The sun., 1919-01-17
RICHMOND HILL GIRL
ROBBED AND SLAIN
Miss Riddell, Stenographer in
Manhattan, Waylaid by
Mailman Near Home.
BODY Is FOUND IN BUSHES
Shocking Crime Is Much Like
Murders of Women in Brook
Ign and Jersey.


One OF those creatures who walk in
the form OF man, put whose minds fall
ter in darkness. appears to have been
responsible for the death OF Mary Eliza
beth Riddell. II years old. who was
found murdered in lot yesterday near
her home at sac Briggs avenue. Rich
mond Hill
She had been killed on a sidewalk
about twelve hours before her body was
discovered. a few feet from a street lamp
and not twenty PAGES from the nearest
or a half dozen dwellings which stand
close to the spot. Her skull had been
crushed From the sidewalk she had
been dragged to the centre OF a lot abut-
ting upon the walk and left in some
bushes. She had been robbed, the muir
derer taking $40. her weeks salary.
from her handbag, and the watch from
her wrist.
Deputy Commissioner Leach Is work
ing at the head OF thirty detectives In
such efforts as are possible toward APP
pretending the murderer. He Is assisted
by Capt Arthur Carey and Assistant
District Attorney William L. Ryan Of
Queens.
Killed on Her Way Home.
The girl was the daughter OF Thomas
R!ddell. an importer OF Oriental goods,
whose place OF business is in this bor-
ough. She was employed as a stenogra-
pher by the Globe Indemnity Company
OF As William street. and on Wednesday,
leaving the company's offices at the
usual hour, started for home by Brook
lyn elevated train which took her to a
station at Liberty and Lefferts avenues,
half mile from where she lived. From
the station 1t was her custom to walk
to her home every business day for more
than two years. or ever since she en-
tered the employ OF the Globe company
following her graduation from the Rich
mond Hill High School in the summer
OF 1915.
The distance from the station TO her
home is we'll lighted and through streets
well populated. Neither she nor her
parents had ever felt amy uneasiness
about her making the journey alone.
The time OF her murder is fixed a. a
little after o'clock on Wednesday eve
ming from the circumstance of a neigh.
bor's boy. Johnny Mccain. having found
soon after that time a book which she
had been carrying. close to the place
where she was killed. The book was
from the Richmond Hill public library
and had her library card in Il. He took
II to her mother. who thought her daugh-
ter must be visiting in the neighborhood
somewhere.
But as hours passed and the girl did
not reach home. Mrs. Ridden became
frantic with anxiety. Her husband was
in Manhattan. but not at his Office and
she could not telephone to him. She
telephoned and then went in person to
all OF her daughters friends in Rich.
mond Hin. but In her ineXperience did
not think to notify the police. When
her husband got home Just before mid
night he informed the police at once
and put In the hours until daylight at the
head Of a searching party
The body was found yesterday morn
ing by Miss Dorothy Duifen. a neigh
Dor. who was taking couple of ter
riers out for the air Or. Neal. a medi-
cal examiner. examined IL. The girl
had been brutally miStreated.
Slayer Probably Demented.
The police have picked I'D no clue to
the murderer's identity. but both they
and DR.. Neal see in the circumsta noes
of the crime all the stig1nata OF It's insane
origin. Even tho manner OF the killing,
at once bold and furtive. conv,nces them
that II was the work OF one o. those
whom science calls now sane, now in
sane. and the secret part OF whose lives,
by their very monstrosity. Is their best
protection from discovery
The girl was killed by being struck
from behind with some heavy thing
The dabbled sidewalk near where she
was found shows how she WAS slain
first and dragged to concealment after
ward
The murder in practically all Of its
aspects is similar 10 that Of Mrs. .Helma
southland. who was killed in BROOKLYN
last week. She also was found IN an
open lot close TO her home, where she
had been struck down while on the way
to the house OF her sister In the early
evening. Two other murders in New
Jersey within ten days have many points
in common with that OF Miss Riddell.
The police yesterday made a thorough
search OF the foreign quarter IN Jamaica
where there live a number OF Poles and
south Europeans who often command the
attention OF the magistrates courts.
They found nothing to make their search
hopeful. They took three men before
Capt. Carey and questioned them closely,
but the men all gave satisfactory ac-
counts of where they were on Wednes-
day night.