“THREE X-THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19118, 10 July 1930, Page 7

“THREE X-THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN.”

MANIACAL MURDERER AT LARGE IN NEW YORK. (Special to the “Star.”) NEW YORK, June 18. The police believe that a maniac, who considers that he has a moral obligation to commit sixteen murders, is at large in the metropolitan area. This man has already killed two men. The man has threatened in a letter to a newspaper, to strike again at College Point, unless he recovers some important papers which seem to exist only in his disordered mind. Noel Sowley, a 26-year-old wireless salesman, who was shot’ dead as he sat in a motor-car with a girl, is the latest victim of the murderer, who refers to himself as " Three X—the Man Behind the Gun.” Sowley’s bc<iy was discovered in a sparsely-settled section of Queen’s County. Similar Crimes. On the lap of the dead man was a newspaper clipping describing the killing of Joseph Moyznski, whose body was found a week ago in a parked car at Whitestone, Queen’s County. The murderer of Sowley had pencilled this grim toast on the margin of the clipping: “Here’s how! ” All the elements that go to make up popular detective fiction were present in the murders, which were singularly similar. Besides missing papers and code letters to a New York journal, talking of 16 deaths, two beautiful girls, Miss Catherine May and Miss Elizabeth Ring, are involved. The former was in Moyznski’s car when he was killed, and the latter was Sowley’s companion. Shot Beside Girls. The detectives believe the murderer considers himself an avenging force, and that his duty is to kill the escorts of yc-ung women whenever he finds a couple in a parked car. The story Miss Ring told to the police is similar in almost every respect to that related by Miss May. Neither of the girls could furnish an adequate description of the murderer. In both cases he had been extremely polite to the girls. He even escorted Miss, Ring to a bus station, and told her to have no fear. Miss Ring said that she and Sowley were sitting in.the car when they saw a shadow behind the car. Suddenly a man appeared on the left side of the machine, calmly opened the door and fired twice at Sowley. Then he leaned over the body and whispered. “ Now you’ve got the same dose as the other fellow."