Evening star., 1937-01-13
CO[ORED SUSPECT
DENIES Staying
Police Reveal Evidence Link.
ing Porter to Bathtub
Murder.
Ry the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, January 13-Calm
and unruffled. Major Greene, 80, squat,
powerful-framed Harlem colored man,
maintained an air of "amiable" denial
today as detectives sought a confession
for the bath tub Staying of pretty Mrs
Mary Bobby Case, 25-year-old jun
iOr League housewife.
Arrested late last night in a Man.
haitian bar. within SO hours after the
bludgeoned and strangled body Of Mrs.
Case was discovered in the bath tub
of her Jackson Heights apartment,
Greene blandly shook his head when
confronted with link after link Of evil
dence which District Attorney Charles
P. Sullivan planned to present to the
Queens County grand jury tomorrow.
The evidence included:
l. Whorl-patterned blood smears,
tracked throughout the Case apart
ment, which police fingerprint experts
identified as tallying with Greene's
prints.
2. A blood-stained pair Of trousers,
found in the basement incinerator of
the apartment building where Greene
was employed as a porter Police
said the trousers belonged to Greene.
Stained Shirt Included.
g. A crimson-stained shirt, which
police said Greene had sent to a New
York laundry.
4. A clean shirt. formerly the prop
erty Of Frank Case. 80, Cornell Uni
versity graduate. husband Of the slain
woman. which police said Greene was
wearing when arrested.
No immediate charge was placed
against Greene. but District Attorney
Sullivan said he would be booked for
murder late today or tomorrow morn
ing.
Meanwhile, police were puzzled over
the motive for the Staying. Greene had
been accused Of burglarizing the Case
apartment year ago and been ex-
onerated. police said, and may have
harbored resentment At the same
time, investigators found 1t difficult
TO reconcile a year-old resentment
with such crime
Also held as material witnesses In
the case were Henry Greene, 30. a
brother Of the suspect, and Frank
Viola. 81. alias Francisco Tateano. 27,
fireman in the apartment building.
Toxicologist Reports.
Assistant District Attorney James
T cai = L. -
be brought before the grand jury.
Among the new evidence brought to
light today was a report by the city
toxicologist, who said that among l3
strands Of human hair found clutched
in the victims lifeless hands and under
her flngernails was one tiny shred.
one-eighth Of an inch in length, which
was identified as negroid. The other
strands apparently belonged to Mrs.
Case.
Greene's arrest came a few hours
after the body of the attractive house.
wife had been taken to Lancaster,
Pa, for burial in the city where sne
was married November 90. 1885. Fu-
neral services are to be held there
tomorrow.
The grief-stricken husband. her
parents. Mr.. and Mrs. William j. Rob-
inson. and Mrs. Douglas Williams of
Saratoga Springs. N. Y. a sister of
Case. accompanied the body.
Mrs. Case waged a fierce battle with
her assailant in the tiny kitchen of
her apartment before he strangled
etr,,n
mer
The intruder fled after dumping
her body into the bathtub which he
covered with a sheet, stopping the
drain and turning on the water.
Husbands Suit Taken.
With him. police said. he took a
blue suit belonging to Case and the
shirt which, police said, Greene was
wearing at the time of his arrest.
Detective James Sullivan said po-
lice learned yesterday. while Greene
was being questioned. that the Negro's
fingerprints tailed with prints on the
blood-smeared bath room woodwork.
Greene was released and detectives
followed him.
Sullivan said Greene's trail led to
pawn shop, where he attempted to
dispose of clothing.
johnson, police said, later offered to
sell blue suit to two Negroes. and
also took bloody shirt to laundry.
The garment was seized as evidence
Immediately.
Officers said they learned from
Henry Greene that his brother had
taken gray suit to tailor for al
terations. They said this suit was
identified as having been stolen from
the Case home when 1t was looted sew
eraI months apn