The Indianapolis times., 1935-08-10

Coroner William Arbuckle said
the texture OF the hair NAV aid in
Identifying the person who stran-
gled the Child and flung its lifeless
pody into the stagnant water of a
gravel pit. where it was discovered
late yesterday.
A pOSt-mOrtem examination was
to be held this afternoon. An effort
VIII be made to verify the belief
that the child was Strangled with
a strip of underclothing before be-
ing thrown into the pit.
Sheriff Turns to Science
Meanwhile Sheriff Otto Raw
turned to science for further clews.
Hundreds Of Identifying baby
footprints, on record in Indianapolis
hospitals, were TO be examined in
a desperate attempt to establish the
identity of the child whose weighted
body was discovered late Yesterday
floating in a West Side gravel pit.
Deputies were to take prints from
the hands and feet Of the murdered
baby, who had been strangled and
tossed into the Stagnant water of
the gravel pit after a heavy metal
weight had been fastened to his life
less body.
Two large Indianapolis hospitals
Keep no finger or footprint records
of new born babies. This may ham
per the efforts to identify the muir
dered child
Hospitals Keep Prints
At Methodist Hospital. hand and
foot prints are registered. st. Vim
cents Hospital keeps footprints of
babies born there and Coleman
Hospital registers. both foot and
finger prints. No identifying prints
are kept at City Hospital and St.
Francis Hospital, police said
Meanwhile deputies searched for
two automobiles seen near the gravel
pit.
Charles Tomlin, 1886 Biltmore-av,
said he saw a gray automobile,
thought by him to be a Chevrolet.
stop near the pit Monday night
while he was fishing.
Mr.. Tomlin told Sheriff Ray a
man alighted from the car. walked
to the waters edge near the spot
where the dead baby was found.
paused a moment and ther sped
away.
Automobile Extension Handle
Investigators said the metal bar
which had been wired to the mu--
dered baby'S neck and ankles was
an extension jack handle for a
Chevrolet automobile
An intensive search was being
made for the car when George Hud-
gins. r. r. ,, Box 4l0, said he drove
past the gravel pit early Tuesday
morning and saw there an automo-
bile. resembling that seen by Mr..
TOmlin. A man and a woman. he
said. were seated in the car. The
woman, he said, was holding a
child.
Sheriff Ray announced he would
devote his entire time to solving
the mystery
"A crime Of this nature in which
a defenseleSs infant is brutalIv
Strangled is the most fiendish of all
crimes and Will be prosecuted merci-
lessly," he said
Saw Body Floating in Pit
The body was discovered by Will
bert Moore, IS. of 1901 N. Tibbs-av.
who was working in a nearby hay
field. He saw the childs body float
ing in the gravel pit as he drove
past. Deputy Sheriffs Reeves. Bre-
dell and Harritt investigated.
The only clewS found by DR.. John
Salb. deputy coroner. were the torn
pieces of cloth tied around the
Childs neck and waist: the extern
sion handle Of the auto jack and a
handful advertising a West Side
neighborhood store.
The strip which had been used TO
strangle the child was looped about
Its neck and waist and, according to
DR.. Salb, appeared to be remnants
from mems underwear. The strips.
DR.. Salb said. we're oil stained. in
dicating they may have been used
as cleaning cloths by a motorist or
automobile mechanic.
Child Fully Clothed
The child was fully clothed. ex-
cepting for shoes and stockings. All
Identification marks on the clothing
had been removed.
According 10 DR.. Salb the boov of
the child had been in water for at
least 70 hours.
The murder scene is a short dis
tance north of the scene of the
mysterious Schroeder torch murder
of five years ago. The charred body
of a man was found in the burned
wrecksge Of the automobile owned
by Harold Herbert Schroeder.
Mysterious circumstances led to
an intensive investigation which
ended when Schroeder was arrested.
convicted of manslaughter and I'M
prlSoned. He was accused Of killing
4 the unidentified victim in order 70
collect insurance policies.
japanese City Under Water