The New York herald., 1921-10-26
MYSTERY WOMAN
VIEWS SLAIN GIRL
Long Island City Victim in
MOrgue Likened to a
Miss Baker.
TRACED IN HOBOKEN
Fingerprints Fail to Show
Link to an Arrest Two
Years Ago.
RUSTY KNIFE REJECTED
OilclOth Pattern Unidentified
by Plant superintendent
at Linoleumville.
RUSTY KNIFE REJECTED

A woman describing herself as Mrs
Elizabeth Richard of 2s5 Summit ave-
nue., Jersey City, went to the Morgue
late yesterday afternoon and said she
thought she recognized in the body
and head Of the Long Island City mur-
der victim a girl whom she knew two
years ago as Bertha Baker or Bertha
Becker.
Mrs. Richard said she was not GER
tain enough, however. to make an
identification. and left saying she
would have her husband call at the
Morgue to-day.
Capt. Arthur Carey, head of the
homicide squad, was present when
Mrs. Richard viewed the body, and
said it was the light flaxen hair of the
dead girl that caused Mrs. Richard to
suspect the body might be that of Miss
Baker.
No Mrs. Richards could be found last
night at the Summit avenue address.
Neghbors said such a family had lived
there once, but that they had moved
Richard. an employee in the New York
Navy Yard, Brooklyn, was located later
at tho latter address, and denied that
his wife or any other member of his
family had been to the Morgue to make
an identification
Richard said his wife's first name was
Mary and that she was in hospital
where baby had been born few days
ago. He said he had no sister named
Elizabeth and that ne had not lived
at 2S5 Summit avenue, but in the house
next door. No. 2s7.
The woman who made the partial
Identification told Capt. Carey that the
supposed Miss Baker or Becker was
arrested by the Hoboken police in
August 1919, and that they could easily
ascertain whether the dead girl were
she or not by comparing the finger
prints of the murder victim with those
of Miss Baker. Although the police of
Hoboken went back ten years into their
records they could find no trace of a.
woman of that name or description ever
having been arrested.
Reports said the police of the Hunters
Point station had traced to laundry
in Inwood, l.. l.. the shirts found wound
around the head of the murder victim
and that an arrest might be made. De-
to Inwood, reported back to Capt
Ernest Van Diezelski they had not been
able to learn the identity of the person
who took the shirts to the laundry be-
cause of a removal and destruction of
books at the laundry. The letters "X'
and "P' have been discerned on the
collar bands of the shirts.
A woman's nightgown and a butcher
knife found in the brush along Rich
mond turnpike between Bulls Head ana
Linoleumville. S. l.. were turned over
to Capt. Carey because there were
stains on the knife and the nightgown
was torn in several places. An exami-
nation Of the knife showed the stains
were rust and the nightgown worn so
badly 1t probably had been thrown
away by It's owner. Capt. Carey did not
consider the find Of value as a clue.
j. b. Pearson, superintendent of the
American Linoleum Companys plant at
Linoleumville, 8. l., said his company
does not manufacture an oilcloth Of the
design of that IN which the murder
victims body was wrapped. He be-
lieved that possibly the Brooklyn plant
of the Standard Oilcloth Company, re-
Gently taken over by his company may
possibly have put out a cloth OF such
design