fire.
hoard. protecting the wall from the
stove. had been removed. newly paint
cd and replaced. Tho condition OF lfel
Krato was such that the police believe
that the body was wrapped, int the
papers. saturated with oil. pushed into
tho chimney and set on fire. No blood
was found. which strengthens tho be-
lief that the girl was stranSled.
For some inexplicablc reason neither
notify the girls family OF the finding
OF tho body. Mrs. Wheeler, who is a
widow. was at home with her Oldest
daughter. Pearl. aged twenty-five.
when they heard the ncwsboys In the
street shouting:
Extra! Extra! Wheeler girls body
found"
Miss Wheeler rushed downstairs and
bought paper Tho moment her
When she had recovered sumcicntly
to speak she cried:
Thank God. Ruth Is dead. That
fate Is more kind tuanS II expected,
Seighbors who had seen the papers
entered the apartment and found Mrs.
Wheeler barely conscious and the
daughter in a faint. Tho second
daughter, Ad elaide. aged twenty-five.
came homo soon afterwards. She was
met me In tho vcstibule OF tho house by
q neighbor. who asked her II she had
heard Of her sisters fate.
I've Just heard" she said. isn't
y It horrible %
Before the neishbor could catch her
she sank to the floor OF the yestibule.
9fatnting, She was carried upstairs 10
her mother and sister. unt! the neigh
bors gathered around, trying to con-
sole her. The son. j Ohm. nine teen years
DID, had not returned homo.
Relieved 1t Garbage.
LII body. wrapped lin the sack, wa.
: discovered by John Taggart.S VIII lives
in5S22s East scventy-tifth Street. SEQ.
u Ing the bundle on the fro escape, he
8supposed It TO \ BIO garbage from the
apartment Q one OF his 5neigllbors and
pushed & It over the railing. Tho fan
burst the sack and attracted tho at.
tentton OF John Wohl. who lives IN
#e24. who notified policeman n. III:
RI rho body was removed to the sta
& ton where i was la ter$positively iden-
tilted as that of Miss Wheeler by Rob
ert Mcleod. a friend OF tho Wheeler
family, who hud been aiding In the
search. Mcleod mad the Identification
q means Of a string of4turquoisc beads
around the neck OF the body. III
Further examination showed the
manner of death,5a fra gment OF threc-
SelEhths-inch manila ropc being found
5adhcring to the left sidc$of the neck.
Tho head and body were badly charrcd,
4 but athe5tceth remained intact. d.
NJ the bundle gwith the body was a
\ new paint brush withSa I red handle.
The hristles We're stiff With black
paint, and tho brush evidently had
been used In painting thofhreboard in
the VOTERS apartment. Lat or n ca n
I partly filled With black paint was
Il found In the rooms occupied by VOL 4
y ters at 20 NNYosts \ o5th Street where
he and his alleged wife won't after
'of' ~. ~ y ~ " oaScHtSa'Hl I'll otTcet
house, 81 ~ I'll ls.
Searching for Girl.
gs Several OF the tenants OF e e and /
told the police that late THURSDAY night
\ or earlyt Friday morning they noticed
7 a. strong smell of kerosene, Mrs Tag
Il CART said she had hoard noise on
"a the fro escape outside her window,
d and thinking there might be a burglar
there, shn crept III Il o. tho wind ow and
a looked out. She saw the bundles and
believes tho noiso Is he heard was MA tle
4 by tho bundle being pushed from the
window a tliesnex apartment. The
pol Ice are searching the ~ for The
4 na1no Is said to be Katherine Miller
n She Isl lieYed ITO have bee sa,nplo Dyed
4 somewhere in the 81 IS. and on w rse cd
as elepl hone by trace 81