The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-09-18
W|FE'S STORY
OF DEATH ON
YACHT SIFTED
Narrowing Tale of Kidnap-
ing and Murder Related
at Inquest.
WOMAN IS FRUSTRATED
Town Hall Is Crowded for
Probe Into Killing of
Benjamin Ceilings.
BY SIDNEY b. WHIPPLE
United Press staff Correspondent

Inlteu IreSS StdH NOIIcSpOnucHb
HUNTINGTON, L. l., Sept. 49,
A gripping tale of kidnapping and
murder in aristocratic Long Island
sound was told again today in the
coroner's inquest into the death OF
Benjamin P. Ceilings, slain yachts
man, beaten, tied, and tossed to his
death from his cabin cruiser Pen
gum.
Mrs. Lillian Ceilings, attractive
young widow of the dead man
herself kidnapped by two pirates
she said, who killed her husband
and attempted to attack her-was
not present to testify.
4 She was reported Frustrated by a
weeks narrowing questioning and
re-enacting the crime, and under a
physicians care at the Ceilings res
idence in the outskirts of SIAM
ford.
The small meeting room Of the
Huntington village board at the
town hall was packed more than an
hour before the start of the hear
ing.
Tells of Finding Body
The first witness to testify was
Anna Biggs Jr., policeman who dis
covered Ceilings body Wednesday.
BiggS described how he came upon
the body lying face down on the
sand. He related the condition of
the body, badly battered and show
ing the effects of exposure and i'm
and said the hands and
feet were tied with rope.
Sergeant Robert Forest, Cove
Neck pc&ceman, was the second
witness.
Sergeant Forest found Mrs. Col
lings in the Bo-Peep and was the
first to hear her weird tale of pi-
racy, kidnapping and murder on
board the Penguin.
Sergeant Forest, recounting Mrs.
Ceilings tale, quoted her as saying
1--WE were asleep last night Ca
week ago last Wednesday, when
my husband heard a noise. He got
up Two men had come aboard.
They wanted to go to South Nor
walk.
Refused to Make Trip
"They said they had wounded
man aboard their boat My hus-
band said that was ridiculous, that
he wouldn't run the boat at night,
because he didn't know the, wa
tiers. There was a lot Of discus
sion and the two men said it was
a matter of life and death.
MY husband said they should
try another boat, but they replied,
We want you to take us. >"
Forest said Mrs Ceilings told
him, however, that the pirates won
the argument and the boat started
away from shore.
Then she said:
"'The leader, the older of the two
men, said they were going to tie
my husbands hands. They took
my mattress. A moment later. I
heard a crash Of glass;"
Husband Thrown Overheard
Then she said they threw her
husband overheard. She said she
heard him cry: They're putting me
over the side She said she went
to the hatch, pushed cushion out,
and threw it to him. She continued:
Then I was ordered into the
canoe. 1t was heavily loaded
District Attorney Blue interrupted
to ask Sergeant Forest: did she
tell how she got into the cancer"
? NO." the witness replied. "She
said they just padded away. She
said her husband was in the water,
off the bow She said: We padded
On and I saw a boat. We stopped
and waited. Then we started on
again and it seemed we padded all
night until we got over here.
Waited to Call Help
It asked her if she called for
help" Sergeant Forest said, "and
she said, NO 1t was dark. The
stars were shining and it was about
fifteen minutes or half an hour be-
fore day started to break. Then I
called for help
Did she say why she didn't call
for help earlier?" the coroner asked.
"She said, I thought I had better
do as told, after seeing what they
did to my husband