New-York tribune., 1921-10-23
Half of Slain
Wornan's Body
Found i'm Pool
Upper Portion, With Belt
Tied About Throat, Is
Taken From Sewer Exca-
yation in L. 1. City
Dead for 8 or 4 Days
Police Believe She Was MUIR
dered Here After Strug-
gle; Legs Are Not Found

The upper half of an unidentified
womaa's body was found yesterday
morning wrapped in oil cloth and part
ly submerged in about foot and
half Of muddy water that had collected
IN sewer excavation in lot between
the Rawson Street elevated station of
the Interborough Railroad. Long Island
City, and the yards Of the Long Island
Railroad.
Her skull had been fractured. She
had been strangled, an attempt had
been made to cut off the right arm at
at the base of the right thumb. The
lower part of the body has not been
found.
Half of Body Missing
After the torso had been removed
a fire patrol wagon was driven into the
lot and the water was pumped out Of
the depression. The police thought
that the missing parts Of the woman's
bod might be somewhere on the bot
tom of the stagnant pool Nothing was
discovered, however, except an assort-
ment of rusty cans and sticks of wood.
Ignazi Castalluccio, of So Fifth Street,
Long Island City, found the body.
Castalluccio is q laborer employed by
the Department of Sewers. This is the
second body he has found. Last year
he came across the body of child in
an ash can.
Castalluccio came to the pool about
s:30 to wash his boots. The Packard
automobile factory faces the pool, with
the elevated railroad between, and
factories are nearby. Queens Bridge
Plaza is not more than quarter of
mile distant. Castalluccio was accom-
panied by Ira Solomon, of Hollis Park
Gardens.
Wading into the coffee-colored water,
which stretches to length of about
thirty feet, and is about fifteen feet
wide, Castalluccio came upon some oil
cloth and pulled at it inquisitively.
1t offered resistance to his touch and
seemed to be part of a bundle. He
moved the bundle with his foot and
examined it. Then he called his friend
and presently Policeman Phillip Damp
man on traffic duty at Queens Boule-
ward.
Death Due to Strangulation
In short time Captain Ernest Won
Diezelski, in charge Of the 18th detec-
tive district, and Captain Arthur Carey,
Of the homicide bureau, were on the
scene. and with them were detectives.
DR.. William H. Nammack, medical ex-
aminer for Queens, was summoned. 1t
was estimated that the woman had
been dead for three or four DAYS. She
had been in the water for perhaps two
or three days, it was said. Death was
due to stranguation.
When the medical examiner and the
police examined the body they found
that it had been cut in two parts just
above the hips. The spinal column was
intact. The cutting was done, cleanly,
sad Dr. Nammack, although it was not
the work of one acqua nted with sur
gerry. sharp. heavy knife had been
used-possibly butchers knife.
The torso was clad in a cheap cotton
chemise and silk camisole. A belt of
olive green serge was tied about the
neck and knotted tightly with double
knot The police are of the opinion
that it was the belt of woman's jacket.
The medical examiner thinks t was
skirt belt. 1t had hooks and eyes, and
q green button on it, about the size of
. half dollar.
Head Wrapped in Four Shirts
Four shirts were wrapped around the
head. One was cheap cotton shirt,
her own, the police believe, and the
other three were mems shirts. These
articles of masculine attire are the
best clews the police have. One Of
them is wooden undershirt with the
trademark STANDARD Fleece" The
other two are shirts with a Bond
Street trademark on them. They are
size Ia. One is white shirt with yell
low and lavender stripes and the other
is white with yellow stripes.
The woman evidently had struggled
with her assailant for there was deep
cut at the base Of the right thumb,