Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-11-12
With Bullet Wound
in Back Is Found
Hidden in Clump
of Weeds.
IS IDENTIFIED AS
MARTIN RITTENBECKER
Mysterious Crime Battles North
Arlington Authorities-coun-
ty Detectives Are Put on
the Case.

The body of Martin Rittenbecker,
an employee in Joseph Fines saloon,
Midland avenue and Elm street,
Arlington, was found with a bullet
hole in the back, in a clump of weeds
In the new Catholic cemetery, North
Arlington, today. The police say
the man was murdered.
The body was discovered by Chief
of Police Michael Flynn, of Belle
vile, and Patrolman Hugh McCul-
Tough, of Kearny, who were hunting
In Schuyler avenue.
Identification was made by Joseph
H. Flanagan, of Elm street, Airing
ton, a friend of the dead man, at
Collins's undertaking establishment,
in Rutherford.
Flynn and Mccullough dragged the
body off a pile of stones on which 1t
was lying. The face was cut and
bruised and the arms, from which
the coat sleeves were drawn back
slightly. badly scratched.
The officers went to John Pfaffen-
DORIS hotel on the opposite side of
Schuyler venue n telephoned Tor
Town Marshal Fred Reipe.
Reipe, after examining the body,
notified County Physician Armstrong,
of Bergen county, who hurried in
from his home in Rutherford.
The body was taken to the morgue
Of Coroner John Collins, where 1t was
examined by the county physician.
He said the nan had probably been
dead forty-eight hours. and was al
ready beginning to decompose.
The dead man is about 80 YEAR, old,
Ave feet nine inches in height and of
stout build. He weighs about $50
pounds.
The clothing was all of good mate
rial and practically new. In consisted
OF a blue serge suit. cut in an ordi-
nary sack model; a pair of very new
ian shoes. a little scratched and
dusty, as though fro mwalking; q
white shirt with a narrow gray stripe
and a large gray cap of the style
affected by motorists.
Thc underclothing is of good ma
terial. No pocketbook was found, but
In the right-hand trousers pocket two
dollar bills were found. There was
less than a dollar in change In the
same pocket and a new pocket knife
with a bone handle.
In the outside coat pocket was a
package of expensive cigarettes and
some matches.
Chief of Police Mcintyre, of
Kingsland, was notified of the find
ing of the body and hurried to North
Arlington to assist Marshal Reipe.
who comprises the towns whole po-
Ice department, in his investigation.
Mcintyre returned to the place
where the body was found and dis
covered a small bit of paper, evil
IDENTIFY torn from a memorandum
book. Several lines of German script
were on this, which were translated
by Mayor Br~andenburg, of North Ar
lington, as follows:
Meet me in the bank. Sit in the
second row. B. G. ENGLE."
Later Riepe notified Prosecutor
Wendell Wright, of Bergen county,
and detectives from the county office
took charge of the case.
The prosecutors detectives, after
viewing the body. declared there was
no doubt but that the man was MUIR
dered.
R~ittenbecker, so far as can be
learned, had no relatives. He had
been in Fines employ for several
months. Last Wednesday he disap-
peared from the saloon and the West
Hudson police were asked to look for
him. Flanagan was his closest friend
and when the police noticed how the
descriptions of the body and that
given them of the missing man tai
lied they too Flanagan to Ruther-
ford to view the body.