New-York tribune., 1919-01-17
Girl, II, Killed
By Mysterious
Night Slayer
Fatal Attack OH Brooklyn
Woman Is Duplicated in
Long Island Suburb
Slain on Way From Work
Finding of Book Carried
by the Victim Leads to
Discovery of Her Body

For the second time in a week the
body of murdered woman was found
yesterday in field in an outlying sec
tion of the city. Yesterdays victim
was Mary Elizabeth Riddell, seventeen
years old Her body was found in
lot near her home at 1889 Briggs Ave
nue., in the Glen Morris section of
Queens, under circumstances almost
Identical with those attending the dis
covery of Mrs. Helen Southland's body
a week ago in a lot at Forty-second
Street and Ninth Avenue, Brooklyn.
Both crimes were the work of
moonlight murderer who lurked like
beast in the shadows. Both women
met their death early in the evening,
almost at the door of their homes.
Both were beaten into unconsciousness
by blows on the head. The bodies and
clothing Of both women showed the
same evidences of demoniacal fury.
Miss Riddell was employed as
typist by the Globe Indemnity Com
pany, at 45 William Street. She left
the Office soon after 5 O'Clock as usual
Wednesday afternoon, carrying with her
the novel which she read on the train
travelling to and from her work. She
hastened with the rest of the homego-
ing throng to the Long island Railroad
station in Brooklyn and squeezed her
self into her accustomed train.
From that time on the police trace
her movements only by inference. But
it is their belief that she did not dev-
ate from the routine of her nightly
homeward trip. That would take her
to the Morris Park station of the Long
Island, whence she had ten or fifteen
minute walk to her nome.
At that hour of the night the walk
is not usually a lone one. The side
women Fastening home after the days
work. Trees shade the walks and the
lights are sparse, but Wednesday night
the moon was brilliant.
Mary Elizabeth Riddell did not reach
home at the usual hour, however Her
cousin, Johnny McCann, whose home is
only few doors from hers and borders
on the moonlit lot, stumbled over
book on the sidewalk on his way home
foHi VIC oh1A'iS HOiiU ABOUT t.OU tHaC
evening. he recognized it at once. 1t
was Only a Governess," the book he
had seen tucked under her arm when
she went to work that morning.
"Hey, mom," he cried, as he burst
into the house aglow from his exercise.
"See what l found. Mary dropped her
book; found it on the sidewalk just
outside here"
Johnny's mother was more interested
just then in finding out why Johnny
was late to supper than in her niecc's
novel, and the incident was forgotten
for the time. Later in the evening
and her mother were searching the
neighborhood dstractedly they saw
the book lying snugly with others on
table in the McCann home Mrs.
cCann related how Johnny had found
it, but they acquiesced in the youthful
discoverer's theory that it had been
lying on the sidewalk all day.
Mr.. Riddell closed his music store
in the neighboring community of
Woodhaven when his wife telephoned
about o'clock that Mary had not come
home yet, and the thoroughness of the
search they conducted is a tribute to
the domestic ways of the girl. They
visited the homes of all the neighbors,
y" '''i N"Niii eHS S'ii was IdVOIlJe.
they telephoned to more distant friends;
Mr.. Riddell kept lonely vigil on
Eochaway Boulevard until the last
trolley car had passed for the night.
Dorothy Dulfour, ten years old,
whose home is around the corner at
1916 Church Street, was the one who
discovered the body yesterday morn
ing. The Dulfours' back yard abuts
on the vacant lot that fronts on Briggs
Avenue, and Dorothy come running
into the house from an early morning
visit to the chickens, shrieking that
something with arms and legs" was
on the other side of their fence.
From the body a crimson trail led
to the sidewalk of Briggs Avenue, and
there was a smear a foot square be-
side the spot where Johnny McCann
had picked up the novel the preceding
evening. That was the point, the po-
lice believe, where Mary's assailant
lay in ambush. The larger stain, thew
think, Indicates that she was struck
down there, and the trail, that her
murderer stalked across the moonlit
field carrying his victim over his
shoulder.
Frederick H. Ahlers, whose home is
on Savannah Avenue about 100 wards
from that of the Rddells, said his six
teen-year- old daughter had been fol-
lowed for several blocks by man
within a few weeks and escaped bv
running. Three weeks ago, in the early
evening, Muriel Rutan, eighteen years
old, who lives in the nelghhorhood.
n