The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1911-06-09

any girl reported missing, all with
out avail, seeing that 1t vas impos.
Sible to furnish a full description of
the body.
-Four days later came the second
surprise. On a pile Of snow and
refuse left by some White Wings
street-cleaners under an arch of the
Brooklyn bridge there were found
at daylight the missing head and arms
done up in coarse wrapping paper.
The face in life had been that a
girl about two-and-twenty, fair Of
skin and with a wealth Of rudy
golden hair. The hands showed evil
dences Of mental toil-probably
Homework. Valentine decided-and
1t IVES upon this basis that his
sleuths, armed with photographs,
secured the city for clues that should
lead to exact Identification.
The case was so unusual in its bar
barous details and public clamor was
SO insistent that the girls slayer be
brought to justice, that Valentine him
self went out on the case. and it was
he who rounded up the first definite
evidence.
He discovered that the murdered
girl was named Annie Greg, born in
New York. and that she worked as
waitress and maid-of-allwork between
times In a restaurant In South Fifth
avenue much frequented by foreign,
ers OF the artisan class. Annie was
a good girl, they all said; she had
roomed alone over her work-place,
which was also a lodging-house. Be-
cause she was SO cheerful and dapper,
50 light-footed and light-hearted.
some one had nicknamed her 1.-The
Nrefy." 1t was testified that she had
few men friends, but had been known
to chat freely with one of the custom.
ers whom she frequently waited on at
mealtimes. The description of this
mar tailed generally with that given
by Barney Fogle Of the fellow who en-
gagged him to nov the trunk; he
was a foreigner-a "dago," in the
current New York phrase applied to
all immigrants from the south OF Eu-
rope. But no n knew his name or
where he worked, and he hadn't WIS.,
| tied the restaurant for some days. So
a detective was stationed near by
where he could keep watch on the en-
trance, and a code Of signals ar
ranged with the proprietor should
Annie Greg's friend appear. When
her room was searched-they had to
force the door, the key being missing
everything was found in apple-pie
]. ordas:. it Looked az though -sh~-had
merely stepped out for awhile, ex-
pectfng shortly to return.
Meantime, of course, efforts had
been made to trace the trunk through
the channel by which it had first ar.
rived at the Grand Central baggage
room. Here another snag was en-
%countered; the baggage-master could
only show for receipt a piece of com
mon writing paper on which had been
scrawled in pencil some cabalistic let
tiers and figures which seemed to be
meant for a "v" and an M" followed
by the half illegible numerals,
"72Ss9." Hence as no regular express
company had done the work, 1t was
going to be difficult to discover when,
by whom, and from whence the ghast.
ly burden had been removed in the
first place after the victims body had
been concealed therein.
Long and painfully did Valentine
study that dirty scrap Of paper and
the half.efaced scrawl thereon. AT
length he decided that 1t might pos
sibly prove to be an address-No
728 Sixty-ninth street, either east OF
west-while the Roman numerals
"vM" might perhaps stand for a real
name! It was only a guess, but in
the detective business guesses are
sometimes equivalent to inspirations
No. 72s sixty-ninth street proved tc
be in the uptown Little Italy" Of
Manhattan island-7a region Of tall
and densely populated tenement
houses, we'll down toward the East
river. The flats" were fairly re
spectacle, ranging from two to 1--WE
rooms in q suite. Here Valentine
found his knowledge Of Italian a god
send; the janitor volubly ran Owe
the list of his tenants until he came
to the name "vincente Mario" who
was, he said. a single man inhabitine
two rooms on the fourth ioor--a very
nice, quiet-spoken fellow. whose de
s~cription for the second time filled
thatgiven by Barney the expressman
signor Mario, 1t appeared, was al
"artist"-that is. he was employed
somewhere downtown as assistant Il
a sculptor. The trail was waxing
warm. thought Valentine. Stepping t.
the nearest telephone he ordered an
other plain-clothes man to keep tai
outside No. 1928 until further orders
But on reaching headquarters In
spector Valentine found q welcome
surprise awaiting him. Seated in hi
Office was the officer who had beer
detailed to watch the restaurant, an,
In a chair by the window lounged
swarthy but not ~badlooking Italial
aged about t~wenty.eight. nattil,
dressed and carefully barbered.
"We've got him. chief" said tn
sieuth hoarsely, AN he admits b
knew Annie Greg"
I'm very glad to see you, signo
Maria" said Valentine In Italian
~"