The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-04-13
Wonderful Crime.
TFrom the New York Times.


Readers of Miss Braddon's lurid fiction,
| "Henry Dunbar" will remember that it turns
on what seems to be the extravagant hypothe-
sis that one man may murder another, assume
| his name, and identity, enter into possession
of his estate, and be unsuspectinsly received
by his family and the world at large for the
| Individual he personates. This is so glarinG
an improbabiity as to tax the faith of the
most credulous of novel-lovers. Neverthe-
less in all its essential features, Miss Brad
don's startling invention has been realized By
a recent remarkable case in Chicago. The
details of this curious and successful decep-
ton show SO much perverted ingenuity and
readiness of resource as to entitle it to take
rank among celebrated crimes
AS the story is now revealed it begins with
the arrival in New York of one Gumbeton,
an Irishman of good family, in the spring of
| 1870 With him he brought letter Of
credit for 81 900, which he sold soon after
his arrival to New York banking house for
little less than $4,000. He then went to
| Baltimore, where he had the acquaintance Of
young German named Aired Ziegenmeyer,
with whom he soon became intimate TO
gether the two friends, in November of last
year, travelled to Chicago, where Gumbleton
placed on deposit in the National Bank of
Commerce the sum of $500. Soon after, &C.
compaaied by ziegeameyer, he slipped two
boxes containing clothing to Manhattan,
Kansas
From that time nothing definite appears to
be known of him, until on the End of January
of the present year his dead body was found
in the lake. with rope around his neck, ard
Ever since that date the detectives have been
untiring in their efforts to nnravel the mystic
ry, which have at last eliminated in fixing
the crime on Ziegenmeyer and causing his
arrest at Bremen, where he is now held await
ing requsition from Washington. If the
police theory of his movements subsequent to
the murder is entirely correct it is necessary
to credit him with surprising GOODNESS and
cunning in vilainy.
Assuming the detective version to be true,
it appears that Riegenmeyer, Immediately af-
| ter the murder, presented himself at the bank
| with Gumbleon's certificate Of deposit, and
stated that he was his victims partner, and
that Gumbleton had gone to New York, eav-
ing him full authority to draw the $500. The
bank refused to deliver the money without
the owners endorsement This Ziegenmeyer
promised to get from New York, and after an
interval Of six days for that pretended object
returned with forged Endorsement, which
| secure,a the money. This was, apparently,
his last appearance in the character ul Alcg-
enmeyer From that time forth he adopted
the name aud identity of the murdered man
Indeed, at his lodgings he was already
known as Gumbeton, although the two had
! lived there together under their proper names
| from the 9th to the 19th of November, when
| Gumbleton disappeared; moreover, in perso-
nal appearance the two men were as unlike as
can we'll be conceived. Gunibleton being a
man of forty-fve, Of about the middle height,
with dark complexion, black hair and beard,
twenty-one, tall, light fair haired and beard
less, and German, speaking English only
imperfectly. That under these cireumstan-
ces the deception could have been successful
ly carried out seems only less wonderful than
the audacity which inspired it.
AS Gumbleton Ziegenmeyer then procur-
ed the return Of the boxes sent to Kansas
| which he at once sold, and turned his after
ton to the great prize, tie eight thousand
and odd dollars in New York To obtain
this he forged to the banking house with
whom the money was deposited a letter SO
skillfully executed as to satisfy them that ii
was the genuine Gumbleton's handwriting
The balance was prom re. (; z z.;o-
genmeyer in a draft on Chicago. There still
remained the difficulty of Identification, and
the trick by which this was surmounted Is
not the least ingenious in this singular record
of rascally astuteness The pretended Gum
bleton entered into negotiations to buy farm
but when the time came to close the sale be
had no money but his draft, which he could
not cash.
The anxious seller took the bait, and oblig.
ingly identified him at his own bank, and even
went SO far as to add his own endorsement te
the draft. The bank officials, to be quite Sc
cure, wrote to the New York house, and were
assured there that everything was right. s.
bought, and within day or two afterwards
on the 21st Of December, Mr. Ziegenmeyer-
Gumbleton vanished from Chicago, to be nc
more heard Of until his arrest in Bremen or
the charge of murder. F5tl
Regarding all the circumstances of this
elaborate .villainy, so carefully planned and SC
skilfully executed. it may be doubted if any
thing in sensational fiction approaches it ir
romantic improbabiity. Yet the facts seen
to be undeniable, and they are presented OF
the respectable authority of a we'll known Chi
cago journal.
How Spool of Thread Saved Lady's Life
From the Utica IN. Y Observer
A few days ago quite little sensation oc-
Cured at Stittville.. Information was for.
warded to us at the time. but by some acct
dent we failed to receive it, During the af
ternoon, while very respectable married la
dy was sitting in her house sewing, strange
looking man came into the house unannounc
ed. Of course the lady was startled but ask