The New York herald., 1921-08-07
BINKOWITZ MURDER
CLUES IN BOND PLOT
Federal Agents in Mail Rob
berry Get Leads to Killing
of $4,000 Thief.
WORTHINGTON INVOLVED
Recalls Finding Of Mutilated
Body of Wall Street Runner
Near New Haven in 1919.

Government agents engaged in run
ming down evidence which it is alleged
connects John w Worthington. alias
Whitehouse, as head of a mail theft
combination met an unexpected turn
in the case yesterday. 1t was reported
last night that while working on one
angle of the investigation they un-
covered facts which promise to clear
witt, the securities runner who disap-
peared in August 1919, with s17S,000
in securities owned by Richard Whit
ney & Co. of IA Wall street. and whose
mutllated body was found later near
New Haven, Conn. So important did
the Federal investigators consider the
evidence that was unearthed by merest
chance that several of them hurried
out of town to complete that develop
ment.
Maxwell S. Mattuck, assistant United
States Attorney. who is acting as ad-
wiser to Hugh McQuillan. Chief of the
Special Intelligence Unit of the Depart
ment of Justice, and Special Agent Pat
rick " Roche, in the mail robbery case.
refused to discuss the Binkowitz angle
of the investigation beyond admitting
the investigators had dug up some start
ling facts He said that inasmuch as the
investigation had assumed unlocked for
Importance he could not talk about it
further.
From one source it was learned that
the agents uncovered the so-called Bin
kowitz evidence while investigating the
operations of Arthur M. Goldsmith. who
is known also as Arthur NJ. Goldschmidt
and who, the agents say, is connected
with the President Institute. There Is
not, however. the slightest hint that
Goldsmith is in any way connected with
this angle Of the investigation.
Binkowitz disappeared on August IL.
1919. The police began search for him
Immediately. but they never We're sue
cessful In locating him. On August ~,
only eight days after his disappearance
his body was found badly mutilated. It
Law IN a morgue in New Haven for more
than n week before certain characters
tics about the face caused the authorl-
ties there to communicate to New YORK
Police Headquarters their suspicion that
Il was the body of Benjamin II. Binko-
witz. Detectives went to Connecticut
and established the identity ana then re-
additional task of running down the
slayers was taken UP at the same time
The murder Of Binkowitz was par
ticularly brutal His face was slashed
to the point where it was scarcely recog-
nizable. The investigation seemed to
indicate that the murder had been COM
mitted in an automobile and the body
carried to a woods. The ground In the
vicinity was searched for clues to the
identity Of the slayers. but 1t produced
nothing. There was not trace OF the
stolen bonds. i.
From time to time the authorities
have advanced new theories In con-
nection with the theft and the murder
In May, 1920 it was announced In the
Federal Building that Binkowitz was
the victim of hired assassins and that
he was stabbed to death for refusal to
part with the s17s,oO0 worth of secur-
tiles for $4,000.
Evidence to that effect, 1t was said.
was developed through information OBJ
tained in the secret hearings then being
conducted before United States Com
missioner Gilchrist in the joint bank
ruptcy proceedings instituted against
..Nicky" Arnstein and David w. Sui