The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-03-24
MURDER WILL OUT.

MURDER WILL OUT.
Found Drowned In Chicago-A Detectives
Work-A Murderer Assumes the Name of
His Victim, and Obtains His Property He
is Arrested In Germany.
From the Chicago Tribune, March 90
On Tuesday, January Cd. there was pub
liShcd an account of the finding of body
Of an unknown man in the basin on the
lake front. The man had evidently been
ioully dealt with, though no testimony
could be adducc,t to show who was the
guilty person. The verdict Of the coroners
Jury was to the effect that the deceased had
come to his death by drowning, and that
the person or persons who threw him into
the water could not he found. At this time
it was supposed that the dead man, whose
name was aScertaDcd to DC NJ. W. Gum
blcron, was an Englishman, and al
though some letters and freight receipts
werc found on his body, no clue
could he gathered from them as to the pre-
yious history OF the man. On the 9th Of
january Detective Dixon took the case in
hand, and proceeded in the attempt to uti-
rarel the thread presented by the letters
found on the dead man. The shipping re-
ceipts found on the body showed that Gum
bleton had received two boxes over the
Union Line from Baltimore, and had re-
ceived two boXes-prcsumably the same
to Manhattan, Kansas, over the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy railroad. There
was also found letter from Blake Bros. &
Co., No. 50 Wall street, New York, directed
to Gumblcton in Baltimore, referring to q
sum Of money, and advising the recipient
m 1anS hn in hnir hn, do h1
had settled himself In the West, whittier he
seemed to have formed the intention of
going.
Detective Dixon ascertained that a man
calling himself Gumbleton had been ROOM
ing at No. 4l2 Dearborn street, room 80,
but that he had departed on the 10th of De.
ccmber, Just two weeks before. So far the
matter was plain, and no appreciative pro-
greSS had been made. But in his inquiries
as to the appearance and habits of Gumble.
ton, Dixon found q strange state Of things
existing. The Gumbleton taken from the
basin dead was a dark man, medium size,
with Il little black beard, black hair. with n
tendency to badness. apparently about 45
years of aye. and from I'LL evidences an
freshman or EngliShman. On the other
hand, the dodgers with Gumbleton, as well
rs the other people with whom he came in
contact. all represented him as L light .com-
pleNioned young man. quite tall, having no
beard. very light hair, about u years of age.
aud German. The latter fact was apparent
from the very broken manner in which he
used the language, and from bis own repre-
sensations. Further investigations proved
that Gumb|cton arrived in this city on No
vcmtcr 10th, 1870, i'll company with one
Alfred Ziegeumeycr, whose description,
obtained afterward, tailed with that of the
(,nrlnpn II than hnt
Gumhicton had been almost constantly in
company with Ziegenmeyer during the time
they were III the clty-that is, from the 10th
to the 10Th of November. On the latter
date the two proceeded to the Central depot
together 10 ship the two boxes, which were
| Gllcrward proved to have contained cloth
| ing, to Manhattan. Kansas. That this ship
! lnent was made is shown by the receipt
| found on the body of Gunbiet0n. This
was the last ever seen of the latter alive
AS TO the manner of his death, and the
means employed by his murderer to COM
pass his purpose, there may be an indefinite
number of conjectureS made, and perhaps
every reader of this is as we'll able to
| to form one for him. 1t will be re-
me,nbercd that there was a piece of
rope found bound or tied around the
! head and face of the deceased man and
partially over his mouth. Taking this eie-
ment of the case into consideration, it may
reasonably be thought probable that Gum
| blcton and Ziegenmeyer took a walk to-
ward the lake after the business of ship
ping the goods had been finished. The
time was about ) in the afternoon, and at
that hour in q November day the night had
nearly come on. 1t is probable that the
younger and more crafty one of the couple
bad no difficulty in eagging or binding the
older man, and in throwing him into the
lake. There may have been struggle,
though the body showed no marks OF Nio-
lcnce but, however it may have been ac-
complished, there need be no doubt that
when Iegenmeyer went back to his lodg-
ingS that night he felt that he had partially
freed himself from one incumbrance which
prevented him from obtaining the money
which he knew his victim to be pos
seSSed of.
knowing intimately the habits and Gus.
toms Of Gumbleton, Ziegenmeyer was per.
tcclly aware that the former had lett on de-
post in Chicago some $500, which he had
brought from Baltimore, and which, to.
gcther with the 5000 found on his body,
was the only money he had in the West,
This $500 was deposited on November 1G,
the day OF the arrival OF the two. On the
Goth of November, the day after the sup.
posed murder, Zlegenmeyer presented hims
self at the National Bank Of Commerce
No. 107 Dearborn street, and represented
that Gumblcton, who was his partner in
business, had left OH the previous day for
New York, but that he had authorized him
| (Zicgenmeyer) to draw the money and use
it in their partnership matters. AT the
same time he presented the certificate OF
deposit which he had taken from the body
OF Gumbleton. The bank, OF course, refused
| to pay the money, and informed Ziegenmeyer
| that he would have to have the Endorsement OF
Gumbleton before he could draw the mo-
ney. He acquiesced in the decision Of the
| bank, and went away. saying that he would
send the certificate to New York and have
it endorsed by Gumbleton. He could cal
! culate that it would take about three days
for letter to reach New York, supposing
he had one 10 send and SO he forged Gum
bleton's name, with the date Of New
York, Nov. 49," just three days after the
first presentation. Giving time for another
three days to elapsc after the pretended
signature had been affixed, he presented
himself again ut the same bank on the Goth
OF November, and drew the money on the
certificates and forged signature Of Gum
blctom. One of the most curious aspects Of
this strange affair is that Ziegenmcyer
had been known by his own name du-
ring the time that he and Gumbleton
had been r0oming together at No. liz
Dearborn street that lc went out as lie
gcnmcycr on the afternoon of the 18th OF
November ut about 5 O'Clock that he came
back on the same night as G umbleton and,
finally, that on the following day, the Goth,
he saw Gumbleton ut his lodgings ard
Zieoenmeyer at the bank. Shortly after he
had sIlccrSSfully obtained the money he SET