Republican farmer., 1918-06-14
Face Mutilated So AS to Make Identification I'm
 possible at Present. WEIGHTED DOWN WITH STONES IN RAINCOAT Practically No Clue to Man ner in Which She Met
 Her Death.

Absolutely nude and partly submerged, the body of a young woman was discovered at 7:45 this morning about 400 feet off shore from Newfield avenue by A. s. Barnwall of the Lake Torpedo company.
 The body was weighted down with three large beach stones weighing 45 pounds, wrapped in a raincoat, held to- gether with coarse rope which was tied about the. body.
 The features, neck. shoulders, breast, arms, legs and hair had been eaten away to such an extent that Identification was impossible There were no marks with the exception of scar at the back of the head which would give any clue as to the manner in which the woman met her death.
 There was no jewelry of any de- scription- found upon the body, and the label had been torn out of the raincoat,
 According to the police the body had been in the water from four to six months, but upon close examina- tlon the raincoat in which the stones were wrapped, showed no signs of having been submerged longer than week or ten days. The thread at taching the buttons to the coat was as good as new, the texture of the rainproof material was not routed and there was no sign of any slime, sea- weed, or sea growth which undoubtly would show if the coat had been in the water the length of time stated by the police
 According to medical authorities, the body was not in the water more than ten days and the fact that fish had eaten some of the tissue was a fact to be looked for.
 It is thought in some quarters that the police are trying to turn sus- picion from the idea that the young woman was in any way connected with the faction feuds which have recently occurred among gamblers and white slavers, but there is a strong suspicion that the young woman met her death through agen- cies connected with the gang which has infested Bridgeport for some time and who were afraid she would tell all she knew.
 Immediately A. S. Barnwa1l made the gruesome discovery he notified l the police and Captain D. o. Cronan | chief of the detective bureau, assign 1 ed Detective Sergeant Wheeler to the case.
 Detective Sergeant Wheeler accom- | Tsnied the body from the dock where | it was brought ashore, to Cullinan Mullins & Buckley's morgue, where ii now lies awaiting identification. The | raincoat and the stones which served | as a weight for the body while in the i water, were brought to police head l quarters where they are being closely examined with a view to possible clues | Icing found.
 The entire machinery of the police department was set in motion going over the files of women who have disappeared lately and efforts are be- ing made to link up the circumstances with some of the mysteries which oc' cupy the pigeon holes of the detectiv- l It reau.
 So far Captain Cronan has bee. able to report little progress in the matter but it is the belief he ha: something in mind and that within very short while the seeming mys tery will be solved.
 The fact that the woman was young | vas at once apparent to the medica i authorities who gave it as their opin- ion she was about 25 years of age, feet inches in height, and weighed in the neighborhood of 135 pounds.
 Another opinion which was advanc ed was that the woman was on board scme boat or barge in the harbo: and after being hit over the head, wa. stripped of her clothing ana anything that would lead to her identification and thrown overheard.
 The theory that she had commit ted suicide was at once secuted be
 cause it would have been physicall!
 impossible for a woman of he
 strength to have gone far out in tn,
 water with the heavy weight attache,
 to her.
 Although the flesh is in bad state
 of decomposition another belief ex
 pressed by the authorities is to tht
 effect that she is of Italian birth ant
 this gives rise to the suspicion tha
 she was in some way connected witt
 the Italian feuds which have bee"
 disturbing Bridgeport for some tint
 rast notwithstanding the big effort
 of the police departments to proven
 the disorders.