New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-08
SURE LITTLE GIRL WAS
STRANGLED TO DEATH
Autopsy Said to Indicate SegrId
ECkstrom'S Murderer Was
left-Handed Man. daf
FINGER MARKS ON THROAT


House, but Do Not Connect
Him Formally with
Crime.
Investigation by the police yestsrday
into tho death Of six-year- segrid Eek.
strom, Of No. 1877 Ogden avenue. The
Bronx. convinced them that she had I'm.
doubleday met death by being stransied
| instead Of from an accidental fall down
the dumbwaiter Of her home, brought on
by a IT. as was at first reported when hss
body was found Thursday night.
Detectives Clark and Reppetu arrested
Joseph Bardi, of No. La Ogden avenue
He was found late last night passing the
/ house where the girl was slain. In each
hand he carried suitcase. To the de.
| tectives he said he was moving TO No. 81
Morris avenue. Not satisfied with his
story, the police opened the suitcases, and
found revolver In one Of them. He was
| locked up on tho charge Of carrying &
concealed weapon. When locked up In the
Morrisania station Bardi denied all knowi.
edge Of the murder Of the child.
Although the detectives detailed on tina
case said last night that they had no
clew to the identity Of the murderer, they
admitted they were waiting for the return
home Of a man living In the adjoining
house. who, they said. answered In detail
the description which the dead girls little
brother and several Of her paymates gave
Of a man who had given her q penny q
few days ago.
An important point to decide, they said.
was whether this man was left-handed,
and the first test they would apply would
be for the purpose Of determining II he
was possessed Of that characteristic The
autopsy made by Coroners Physician John
Riegelman established the fact. II was
said, that the tiny girls death came almost
instantaneously from the crushing clutch
of a powerful left hand. breaking the
hyoid bone in her throat and leaving deep
impresses Of fingers in the flesh.
Act Of a Crank Suggested.
Another theory that they were consider.
ing was that the act had been one Of q
crank who had been overcome with
sudden impulse to crush the girl when he
found himself suddenly confronted with the
opportunity. stu another thing that the
police were carefully considering was Al
obscene sentence written In chalk on
fence adjoining the house where the muir
der was committed. II they had to deal
with a degenerate. they said, his impulses
might have led him TO scrawl q sentence or
that nature. Mispelling Of the words
seemed to indicate that he was an Italian.
Late at night, however, they were still
considering the description OF the dark
man who had given the girl a penny a.
the more important point. Her brother
Edwin, Ave years old, described him as
man with a mustache and dressed IN
black, including his hat and shirt. DE had
seen him standing, he said, In the DOORWAY
Of No. 1915.
It was Tuesday night when the little girl
announced at the table that man had
given her penny. Her father at once
scolded her for accepting money from
stranger According TO a remark mado cY
the brother. II is thought that she had not
needed her fathers warning, but was walt
ing for the man when last seen slttihs
on the doorstep Of the house next to her
home.
Ider in the Neishborhood.
She told me yesterday" said her
brother, she was going TO see the man
who gave her a penny" He added later
"she didn't want no bread and jam, ard
that is why she got lost and killed
The police construed this as meaning that
some one had attempted TO entice her into
the cellar with some such dainty.
Making inquiries into the habits OF tho
man seemingly indicated by the descrip-
ton of the children, the police said they
found he had been out OF employment for
some time and was idiing around the neigh
borhood a good deal Persons acquainted
with him, when questioned about him. ne-
clared that he was harmless.
A strange feature of the case vas tho
closeness with which Segrids Whereabouts
could be accounted for up to the time She
was first missed and the nearness OF people
to her at the time she must have been
killed. She was seen by neighbor sitt.ns
on the doorstep few moments before sA'
was missed. 1t was only few minutes
after when the father, John Ekstrom.
coming home from work, became alarmed
when he found that the little girl did not
run down to meet him, as usual. When 10
found that she was not in the house. either,
finally found in a bin In the basement
During the period in which she must have
been killed there were neighbors on sur
rounding steps and Oh the floor immeoi-
ately above the cellar, but meme or these'
when examined by the police. could rernsm-
Der hearing any sound or seeing any oh'
that might be connected with the cr!ne
Her brother and her little playmates hah
left her only few moments before sNs
disappeared.
A number OF fremen were sitting IN M
doorway OF an engine house across 'n'
street, but none of them noticed anytnins
to arouse his suspicious. The fremen sai''
hanover. that they were convinced theT
WAS a crank I'm the vicinity, as during ths
last week there had been six incendiafy
fires I'm the neighborhood. Although they
had been on the alert TO catch the perpe'
traitor Of these crimes. they had been un'
able to find him.