Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-06-30

PioAn-SOtncs men secured the city
for clues or for information as to
any girl reported missing, all with
out avail. seeing that II was 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 urder 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
housework. Valentine decided-and
II was upon this basis that his
sleuths. armed with photographs.
secured the city for clues that should
lead to exact Identification.
The case was 30 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-all-work between
times In a restaurant in South Fifth
avenue much frequented by foreign
ers OF the artisan class. Annie was
a good girl. they al. said; she had
roomed alone over her work-place,
which was also lodging-house. Be
cause she was so cheerful and dapper,
30 light-footed and light-hearted,
some one had nicknamed her The
FREELY" II 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
meal-times. The description Of this
man tailed generally with that given
BY Barney Fogle Of the fellow who en-
gagged him to move the trunk; he
was q foreigner "dago." In the
current New York phrase applied to
all immigrants from the south of Eu-
rope. But no one 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
order; 1t looked as though she had
merely stepped out for awhile, ex-
pecting 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
scrawied In pencil some cabalistic let
tiers and figures which seemed to be
meant for "v' and an M" followed
by the half illegible numerals,
"72ses." 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-effaced scrawl thereon At
length he decided that II might pos
sfbly prove to be an address--No.
72s Sixty-ninth street, either east or
west-while the Roman numerals
"vM" might perhaps stand for a real
name! It was only guess. but in
the detective business guesses are
sometimes equivalent to inspirations.
No. 72s Sixty-ninth street proved to
be In the uptown little Italy" Of
Manhattan island-a region Of tall
and densely populated tenement
houses, well down toward the East
river. The flats" were fairly re-
spectacle, ranging from two to Ave
rooms In q suite. Here Valentine
found his knowledge of Italian q god
send; the janitor volubly ran over
the list Of his tenants until he came
to the name 's'vincente Marie" who
was. he said. single man inhahiting
two rooms on the fourth foor-a very
nice. quiet-spoken fellow. whose de-
scription for the second time filed
that given by Barney the expressman.
Signor Mario. 1t appeared. was an
"artist"-that is. he was employed
somewhere downtown as assistant to
a sculptor. The trail was waxing
warm. thought Valentine. Stepping to
the nearest telephone he ordered an
other plain-clothes man to keep tab
outside No. 72s until further orders
But on reaching headquarters In
spector Valentine found q welcome
surprise awaiting him. Seated In his
ONCE was the oficer who had been
detailed to watch the restaurant. and
in a chair by the window lounged q
swarthy but not bad-looking Italian
aged about twenty-eight, nattily
dressed and carefully barbered.
We've got him. chief" said the
sleuth hoarsely, IAN he admits he
knew Annie Greg"
I'm very glad to see you. Signor
Mario" said Valentine in Italian.