The evening world., 1911-05-12
Assassin Who Beat John
Whiteford in Lodge Room
Left Telltale Marks.
FOUGHT HARD FOR LIFE.
Old Saloon-Keeper Murdered
for Jewels and Money, Prob
ably by Gang.

Prints left by four finger tips and the
ban OF a thumb Of a left hand comprise
the sole. tangible clue to the murder
OF John whiteford. proprietor OF the sa-
loon and meeting room at willoughby
and jay streets. Brooklyn, early to-day.
The marks we're left by the murderer
on the frame OF a door leading 70 .Ne
meeting room on tho second floor where
Whiteford's body was found a. . o'clock
this morning.
A section Of the woodwork. six by
eighteen inches, containing tho possible
Identification OF whitetord's slayer, was
sawed out from the frame, and Expert
Morris Eckler, at Brooklyn Police
Headquarters. searched the Bertillon
records to-day for duplicates OF the tell
tale marks. The thumb print is quite
distinct and ave promise of identinca-
tlon. Second Deputy Commissioner
l~'ougherty personally took w the slen-
der trail. as well as Inspector Russell OF
the Detective Bureau; Capts. Coughl,n
and Kuhne and Detective Lieutenants
Eoddy and Murray.
Assassins Hid In Dark.
Every hnown fact in connection with
tae mystery indicates that Whiteford
was the victim of an assassin or assas-
Sins who. fully posted regarding his
habits and hidden In the meeting room.
which he always visited after closing
h.s saloon. had been armed with black
sacks or ssndbags and had stepped
from a dark nook and attacked the vie
ssa NN"LN,a fnrHsa rAa t..aa --s,-A.l -
his skull and Jaw were fractured by
powerful blows. In the fight his as
s~silants had torn down q door behind
which he sought safety.
Coroner's Physician Hartung discov-
cred. through an autopsy, that. despite
Whiteferd's terrible wounds. death was
caused by choking.
The motive. undoubtedly. was robbery.
for Whiteford h%ahituaiiy wore a $500
diamond stud and a ring OF the same
value. and carried & roll of from s.cc
to $500. None OF these was upon the
body when John kerrlEan. a bartender,
found his slain employer as he opened
tie place.
Whiteford was seen shortly before
o'clock this morning N the back room
Of his saloon by Charles 81. join OF
No. 13S Lawrence street. a stage hand
at tho Columbia Theatre. The saloon
keeper was alone and was washing up.
apparently preparing to closing the
place.
The room where ne was killed took
UP the entire second floor. \ meeting
Of a painters union was held there last
,isht. but all who attended had de-
parted az 1920 o'clock, at which time n
Kanger-on IN the place, who has not
been identified. went up and closed the
windows. A side entrance to me build
Ing. however, gave access to the second
floor room without the need OF passing
through the saloon. The door TO this
hallway was rarely looked until White
ford's hnal round OF his establishment,
and 1t would have been easy for ar
assassin or a gang to rave sneaked up
stairs unobserved.
Fought Hard for Life.
Id John Whitefo"d had for thirty
Ave years been a popular figure In the
lie of Brooklyn that centres about the
Borough Ha a~ectlon. lie became pro-
prietor OF the saloon twenty years ago.
after hfteen RS service as bar
tender. Iiabitually genial. he never
theless mad a well-earned reputation
as n rough-and-tumble fighter. when
occasion demanded, who could Hex his
weight In Wildcats" lie must have
fought mare for his life. as the condI,
ton Of the place showed. and 1t Is
therefore probable that more than ont
person attacked hlm.
TIE scene Of the murder is about 4Ot
faot from where Charles Rartsch. spt