The Indianapolis times., 1930-06-20
Nab FUGITIVE
FROM ASYLUM
AS MAD killer
Madman Puts Up Fierce
Battle When Captured
in Philadelphia.
RAVES OF BLONDE GIRL
Ordered Sent to New York
for Questioning in
Maniac Murders.

BIZ United Press
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June 90
Joseph Clarke, 34-year-old escaped
inmate of the Creedmore N. Y.)
hospital for the insane, was arrest
ed here today and, after a brief
hearing, ordered sent to New York
as a suspect in the maniac mur-
derS" of Queens, Long Island.
He was traced through a letter
which had been received some days
ago by F. NJ Clarke, 1921 Two hun
dred fifth street, Queens Village,
Long Island.
At almost the time Clarke was
taken into custody today John
Moszynski, brother of Joseph Mos
zynski, the first man murdered by
the Queens mad man, received a
special delivery letter at his home
here, threatening him with death.
While Clarke was in court here,
word came that another suspect in
the Queens murder cases had been
arrested in Newark, N. ]. He an
swered the description OF an escaped
inmate of the Kings Park hospital
for the insane, New York.
Difference in Descriptions
Clarke's description differed con-
siderably from that given by the girl
companions, witnesses of both the
Moszynski and Noel Sowley killings,
the latter the second man killed by
the Queens lunatic.
He was about 5 feet 7 inches tall,
which was the height given for
the owley-MoszynSki murder sus-
pect, but was much heavier. Clarke
weighed about ITO, while the weight
of the man sought had been e3ti-
mated at about 140.
Clarke is said to have escaped
from the Creedmore hospital June 8.
He told police he had been an
inmate of the hospital sixteen years.
His mother, Mrs. Louise Clarke, is
said to live at 338 Forty-first street,
Brooklyn, N. X.
Letters Name Film Stars
Officers found on Clarke a num-
Der of letters bearing some SINH
larity to those figuring in the
Queens murders.
Going to his room they searched
it and found more than 200 nlimeo-
graphed letters. all dated at Brook
lyn, N. Y, and addressed to promi-
nent persons. The letters we're
largely incoherent
They mentioned such people as
Mae Murray, Gilda Gray, Earl Car
roll, Helen Morgan, Ann Penning-
ton, George Cohan, Fred Stone,
Marion Davies, Buster Collier, Will
Rogers, Greta Carlo, Bessie Love,
Rudy Vallee, George Olsen, Ted
Lewis and Jack Johnson, the for
mer heavyweight champion.
Raves About Blonde Nurse
Other letters mentioned, or were
to, inmates of the Creednlore hos
pital. A number of them mentioned
the blonde nurse" or the "big
blonde nurse" as having Strange
influence" over him.
Clarke mumbled of a blonde
nurse" such as had been mentioned
in the correspondence which the
maniac carried on with the public
through a New York newspaper
after two killings had occurred in
-
Among his effects were papers
mentioning almost score of prom
inent persons, a notable proportion
of them blonde movie actresses.
The special delivery letter to John
MoSzynski was much the same in
tone as some of the maniac's COM
munications. 1t said that he was
next on the list" and ordered him
leave the valuable papers" in the
lavatory of the Broad street station
of the Pennsylvania station in
Philadelphia or death will follow"
Fights to Avoid Arrest
The man who wrote to the New
York Evening Journal of the killings
was obsessed with the problem of
recovering some valuable papers and
apparently also was imbued with an
idea of protecting womanhood.
Clarke was arrested on Tenth
street here by Philadelphia officers
who had been assisted by police
from New York in tracing him.
you won't take me back" he
screamed as the officers seized him.
He fought viciously and had to be
overpowered.