The New York herald., 1921-10-23
GIRLS HACKED BODY
FOUND IN MUDHOLE
Staying of Young Mother Stirs
Another Aumuller Case
in Queens.
MAN WITH BUNDLE SEEN
Auburn Haired Woman Clad
in Own Scant Garments
and 3 Mems Shirts.
MAN WITH BUNDLE SEEN

A laborer washing his boots yes.ar-
day morning in pool of rainwater IN
a lot at Queens Boulevard and Rawson
street, Long Island City, stumbled
across the upper half of the body of a
young woman who had been slain in
one Of the most brutal murders since
the dismembered body of Anna Aumul-
Ter was found in the Hudson River in
1918. The woman apparently about
25 years old and of foreign extrac-
tion, had been beaten and probably
strangled with a belt before her body
was cut in two just above the hips.
The lot in which the body was found
is in the most desolate section of Long
Island City. Although near the Raw
son street station of the Corona branch
OF the Interborough subway the near
est dwelling is more than 400 yar is
away. The lot faces the northern side
Of Queens Boulevard. which is not yet
open to vehicular traffic and not
lighted at night. To the south lies the
Company.
The police are working on two theories
one that the young woman was MUIR
dered in Manhattan and her torso car
ried to Long Island City, and the other
that she met her death only short
distance from where the body was
found.
Three men said to be in business in
Long Island City went to the Fourth
street police station there last night and
reported that they saw man dressed
in the uniform of a railroad man walk
ing in Queens Boulevard near the lot
Oh Tuesday night. The man. they said,
carried a bundle which seemed to be OF
considerable weight. AS a result of the
statements made by these men, whose
names were withheld, detectives hurried
off without revealing where they were
going.
Many Police ON Case.
Virtually all the detectives of the
Queens Detective Bureau have been re-
lieved from all other duties by Inspector
John ID. Coughlin. head of the bureau
to aid Capt. Arthur Carey, commander
Of the Homicide Squad. in solving the
mystery. At a late hour last night the
detectives had not been able to identify
the young woman. although they had
been checking up records OF missing
persons all afternoon.
What clues the police had consisted
mostly of underclotbing found wrapped
around the body. hair combs and ring
fashioned out of strands of raffio.
fibre from pain. tree. II was on the
ring that the detectives based their
hopes of idnentfication. as raffio rings
are not common. and although OF no
great value except as charms they
attract attention.
Ignazio Castallucio OF 50 Fifth
street. Long Island City, who found the
body. Is an employee OF the Queens
sewer department. which is engaged on
construction work in the vicinity of the
lot 1t had been his habit to go to the |
lot daily to wash his boots. as there |
was hole In IL in which rain water
generally settled for some time. The !
surrounding territory for hundreds of
yards in each direction is a barren |
waste into which all manner of refuse
had been dumped. The pool in which |
Castallucio washed his boots was about |
30 feet wide, 200 feet long and from
one-half to a foot and a half In depth.
Sees Arm fn Water.
While rubbing down his boots Cas-
tallucio noticed what seemed to be a
piece of oilcloth protruding out of the |
water. Walking over 20 where it was ]
and jerking II up he uncovered o human
arm. The laborer then leaned over,
ripped piece of string tied about the
bundle and disclosed the upper half OF
the young woman's body. He ran TO the
street yelling and attracted the atten-
tion OF Policeman Philip Il. Dampton !
or Traffic L. who was directing traffic
on the boulevard q short distance away. !
Dampton notified Queens police head |
quarters. Two score detectives and as
sistant district attorneys were on the
scene I'm less than half an hour.
DIR. William II. Nammack deputy /
medical examiner for Queens. and his !
son. DIR. Griswold Nammack. directed
the body be removed to the Fourth |
street police station The police and
firemen of Engine Company 259, under
Deputy Fire Chief Maher then drained
off the pool in the search for the lower
part OF the body.
DIR. Nammack on examination thought !
death was due to strangulation because
a belt of olive green serge material was
wound around tha neck and had been I
knotted twice. The indications were the |
had used heavy knife In
cutting tho body In two and an effort /
had been made TO amputate the young |
~oman's left arm. Tho thumb OF her |
left hand also had been nearly severed |
Off
X was DT. Nammck's opinion that 1
the young woman was unmarried and l
that she had been dead three or four I
days when found. but the autopsy |
showed she had been mother about I
four months ago and wes dead less than I
forty-e'ght hours. She was about FIVE /
feet 8 inches in height. weighed about |
ninety-five pounds and had blond hair I
and blue eyes. Her hngernails were we'll |
kept. having recently been manicured. |
but not by professional manicurst.
DIR. Charles Norris. Chief Medical Ex- /
aminer, arrived Mt the police station just |
rs DR.. Nammack was completing his I
and directed the body be /
Continued on Page Eleven.