The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-04
MARK OF MURDERER'S THUMB
or WIEGEL DRANK
BEFORE THEY KILLED HIM.

Left q Fine Collection OF Fingerpriuts
on the GLASSES They Drank From
What the Detectives Have Learned
Of ROadhOusc Robbery and Murder.
A slight deviation from the straight
business Of murder and robbery may
lead to the capture Of the thrse men VINO
shot down Julius Wiegel in his roadhouse
| at Sherwood avenue and Hampstead
Turnpike early yesterday morning They
had drink before turning their guns on
the innkeeper and they left upon their
highbal! glasses the marks Of sweaty
thu mbs and fingers. Once upon time.
not so many years ago. the police grinned
over such clues, saying these things did
very well in a novel but were no good
in downright. practical crook catching.
Nowadays fngerprints are almost as
useful as photograph.
One Of the three men in king n long
drink of whiskey and settler left thumb
mark that was unusual Just whore the
lines curve to make n centre on the ball
of the thumb was a small irregular scar.
caused by burn possibly. In the photo
graph taken at the Identification bureau
at Police Headquarters in Manhattan the
| scar stood out white and distinct The
gun man might as we'll have left a visit
ing card The result will be the same
il the detectives ever lay hands on him
Last night the plainclothes men in this
borough and in Kings and Queens were
looking for a man with such thumb
mark
| The inspection made yesterday by the
detectives indicated that Wiegel had been
mur dered Gs deliberately as can be i'm
agined The innkeeper was alone. Mrs.
Wiegel having gone upstairs to bed and
the boarders having left the bar some time
before. He was amusing himself at soil
tGire-the cards lay upon the table yes
terday just as he had left them when
called TO serve drinks for three late COM
ers. 1t looked too as IL he had been shot
in the back first. One bullet had gone
into his back underneath the right arm
Another had broken his jaw. third had
entered the groin. q fourth his left breast
JUS above the heart and two more had
been fred into his right arm Besides
thai he had been stabbed just above the
heart
As the police made it out it was plain
case Of robbery. Wiegel was. fond of
diamonds and snowy jewelry. He liked
rings and ornamental lodge emblems
and big watch charms. All that he wore
had been taken from him and the mur-
derers had carried away also about $500.
a. nearly is Mrs Wiegel could estimate
The !nnaecper had roll of bills in his
pocke. amounting to perhaps $3.50. Then
there was the days bar receipts. possibly
So The Jewelry missing includes a
large solitaire diamond ring. diamond
pin. a jewelei ilks' pin, Masonic pin
sci with diamonds, diamond stud and
IA watcn ioD. these things were worth
perhaps 81 ,on.
morning tina; Mrs Wiegel was awakened
by the hanging of pisl oils. She got out
of bed ran 10 the head of the stars and
called down 10 her husband
hat is that shooting, papa, who is
doinS that shooting"
There was no answer. but she heard
a shuffing Of feet Terribly fright ened
Mrs Wlege hesita;ed, then went half
way down the stairs, where she could
look over the curve OF the ban:sters toward
tho door of the bar parlor, She saw three
men vaguely outlined in the dim light
The gas had been turned down. II was
burning brightly when she loft her hus-
bend alone in ;he bar One Of the three
was trying o open the cash register She
heard the iangle of the bell as ne forced
open the drawer
Mrs. Wiegel turned screaming back
toward the second floor and met George
Wc,t who is n partner of her son julius
in tho electrical supply business West
was hurryinG toward the stairway in his
nigh! clothes carrying a pistol He
took a few steps dowsward and then
stopped \ bullet went bv his head and
knocked plaster out of the wall West
fired back The three men ran out of
the paror TO the veranda. West shot
at them again and got a volley or two in
reply. The men disappeared toward the
turnpike.
Wcst went into the bar and found
came downstairs her husband tried 10
say something. but he was too far gone
= He died rs she held hip in her arms In
few minutes the roadhouse was full Of
people, for many in the neghborhood
had heard the shooting Some of them
said they had seen three men running
, along the turnpike. DR. G. o Stump
, examined Wiogel's wounds end City
! Marshal John c, Cole got the police busy
The Jamaica police borrowed a pair OF
, dogs from the Pennsylvania Railroad
detectives and tried 10 track the mur-
, derers, but the dogs lost the scent in a
:, few minutes At the intersection of
!, Queens boulevard and the Hampstead
turnpike half 4 dozen exploded cart
4 ridges were found. dumped there pre-
Eumably by the men that killed Wiegel
The cartridges were "A callbrc
Jamaica made a report of the case tc
Police Headquarters in Manhattan end
Inspector Russell sent two men over tc
), examine the ground. They found and
u realized the significance OF the whiskey
glasses thst Wiegel's murderers hac
< been drinking out Of. They made III
, their minds also that the three had gone
TO Queens from Manhattan and that the,
were probably ycGgmon who had heard
Q Of Wiegol's f0ndness for jewelry and thai
/ he usually carried good sized roll OF
, bills in his pockets Inspector Russell was
confident last night that the men woulc
he ceught in day or two.
INpL ASES IN liz II Ill IL TRI No A. 4