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Newspaper
Boston Post
Location
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Date
Oct 02, 1905
Page
4
The Boston Post outlines yesterday developments in a suitcase mystery. Wingfield and Haynes exchange alibis and questionable statements while police scrutinize motives and character. Wingfield, sober Sunday, remains a key witness, claiming deep concern and probing intent.
A man named Haynes is detained as a suspicious person amid a police inquiry into a dismembered body found in a suitcase near the Winthrop Yacht Club. Wingfield and Mrs. Conway provide corroboration about alleged statements. a pawnbroker seeks to identify Haynes. Haynes says he knew nothing of cutting up bodies and notes differences with a suspect described elsewhere.
Samuel R. Wingfield, waiter at Sundsys Higgins restaurant and part time packer for Pierce Company, runs an optical room in Boston after arriving from Richmond, Va. He and Mrs. Kate Conway are central figures in the Winthrop case.
Kate Conway age about 40 from Providence with two brothers and a married sister, Mrs Itch. She moved to Boston for work and has lived quietly at 51 Hancock Street while employed in the ribbon department for eight years.
William A. Haynes of 54 Chambers Street works as a checking clerk for Ocean Steamship Co. He is 38, well educated and reputed to have medical schooling. Described as a polished Southerner with easy charm, he befriends Wingfield and often meets him in the optician's room, known to Tremont Row residents.
Haynes was employed by Ocean Steamship Company as a spare clerk, according to BH. H. Downing of Cambridge. Downing described him as neat in appearance and of good character, expressing disbelief at his arrest as a suspect in the Winthrop dress suitcase mystery. He said Haynes worked properly and was a very good hand.
William A. Haynes remained calm and unconcerned about his detention at Station 3 as Samuel R. Wingfield joined him in the same occupation, with separate cells and blocked communication. Wingfield endured two hours of cross fire style questioning by Captain Dugan and Sergeant Taylor as investigators probed to break his account.
Superintendent of Police William H. Pierce indicated it is too early to assess the detention of Haynes and Wingfield. He warned that startling developments may follow, noting no new facts today and promising more light from deeper investigations. Haynes is suspected in the Winthrop case. He expects something definite by tomorrow.
The article reports that examiners, including Mrs. Kate Conway, found Wingfield's account consistent. She was held for questioning but released with instructions to answer police summons. Police delayed questioning a pawnbroker named Berkman due to the holiday in the Hebrew calendar and potential resistance.
Captain Joseph Dugan discusses the case with a Post reporter as William A. Haynes remains in Station 3 awaiting further developments. He notes Haynes differs from a pawnbroker description, details Wingfield and Conway’s involvement, and signals ongoing efforts to trace any connection to the Winthrop case.
A naphtha launch crew led by Chief McNeil scoured Boston harbor for the missing dress suitcase said to hold the Winthrop victim's head and limbs. The hunt extended from Deer Island to Beachmont with private parties and police watch, while quicklime storage sites and South End suspects were investigated.
The speaker questions the ongoing detention and doubts its purpose, asserting there is no clear reason to hold the man longer. They acknowledge untiring effort by the force but say only time will reveal the incident's value or outcome.
The Winthrop tragedy victim's torso is in the care of Harvard Medical School professor W F Whitney. He analyzes the organs to detect possible poison traces. His findings may illuminate the immediate cause of death and be reported to police within one or two days.
Deputy Chief George C. Neal praises the Post for solving the Winthrop mystery and recalls a mysterious fire in a house where the suspect lived. He says he plans to question detained men before commenting further, and notes the case's current promising outlook.
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