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Murder of Elsie Sigel

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28: 114: 138: 129:, was found strangled inside a trunk on June 18, 1909, in the apartment of the prime suspect, a Chinese man named "William" Leon Ling, a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. Sigel had been missing since June 9, when she was last seen leaving her parents' apartment to visit her grandmother. 181:
During the murder investigation, 35 love letters signed by Sigel were found in Leon's apartment, along with numerous letters from other women. It was speculated that the motive for murder might have been jealousy, as Chu Gain, manager of the Port Arthur Restaurant on
186:, was also found to be in possession of recent love letters from Sigel. Chu reported that he had recently received an anonymous letter threatening Sigel's life if they did not cut off their relationship. Leon was never apprehended, and the murder remains unsolved. 332: 161:, while Sigel did missionary work at the Chinatown Rescue Settlement and Recreation Room, reaching out to "American, English, German, French, Hebrew, Italian, 590: 625: 150: 615: 605: 219: 154: 203: 173:, close to the Sigel home, and Sigel and her mother had first met Leon there during missionary rounds of the local Chinese restaurants. 620: 585: 565: 194:
Sigel's murder gained widespread notoriety due to the inter-racial aspects of the relationship as well as the fame of her grandfather,
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The Chinatown Trunk Mystery: Murder, Miscegenation, and Other Dangerous Encounters in Turn-of-the-Century New York City
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hysteria, as well as suggestions that the murder was Sigel's own fault. The murder became the subject of a play,
595: 165:" girls who had gotten involved with drugs and prostitution. Four years prior to the murder, Leon had kept a 113: 170: 27: 501: 560: 550: 126: 32:
L-R: Elsie Sigel; Chong Sing (witness); Mabel and Paul Sigel (sister and father). From the
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where Sigel volunteered, viewed from the balcony of the Port Arthur Restaurant.
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Sigel's body was found on the top floor of 782 8th Avenue.
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Woods, Robert Archey; Kennedy, Albert Joseph (1911).
365: 102:(1889 – June 1909) was a granddaughter of General 363: 325: 542: 591:Deaths by strangulation in the United States 400: 321:. New York: Charities Publication Committee. 314: 626:Violence against women in New York (state) 210:, which was performed around the country. 26: 136: 112: 543: 280: 278: 276: 274: 243: 241: 239: 202:general. The murder set off a wave of 616:Unsolved murders in the United States 606:Missing person cases in New York City 442:"Miss Sigel Made Love to Two Chinese" 125:Sigel, who had been a missionary in 522:"Poison Found in Sigel Girl's Body" 271: 236: 220:List of solved missing person cases 13: 14: 642: 621:History of women in New York City 586:American people of German descent 566:1909 murders in the United States 482:"Is Most Baffling Crime in Years" 394: 611:People murdered in New York City 333:"Drama Exploits Fiendish Crimes" 249:"FIND MISS SIGEL DEAD IN TRUNK;" 176: 145:Sigel's mother taught a Chinese 357: 401:Bovsun, Mara (25 March 2008). 342:. 12 February 1911. p. 28 308: 286:"ARREST FRIEND OF MISS SIGEL;" 1: 403:"The Chinatown trunk mystery" 230: 132: 571:20th-century American people 189: 117:The Chinatown mission at 10 7: 576:20th-century American women 213: 208:The Chinatown Trunk Mystery 10: 647: 556:1900s missing person cases 364:Lui, Mary Ting Yi (2007). 297:. June 20, 1909. p. 1 260:. June 19, 1909. p. 1 89: 81: 71: 63: 49: 41: 25: 18: 225:List of unsolved murders 53:June 9, 1909 (age 20-21) 601:Formerly missing people 581:American murder victims 426:The Evening Independent 318:Handbook of Settlements 57:New York City, New York 631:Women in New York City 142: 122: 596:Female murder victims 140: 116: 462:"Outwits the Police" 407:New York Daily News 151:St. Andrew's Church 506:Los Angeles Herald 422:"Leon Ling Guilty" 340:San Francisco Call 294:The New York Times 257:The New York Times 143: 123: 34:Los Angeles Herald 446:The Afro American 97: 96: 638: 537: 535: 533: 526:The St. John Sun 517: 515: 513: 497: 495: 493: 477: 475: 473: 457: 455: 453: 437: 435: 433: 417: 415: 413: 390: 388: 386: 371: 352: 351: 349: 347: 337: 329: 323: 322: 312: 306: 305: 303: 302: 290: 282: 269: 268: 266: 265: 253: 245: 171:Amsterdam Avenue 30: 16: 15: 646: 645: 641: 640: 639: 637: 636: 635: 541: 540: 531: 529: 520: 511: 509: 500: 491: 489: 480: 471: 469: 460: 451: 449: 440: 431: 429: 420: 411: 409: 397: 384: 382: 380: 360: 355: 345: 343: 335: 331: 330: 326: 313: 309: 300: 298: 288: 284: 283: 272: 263: 261: 251: 247: 246: 237: 233: 216: 192: 179: 135: 64:Body discovered 59: 54: 37: 36:, 27 June 1909. 21: 12: 11: 5: 644: 634: 633: 628: 623: 618: 613: 608: 603: 598: 593: 588: 583: 578: 573: 568: 563: 558: 553: 539: 538: 528:. 15 July 1909 518: 508:. 27 June 1909 498: 478: 468:. 26 June 1909 466:Clinton Mirror 458: 448:. 26 June 1909 438: 428:. 23 June 1909 418: 396: 395:External links 393: 392: 391: 379:978-0691130484 378: 359: 356: 354: 353: 324: 307: 270: 234: 232: 229: 228: 227: 222: 215: 212: 200:U.S. Civil War 191: 188: 178: 175: 169:restaurant on 134: 131: 95: 94: 93:Being murdered 91: 90:Known for 87: 86: 83: 79: 78: 73: 69: 68: 65: 61: 60: 55: 51: 47: 46: 43: 39: 38: 31: 23: 22: 19: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 643: 632: 629: 627: 624: 622: 619: 617: 614: 612: 609: 607: 604: 602: 599: 597: 594: 592: 589: 587: 584: 582: 579: 577: 574: 572: 569: 567: 564: 562: 559: 557: 554: 552: 549: 548: 546: 527: 523: 519: 507: 503: 499: 488:. 1 July 1909 487: 486:The Telegraph 483: 479: 467: 463: 459: 447: 443: 439: 427: 423: 419: 408: 404: 399: 398: 381: 375: 370: 369: 362: 361: 341: 334: 328: 320: 319: 311: 296: 295: 287: 281: 279: 277: 275: 259: 258: 250: 244: 242: 240: 235: 226: 223: 221: 218: 217: 211: 209: 205: 201: 197: 187: 185: 177:Investigation 174: 172: 168: 164: 160: 156: 152: 148: 147:Sunday school 139: 130: 128: 120: 115: 111: 109: 108:New York City 105: 101: 92: 88: 84: 80: 77: 74: 70: 66: 62: 58: 52: 48: 44: 40: 35: 29: 24: 17: 530:. 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Retrieved 255: 207: 204:anti-Chinese 198:, who was a 193: 180: 159:Fifth Avenue 155:127th Street 144: 124: 99: 98: 67:18 June 1909 33: 561:1909 deaths 551:1889 births 346:20 February 196:Franz Sigel 184:Mott Street 119:Mott Street 104:Franz Sigel 100:Elsie Sigel 72:Nationality 20:Elsie Sigel 545:Categories 532:31 January 512:31 January 492:31 January 472:31 January 452:31 January 432:31 January 412:31 January 385:31 January 301:2009-12-04 264:2007-06-16 231:References 133:Background 85:missionary 82:Occupation 190:Aftermath 167:chop suey 149:class in 127:Chinatown 110:in 1909. 214:See also 163:Bohemian 76:American 376:  336:(PDF) 289:(PDF) 252:(PDF) 534:2017 514:2017 494:2017 474:2017 454:2017 434:2017 414:2017 387:2017 374:ISBN 348:2023 157:and 50:Died 45:1888 42:Born 153:at 547:: 524:. 504:. 484:. 464:. 444:. 424:. 405:. 338:. 291:. 273:^ 254:. 238:^ 536:. 516:. 496:. 476:. 456:. 436:. 416:. 389:. 350:. 304:. 267:.

Index

L-R: Elsie Sigel; Chong Sing (witness); Mabel and Paul Sigel (sister and father). From the Los Angeles Herald, 27 June 1909.
New York City, New York
American
Franz Sigel
New York City

Mott Street
Chinatown

Sunday school
St. Andrew's Church
127th Street
Fifth Avenue
Bohemian
chop suey
Amsterdam Avenue
Mott Street
Franz Sigel
U.S. Civil War
anti-Chinese
List of solved missing person cases
List of unsolved murders



"FIND MISS SIGEL DEAD IN TRUNK;"
The New York Times


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