NEW MURDER MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13925, 5 December 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

NEW MURDER MYSTERY.

YOUNG WOMAN KILLED IN A BOARDING-HOUSE.

Esther Prac;, a young Polish girl, seventeen years old, was found strangled in bed in a house, in Bernard-street, behind the Hotel Russell, and close to Russell Square tube station, at seven o'clock on October 17th.

Circumstances indicate that the murder was committed at two o'clock in the morning of the same day, but the murderer had crept away as stealthily as ho came, leaving no trace of his movements or identity behind him. The tragedy occurred in the second floor back room of the house— boarding establishment, standing at the corner of Her-/ brand-street. The window of the room overlooks the side thoroughfare, but thero is no exit in that direction, and the surrounding high walls arc strewn with pieces of broken glass, none of which have been interfered with in .any way. The front, door is opened by a latchkey, which was in the dead woman's possession, and leads into a hall, whence, a carpeted staircase winds round to the various rooms of the house, which 'is four storeys in height. The room itself is comfortably furnished, | and contains a double bed, a wardrobe, washhand-stand, and two chairs. - The bed stood close against the left-hand wall, the head being close to the window. The body was discovered by the housekeeper, Mrs. Cook, and Mr. Rose, the son of the landlady, who keeps a coffeehouse in an adjoining street. The housekeeper noticed that the girl had not loft her room, and told Mr. Pose. TRAGEDY DISCOVERED. He accompanied her to the house, and they went together to the second floor back room. The door was unlocked, and opened readily. There was no appearance of disorder. A water bottle and glass stood on the table, and the furniture in the room was undisturbed. Mr. Rose glanced towards the bed, and instantly noticed that, while the heavier clothes * were drawn back, a sheet was stretched over a human form. A heapedup pile of clothes covered the head. He threw these off and saw the face of the dead girl. A towel had been twisted round tier neck, and when 'he drew this aside he noticed deep red lines such as could be made only by human lingers—the fingers of a man's hand. The girl was almost undressed, and was lying diagonally on the. bed. The most extraordinary feature of the crime is the presence in the room and on the bed of broken pieces of thin wire. There were in all three fragments—one attached in bracelet shape to the head rail of the bed, a second section lying on the floor, and a third wrapped in the towel round the girl's neck.. This is the more extraordinary since it is definitely known that neither the towel nor the wire had anything to do with the girl's death. She was killed by the hand of her murderer. Concerning Esther Prag little is known. She has pissed under many aliases; the one in which she secured this room was "Smith.''. She was a. pretty,, vivacious woman. Sho came to England about four years ago, -and was first a companion to a woman residing in Not ting Hill. She has a sister in the metropolis, who identified the body. "•-. -:rv--•-':■ "• . BODY IDENTIFIED. She corresponded with this sister at irregular intervals, mid it was from letters in the dead girl's possession that the sister's address was discovered. The murdered girl only came to the house in Bernard-street on the Friday night. She had engaged the rooms in the name of " Miss Smith, recommended, Mr. Rose states, by a person known to the landlady. She had paid 15s in advance for rent. On the Friday afternoon a small messenger boy carried tar trunk to the house. , ■,'., ■.'•«'.■,<■■...•••..'.'. .."-*-J.v i ; ,."=?»>»*:--.• : ".:' .„■■:..■ Mr. Sieger, who was sleeping in an adjoining room, stated that ho heard a scream, but he attached no importance to it, thinking, probably, that it came from the outside. He thought ho distinguished words in Yiddish, the equivalent of "Help!" In the room were found a packet of cheese sandwiches and a man's collar stud. The stud is of an ordinary type; however, and is not likely to assist in the discovery of the: criminal.

Sir Mekillo McNaglden, the Assistant Commissioner from Scotland Yard, took part in the preliminary investigation. Chief Superintendent Freest and Detective Inspector Stockley are working on the case. : •'•;'.

Mr. A. J. Pepper, the Home Office expert, made an examination of the body at the mortuary. Ho and Dr. Murphy, of Brunswick Square, will conduct the postmortem examination.

A girl friend of the murdered girl told a remarkable storv:

"A week ago,' r she said, "I was in her company in Southampton Row, when she turned to me and said. 'Do you know, I don't think I have very long to live.' I tried to laugh down her fears, and eventually she grew more cheerful. But lam certain now that she had some premonition that her end was near."

The house where the murder was committed is within a stone's throw of the. scene of the famous Coram-street murder— a still unsolved crime that resemble* this one in nearly every particular.