Show t I LEVINE BOY t Wire Bound Body Revives Revives' Intensive Search in Case 1 4 L L 1 4 j i fr 4 I Z p f. f f t J-t t I k t i F v. v j 1 I h x iii PETER LEVINE 12 SLAIN BY ABDUCTORS Vat Waters of Long Island sound yielded sound yielded his body Torso Comes Ashore e eon on Long Island j Sound NEW ROCHELLE N. N Y May 30 AP One AP-One One hundred local ocal police and men G-men searched by pear shores today for or remnants of the body of year old Peter Levine whose wire-trussed wire headless leadless torso was yielded up last night by the waters of I Long Island sound after three tragic Scores of residents joined the search Dozens of small volunteer volunteer volunteer volun volun- teer boats patrolled d the coast seeking evidence th that t might point somehow to the killer Detective Lieutenant George Rei- Rei enberger expressed belief that the b joy boy y cruelly cut by the wire that I bound the body had been tossed into nto the sound whether sound whether alive or or- dead it still remains to be determined deter deter- mined mined from a boat perhaps in the vicinity of Rye or seven miles above New Rochelle Police and federal agents headed by J. J Edgar Hoover Hoover Hoover-F FBI B I chief and Reed veteran head of his New York staff spent the night studying charts of wind and tide movements trying thus t lo locate locate lo- lo cate cats the approximate seen scent of death deaths Any hope that the thin thur strand of copper wire which bound the body only body only only- tangible clue to the murder murder might might lead to a quick so solution solution solution so- so lution of the case was dispelled by Lieutenant They could have bought It at any cent 10 store he said Discovery of the body identified by clothing was the first development development development develop develop- ment in the case in several weeks and confirmed the growing dread in his family that he would never be returned alive Ransom notes had been found and answered Murray Levine the father fa father father fa- fa ther had publicly offered to pay There was no conclusive answer from the abductors and the the- whole case of missing Peter Levine had been all but forgotten until just lust aft after r dusk last night a woman woman tele telephoned fele fele- phoned the police Theres a body out here I They found then what was left of Peter Levine Levine Levine-a. a wire bound torso only the head gone the hands and feet gone and only a a. sleeved patched-sleeved sweater a red windbreaker and a shirt with the name Peter Teter Levine stitched in It to make snake the identification car tain The body had come ashore on an estate bordering the soun sound not far from the boys boy's home Dr Amos O. O Squire Westchester county medical examiner said it would be almost impossible to tell just what had caused Peters Peter's death knife blow or drowning drowning but but added added add add- 1 ed that his preliminary examination Continued on Page Two Column Six BODY OF LEVINE BOY IS FOUND Continued from Page One Indicated the boy had been slain and tossed into the sound Dr Squire and his assistants took every possibility into account Dr Robert Lateiner assIst assistant nt city physician of New Rochelle said one of the first medical tests ordered was to see whether poison might h have lave ve been a factor in death Toxic traces he pointed out might last ast in a body indefinitely This said District Attorney Walter Ferris is a clear case of murder Murray Levine Peters Peter's father a New York lork lawyer who had bad put aside everything in his vain aln search f for the boy and had appealed In n nevery nevery every manner to the abductors to tomake tomake tomake make contact was so utterly crushed by the news that he scarcely was able to talk In the boys boy's trouser pocket were found a knife jack-knife and a toy air air- plane The medical examiners were unable unable unable un un- un- un able to tell without further examination examination exam exam- whether Peters Peter's head was cut off oft by the abductors or a boat striking the body had caused the mutilation One of Hoovers Hoover's first acts was to direct a search of the waterfront in an effort to trace the movements of the kidnapers with the body Most members of the New Rochelle Ro Ro- Rochelle chelle chelie police force were ordered to turn tc to at a. a m. m EST to search for the missing members of the boys boy's body The most substantial clue to the whole crime inconclusive as it was was the sinister coil con of copper copper copper cop cop- per wire with which Peters Peter's body had been wrapped Federal agents immediately set about trying to trace it where it-where where it was bought by whom and when The boy disappeared last February February February ary 24 on his way home from school and the dread familiar kidnap kidnap kid kid- nap checking routine set in jn im im- im- im mediately The first ransom note which note which like all others appeared to have been written on a cheap toy typewriter type type- writer writer demanded demanded and Levine Levine Levine Le Le- Le- Le vine a slight earnest typically mid mid- dIe class lawyer of no great wealth set about sadly to try to raise the money Receives Note On February 28 the father re received received received re- re a note scrawled in a school- school boyish hand on a scrap of newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper signed Peter and begging Dad t to pay what had bad been asked Four days later while the Levines waited in their two-story two stucco home blinds drawn and intermittently intermittently inter inter- appealing to the police and public to keep hands off Levine Levine Levine Le Le- Le- Le vine disclosed that demanded demand demand- ed in another ransom communication tion was ready Ten days went by with no significant significant significant sig sig- sig- sig development and on March l 1 14 U the federal bureau of in investigation investigation investigation in- in openly entered the case by dispatching cl circulars all allover allover allover over the country They described the missing boy in detail detail detail-a a little haired black-haired smiling quick quick- quick minded and imaginative boy who had stood high in his classes By March 19 the first of several persons accused of extortion extortion extortion-by by at attempting attempting attempting at- at tempting to chisel in on the tragedy tragedy had had been arrested In their accustomed shadowy fashion intermediaries moved in and out of the case vainly trying to help the distraught parents On April 20 Levine had become so sadly certain that his son was dead that he be offered a new reward for the boys boy's recovery but more significantly for information information information mation disclosing his body With the discovery of the body the men G-men set up temporary headquarters headquarters headquarters head head- quarters here as they had done inan inan in inan an earlier and fruitless tion was asked the direct question Is Is this still regarded as definitely a He responded emphatically Yes positively It appeared today it might be bea a matter of two or three days before before before be be- fore the medical men could possibly possibly possibly pos pos- sibly answer fully and authoritatively authoritatively authoritatively the riddle of the exact manner of Peters Peter's death Decomposition Decomposition Decomposition position had been well advanced One thing was widely accepted The boys boy's kidnapers had become angry and had killed him brutally perhaps even continuing their negotiations negotiations ne sic- for money long after his body lay in the sound With slim hopes of ever capturing capturing capturing ing the slayer federal agents began began be be- gan a comprehensive check of boatmen boatmen boatmen boat boat- men for miles mUes up up and down the bay from the jag ja jage ii d 1 rock shore of Davenport ec wHere the boys boy's headless body bod Was S found only found only three miles away way fr from m his h home me in New Rochelle Chance Cited Theres just a chance now that the body has been found that someone someone someone some some- one will recall having seen a strange boat in the one of the F B BI BI BI I men said County Medical Examiner Squire said the wire which bound Peters Peter's mutilated torso was a strand nine-strand copper wire which might ha have bae e been taken from a radio set Dr Squire said it was apparent that the body had been weighted down delaying recovery possibly for weeks |