New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-24
ALLEGED Gas Man Gags Them,
Places Them in Bed and
Gees About Work.
BODIES FOUND By CHILD
Mother and Daughter Victims OF
Poison, Latter in hysteria
Giving Description OF AS
sailant to Detectives.


stuffed in their mouths. Mrs. Margaret
Appel and her daughter. Anna, were
found living on bed In their apartment
on the second floor OF No. 2l69 Third
avenue. Yesterday afternoon. Florence
Appel. A six-year-old daughter Of the
elder woman. entered the bedroom and
found her mother and sister on the bed
She ran 70 the basement and told Mrs.
Margaret Chestnut. the janitor, what
she had seen.
When Anna recovc-ed consciousness
she told a story that sent detectives
from the East 126th street station on a
hunt for an unknown man. six feet two
inches in height. and Of dark complex
ion. According 10 the young woman.
she and her mother were alone In the
apartment when some one knocked at
the hall door and said he was the gas
man. When Anna opened the door the
man entered and said he would like 10
inspect the meter
While he was in the bathroom. With
the young woman standing beside him.
he suddenly attacked her and forced a
drug from a bottle down her throat.
Leaving her almost unconscious on the
floor. the man went 20 the bedroom
here Mrs. Appel was lying down, and
attacked her. also forcing the drug down
her throat. He then placed Anna on
the bed beside her mother and tied rags
about the women's mouths.
When Mrs. Chestnut ran up 70 the
Appel fiat with Florence she found the
two women as the little girl had de-
scribed them 70 her The furniture in
the room was thrown about in confu-
sion. as though terrific struggle had
taken place. and the air was heavy with
he odor Of some drug.
Hysterical. Describes Assailant.
The janitor and Florence ran TO tha
street and called in Patrolman Wolf os
the East 126th street station. The OIL
Ger tried 10 arouse the unconscious
women. and. not succeeding. went 70 the
basement and called up the Harlem
Hospital DR.. Ritter. who came with the
ambulance. worked over Mrs. Appel and
her daughter in an effort 70 revive
them He succeeded in partly reyiving
Anna. who Immediately went into hys-
terics. II required the united Efforts Of
Or. Ritter and the patrolman TO hold the
young woman down on the bed. she IS
Of powerful physique
Take that man away. he's following
me- she screamed.
What man." demanded Patrolman
Wolf.
That man there. cried the girl point
! ing to one corner Of the room. She then
described his appearance, alternately
laughing and crying. In the middle of
another outburst she collapsed and fell
| back on the bed
! Mrs. Appel still remained unconscious.
and all the efforts Of the physician To
bring her around We're fruitless. After
both women had been taken TO the hos
pital Anna again regained her reason for
few minutes and told her story.
My mother and I We're alone in the
apartment" she said. and was in the
kitchen. Florence had just come from
/ school. and | had sent her around 10
! Third avenue 10 get some note paper.
Mother was lying down in the bedroom.
Suddenly I heard a knock at the hall
| door. and when I opened IL a tall man
came in. He said he was from the gas
companys office and wanted 10 read the
meter
! He asked me- TO bring him chair 50
that he could read the index. and when
ne stepped down of it he grabbed me by
the arm and tried 10 throw me 70 the
floor. I struggled with him as best
could. but he was very powerful, and
brought me 10 my knees. Then he sud-
denly pulled a bottle from his pocket.
pulled out the cork and forced the con-
tents down my throat. As l fell he
struck me brutal blow on the chin. and
l knew nothing more.
! Il must have regained consciousness n
few minutes later. for | heard sounds OF
terrific struggle coming from my
mothers room | was powerless 10 help.
however. and again swooned."
Reports that the two women had been
murdered in their home spread rapidly
around the neighborhood. and crowds "
curious and frightened persons began 10
gather on the street and block the stair
ways II was necessary 20 call out the
reserves from the East l26th street sta
tion 10 drive them away
Rooms systematically Ransacked.
Detectives Curtayne and Brenner were
put 20 work 20 unravel the mystery con-
cerning the identity Of the man. They
/ discovered that the apartment had been
systematically rarsacked. Contents Of
bureau drawers were scattered about the
room. ON the bed near the women the
detectives found "a brown glass bottle
/ without q label and empty
! An opened metal box was found on
the floor Il was empty and looked as
though il had been forced open. Fred
erick Appel. jr.. brother of the young
woman. said 1t had contained letters
written TO her No trace OF these letters
was found
/ Mrs Jennie Bonahur. who lives on the
third floor OF the house. told the detec-
tives that she had seen man whose
description tailed exactly with that OF
| the man who had attacked the Appels.
as she was walking down the steps about
o'clock.
IL was learned last night that Anna
wrote a letter 20 one OF the daily papers
about a year ago saving an attempt