The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-01
Police Find Marks That May
Lead to Arrests in Long
Beach Tragedy.
VICTIM FOUGHT FOR LIFE
Husband Of Mrs. wilkins Tes'
titles at Inquest-Detec-
tives Seek q Woman.


Of how the three men who killed Mrs.
Julia wilkins and struck down her hus-
band, Or. Walter Wilkins, after ransack-
ing their home on Olive street, had made
good their escape.
The theory on which the police, who
were under the supervision Of District
Attorney Charles r. Weeks and Sheriff
Phineas Seaman Of Nassau county. were
working was that the attempted robbery
and the attack upon the couple had been
made by men who were well acquainted
with the locality, and had been assisted
by an outsider who bore the sarmarks OF
being an expert crook from Manhattan
or Brooklyn
This view developed after Chief Pat
rick Tracy Of the Long Beach police
early yesterday picked UP wallet IN
the garden OF the wilkins country home
about fifteen feet from the gate and
not far from where the police had found
the hammer and lead pipe wrapped in
sacking with which the physician and
his wife were struck This wallet, II
became known, was the one which the
marauder who accosted DR.. wilkins At
the side entrance OF his homo had taken
from the physician after striking him
twice with a hammer.
Police See Experts' Work.
The pooketbook had contained between
St5 and $50 in bills-Dr. Wilkins couldn't
remember the exact ainount-in add
ton to a gold watch and chain worth
about 800 and a scarf pin with a gold
| love knot worth about $50. After ex-
| tracing the bills the robber had thrown
| the wallet away. The police pointed to
this as a sign Of q practiced hand intent
! on getting rid of any discriminating evil
| dence A parrot inside the house had
been silenced by having a cloth thrown
! ever his cage-another professional trick.
| On the other hand the brutal attack
| upon Mrs. Wilkins indicated the bun
Cling work Of amateurs new to such n
business. The autopsy performed by
Lieut.. John J. Moorehead and Major Ed
ward Men OF the Army Medical Corp.
acting under the direction Of Edward T.
Neu, Justice OF the Peace Of Lynbrook,
revealed that she had received ten blows
on the head, which had twice fractured
| her skull
Despite this terrific batterins and the
| loss Of blood everything showed that
Mrs. Wilkins had made desperate
struggle for q woman OF So years. The
button which the police found near her
body, which was at first thought TO be
! from the clothing Of her assaiiant. was
| Later found to have come from her own
coat.
Sure There Were Thres Men.
On the dining room table was found
an empty whiskey flask. 1t had been
taken from one Of the cupboards In the
house. and DR.. wilkins said he recalled
| that when he md his wife left homo on
| Thursday morning to make their daily
| trip to the city the bottle had been full.
| Also on the table were three glasses,
Drawn up to the table were three chairs.
This confirmed the belief OF the police
| that three men were implicated In the
crime.
The police said that finger marks on
| the glasses showed three men had been
there These finger prints, together with
the marks on tho wh!skey flask and the
bloody impression OF a hand on the rear
gate, formed the strongest clues the po-
lice unearthed yesterday. In the belief
that one at least of the burglars was a
professional and would be likely to have
a criminal record, Police Commissioner
Richard Z. Enright and Capt John
Coughlin OF tho Brooklyn Detective Blu
reau were asked for assistance from their
finger print experts.
Capt. Coughiln sent Sergeant Fred
erick Zwirz. Photographic and flnger
print expert, to aid the Nassau county
authorities. Equipped with his special
camera, he took photographs Of the bot
| tie and the glasses and took impressions
of these and the hammer and lead pipe
used as clubs.
In addition to Sergeant ZwirZ, Capt.
Coughlln despatch half a dozen de-
,ectives and Commissioner Enright, in
response to an appeal from Chief Tracy,
sent Detective Maurice w. Ecker from
/ headquarters Carman Plant. county
detective OF Nassau county. ani half n
dozen men from the police forco of Rock
VILE Centre, secured the beach a short
I distance from the Wilkins home and the
/ creeks in the rear for traces OF tall and
a short man who and a possible third
| that Dr. wilkins could not describe
! The police were hampcrcd by tho fact
that no neighbor had been near enough
at the time to hear Mrs, Wilkins scream
and no one could be found 10 state posi-
lively that he had seen any one fleeing
| from the spot. Ore of the seven police
mon in the Long Beach force has bes'
AZ night along Oliver street near tbs
station. ana acting under general in
structions from Chief T-Gcy. ne had &C.
icompanied the physician and his wife
| for a short distance along the stree
when they got off the 200 train. Just al
I he accompanied Ill late pedestrians
! However, the officer had been about hall
! n mile away al the time of the murder
and had heard and seen nothing.
>. rWAsI urins Car Pass.
The mystery was deepened by state,
ments from neighbors Of the elderly
couple that they had seen an automobile
speeding along Oliver street about the
time OF the murder Mrs. Kieffer. wife
oP a Long Beach druggist said that
while she was taking n walk about Q ;SC
on Thursday might she saw a large
touring car ro!nE along Oliver stree
IN the direction Of the wilkins home
though she could not tell the number o
! passengere.
Meanwhile detectives in ths city wer,
searching for a former woman employees
OF the Wikinses with whom Mrs. Wilkini
was said to have had trouble.
Justice Neu held an inquest yesterday
and while he did not formally close TIL
proceeding he expressed the opinion
that a verdict OF murder by some un
known person probably would be found
He took tie deposition OF DR.. wilkins
who. In view OF his narrowing expert
eucc. disf aged q conposure remark
able in a man Of &C years. He told O
coming home with hia wife, according
10 habit. from their town res idence a
lG4 West Sixty fourth steet, and %
having his suspicious aroused by seein,
a light Pickering In their house. wher'
no servants had been employed for SOM
time, Thsn he related how he haC
warned his wife 10 stay outside the sid
vestibuls. had found tho outer doc
open and had then been struck down.
VIII Scan Overseas Promotions,