The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-05-04
Review Of Outstanding Murder
Case In New York's Territory
(By R. ]. Lewis, Jr.

down upon the naggafQ lace OF
the man standing before him,
cleared his throat and said stern
ly: "What have you now to say
to the court why judgment Of
death should not be pronounced?'
The prisoners attorney was on his
feet instantly, but restraining
gesture by his client halted him.
The stenographer glanced casually
from his notes, his eyes meeting
squarely those of the man who
was about to be sentenced to
death. And, as he sat, for sixty
seconds, transfixed by the blazing
eyes Of the murderer, the story of
the fiendish crime tumbled before
him
Little Albert Bann padded his
raft from the shore of the North
river, near seth street, New York,
one morning early in September,
1913, and hauled from the water
a bobbing paper bundle. He re-
moved the insulated copper wire
from the tar paper covering,
opened the pillow case beneath
and shook out the contents. He
screamed with horror as the up
per part of a woman's torso fell
at his feet.
At the morgue, where the por-
ton of the body was brought by
the Hoboken police, an autopsy
disclosed that the torso was that
Of young woman whose skin was
of fine texture. And that, in all
probability, she had been MUIR
dered with a knife. A manu-
facturer's tag on the pillow case,
bearing the name of a Newark
concern, was the only Identified
tion mark found by the police.
Detectives went Immediately to
this concern hoping to find even
the slightest clue.
Lower Half Found
Meanwhile, word came from
Weehawken that the legless lower,
half Of a woman's torso had been
found in the river. And. like the
first, this piece of the body was
incased in brown tar paper. But
instead Of a pillow case, there was
fine embroidered pillow slip
initiated "a An autopsy re-
veaIed that the young woman had
had a criminal operation but. ply
sicians agreed, this operation did
not cause her death. Rather, they
were of the opinion that death re-
suited from a rapid hemorrhage. |"
In Newark, AFTER thoroughl
search of their records, the manu-
featuring concern informed de-
tectives that the only order Of pill
lows of the pattern found with the
body, sold in New York City, was
to a secondhand furniture dealer
on Eighth Avenue. At this store,
however, the clue faded -only two
such pillows had been sold and no
record of sale had been kept.
Then, from Keansburg, n. j.,
message came stating that sec
ton of one leg had been picked
up in the river. This fitted per-
fectly to the hip-socket Of the
lower part of the torso.
On the theory that the tar
paper might have been purchased
in the neighborhood of the second
hand store, Inspector J. A. Faurot.
in charge of the case, instructed.
his men to visit every drug store
in that vicinity that sold tar paper.
Directly opposite the secondhand
store, a druggist recalled having
sold two large sheets of tar paper
few weeks before, to dark,
stock-buiIt man in shirt sleeves
who took the paper without a
wrapping and hurried off.
Make Survey
Confident that he was on the
right track, Inspector Faurot
made survey of all drug stores
nearby and then-in the area
bounded by them--sent his men
to interview every family within
that territory. When this search
was completed only one apart
ment. where no one had been at
home on several occasions. re-
manned unvisited. And. after a
week Of waiting for the tenants to
appear, without success. the detec-
tives broke into the apartment.
Once inside the apartment, Fan-
rot was certain that he had found
the scene Of the crime for there
he found. among other things. q
half used spool Of insulated cop
per wire. identical to that which
eneirrled the torso; large blood
stained butcher knife and a large
saw. also stained with blood. A
small pasteboard box contained
many letters all Of which were ad.
dressed 70 the same person.
Annie Aamuller. Jotting down
the several addresses which APP
pcarcd on the envelopes. Faarot
with two detectives started on =
search for the murderer.