Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-18
KELLER HELD IN TRUNK
MYSTERY; $4,000 MISSING

less than two weeks after the laundry
was opened. lie saw Keller directing
th" work Of digging hole about 10 feet
from the place whore the body was found
Later Keller told the McNichol family
that he was I'm communication with the
missing man and got money and clothes
to send to him. He said McNichol was
in bad way and was ashamed to come
home. The suspicious of the family were
aroused. They refused to give him more
money.
The jaw of the murdered man was
taken from the morgue to City Hall to-
day. There the gold Filings I'm the teeth
were positively Identified by dentist as
those he had placed in the teeth of Nc
Nichol.
The widow today identified the buttons
ON the blue serge coat found on the body
in the trunk, They were her husbands
she said. The keys in the pockets she
also identified as his.
The lime found in the trunk with the
body was declared to be the same kind
of lime that is used in the curing of
morocco by leather dealers. Keller, II
was said. once had "A trunk similar to
that in which the body was found. lie
had formerly been a packer for the Triple
Hosiery Company, 926 Chestnut street.
and was experienced in handling packing
cases. \ packing case enclosed the trunk
when wOrkmen deepening the cellar at
iOC2 Frankford avenue unearthed it.
SECOND CRIME FEARED.
Young and Keller were probably the
only men who were in the leather shop
on 18th street the day McNichol went
there, March 80, when he disappeared
forever. IL is believed possible that
Young saw what occurred there that day.
1t is as a witness of murder that this
missing workman is sought. \ more
sinister belief is in the minds of some
of the detectives working on the case.
that Young himself may have been muir
deTed
\ truckman, who hauled the trunk
containing McNichol's body, is also be-
ing sought. All express companies are
aiding in finding this man, EXpressmen
in all parts of the city are being asked
this question: did you cart "a trunk
from 18th and Hamilton streets TO 1862
Frankford avenue in March or April.
1912
The defense of. Keller. who is At years
old, and lived at 3ll9 frankfort avenue,
is that McNichOl is alive today; that the
body found In the cellar OF his old laun-
dry Is not McNiChors.
OF this Identification, however. the rel
atives of the missing man are certain, al
though the body was badly decomposed.
The identification will stand or fall on the
evidence of COroner's Physician Wads-
the body with chemicals and so brought
out the writings that showed the book
was McNichors.
on the possibility that there may be
important clues to be found in the cellar
of the dismantled and long-unoccupied
building at 1862 Frankford avenue the
police started new operations there to-
day. Workmen deepened the hole in
which the trunk was buried and the earth
was put through a sieve so that nothing
that might prove of value as evidence
might be overlooked.
Young who Is believed to have helped
In the digging around the time Of the
murder. Is about 80 years old. He can
be easily Identified, as the little finger
OF his right hand Is missing. He for
merly lived In Frankford, but the in
vestigators have been unable TO trace his
movements for the last year. 1t was re-
ported this afternoon that he had been
located IN this city and that the police
were close on his tTail,
Keller, Il Was learned today, bought