15 Minutes of Infamy

The case of the East River Torso Murder stumped New York's best detectives and probably would've remained unsolved-- if not for a thirsty newspaper reporter and a discolored duck. On the Saturday afternoon of June 26, 1897, three boys playing along East 11th Street and the East River found a bundle bobbing on the surface of the water. It contained part of a man's body-- the shoulders, arms and chest, to be precise.  Dr. Philip O'Hanlon, the coroner's physician, examined the torso at Bellevue Hospital. His examination concluded that the man had been tall and muscular; the hands were soft and free of calluses. The victim's chest had been mutilated, as if to destroy evidence of a tattoo. O'Hanlon concluded that the man had been dead for about 24 hours. Meanwhile, detectives examined the oilcloth in which the torso had been bundled. It was red with golden flowers, the sort of design one might choose for a tablecloth or drapes.  The following afternoon, a second ...