THE MURDER OF Y
On the night of [date omitted by author of The Female-Impersonators] just twenty-nine days after the murder of X, Y was slain in his home nearby. The two murders instantly linked. For the two crimes presented an almost perfect parallel. The scene was the same—an elaborately furnished “den.” As with X, Y’s murderer had been his guest. A secret guest—in that nobody saw him enter Y’s residence, no sound betrayed him in the act of killing, and he managed to leave the “den” and Y’s house unobserved.
Of astonishingly the same stamp were X and Y. Both were elderly bachelors and art connoisseurs. [The latter an earmark of cultured androgynism.] Both had specialized in the collection of ancient and curious weapons. Both were addicted to an extravagant display of jewelry on their persons. [Androgynes are loud dressers.] Both lived in dread of attack in their homes and had made elaborate preparations against the possibility. Inspection of the lives of both found them oddly empty of attachment to or |Loathing of Androgynes a Murder Motive.| association with women. Both had a disposition for the society of much younger men, and had many such acquaintances.
Living in the same neighborhood, frequenting the same hotels and restaurants, visiting the same art galleries and antique shops as they were tireless in doing, it was rather to be expected that they were found to have been close friends.
The indicated motive for both murders was robbery but in both cases only the valuables used in personal adornment were stolen, while other jewels, and silver and gold objects of art and service, plainly in sight, were ignored. [Robbery being only a blind, loathing of sexual eccentricity being the true motive.]
In only two particulars did the crimes differ: X was hacked to death; Y was strangled by the bare hands of his assailant. The marks of relentless fingers were deeply imbedded in the victim’s neck. The other difference was that in Y’s case, there had been no struggle. He had had no chance to put up a fight for his life. He had been taken by surprise and the strangler’s grip been clamped on his throat before he could make outcry.
Y was fifty-nine years old, and a native of rural Illinois. He had prospered as owner of a fashionable ladies’ dress-making concern in New York. But he had retired and at the time he was murdered was renting an ex-mansion of a millionaire, where he conducted a boarding house of the highest class. There were twenty lodgers, but scores of additional persons living in the aristocratic neighborhood took their meals at Y’s. He frequently organized card parties and dances for his guests, and to these were always invited freely |Murderer Mandatory of Society!| young men in war service on leave in New York. [Warriors are androgynes’ special heroes. A common soldiers’ and sailors’ club was situated next door, where Y apparently made many acquaintances.]
Y’s body was found at seven A. M. [date here omitted] by George, one of Y’s eleven negro servants. [Y conducted his establishment on the plan of a multimillionaire’s residence.] It was George’s daily duty to go to his employer’s room on the first floor, directly over the kitchen, awaken him at seven, and serve him breakfast in bed. On that morning, George, receiving no reply to his knock, pushed the door open and entered the elaborately furnished “den” and bedroom.
Strangled to Death
The bed was in order, and the body of Y on the floor nearby was clad only in pajamas. [Apparently the assassin had pretended he was going to retire with Y. Therefore Y got into his night clothes, as also probably the assassin. But just before the bed covers would have been turned down the latter fulfilled his mandate from society by “ridding New York of the monster!”] An autopsy showed that indubitably Y had been strangled to death. The deep, purple marks on his throat were valueless as furnishing finger-print evidence, but they did stamp the murderer’s hands as large and very strong. [Androgynes cultivate only the best physically developed.] Y had been suddenly attacked by the strangler and immediately choked into helplessness, for nothing in the room had been disturbed. He had been borne down to death on the very spot where seized.