TRUNK MURDERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21855, 18 July 1934, Page 11

TRUNK MURDERS

BAFFLING FEATURES MAN-HUNT IN ENGLAND tfj NO TRACE OF WANTED MAN ' M GRUESOME CIRCUMSTANCES 1 I By Telegraph—Press Association—CopyricHfe LONDON. July 16 The Chief Constable at Brighton states that the head and arms of the first victim of the trunk murders were not found, and apparently the second body lias no connection with the first crime. The police interviewed Toni Mancini on Saturday before the discovery t)f the body. He is said to have been given a "lift" in a motor-lorrv as far as Croydon, since when he has not been traced. He was. acquainted with Viol- • ettc Kaye, the missing dancer. The Daily Express says an amusement park employee told the police ho had stayed one night in Mancini's room. He sat on a trunk and once remarked on the presence of an odour. Mancini did not: reply. The fripnd could ; not tolerate more than one night in the room. . ! The Daily Telegraph says a third ■woman, Ethel Arnold, war; found ill in • j a street at Brighton, and died later in hospital, it is alleged, from the effects of poisoning. However, this is not confirmed at present. She went, to Brighton to identify Violette Kaye's body. Two Separate Mysteries Scotland Yard has deliberately labelled the trunk mysteries "Trunk Crime No. 1"' and "Trunk Crime No. 2" in order to separate them in the public mind and emphasise the necessity of a continuance of the search for. clues to identify the torso found on June 18, which is described as the victim of " Crime No. 1." It was obviously the work of a mur- ' derer who employed fiendish cleverness in order to prevent discovery. Even the manner of death is not known, and a month's intensive work has not produced a single fact to disclose the identity of the body. The police believe that Violette Kays was v murdered in the basement of a,, fiat in Park Crescent, Brighton, where she lived in the latter half of May, which was a week before "Crime No. 1" was committed.

The body must have been packed immediately into the trunk and carried by two men half a mile to . Kemp Street. The police have already obtained a statement from a man who assisted tq carry the trunk. Entire Country Being Searched

Hundreds of policemen are "searching the entire country for Mancini, "the man with the scarred upper lip." They have also sought the assistance of the Continental police, who are watching all ports. Violette Kaye's name was on a list of 100 missing women which the police published in connection with " Crime No. 1."

Mancini is reported to have trembled like a leaf when questioned by the police, and to have averred that he knew nothing material regarding Violette Kaye beyond her age, which ruled ' her out as the unknown woman found on June 18,. who was aged between 21 and 25. The police consequently allowed Mancini to go. Mancini's Amorous Proclivities

Mancini is reported to have been known as a "sea-front Romeo" who had proposed marriage to six girls in the past six weeks. He became engaged to three, one of whom says she sat on the trunk containing .Violette Kaye's body while she was visiting Mancini. It is also .reported that the man sold clothing belonging to : Miss Kaye to other girls. Miss Kaye was the eldest of a family of 16 children and left home at the age of 14. She had a chequered career as a dancer and was reputed to have earned £2O a week in her best days.