The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-25
4 RrmAsKABIE CASE.
sIngular cunnins OF u murderer-He fs
Tracked to Germany, and Brought
Back and Convicted by Circumstan-
ttal Evidence.

The Chicago papers are laden with the de.
tails Of the case Of zelgenmeyer, the Ingenious
and well-educated foreigner who has just been
convicted and sentenced to imprisonment foF
lie for making away with dlsinterested
friend 10 the most genial, mastery and cold
blooded manner. -
The case of fZeigenmeyer presents some very
interesting details. About@a yearago, q man
named Gumbleton reached New York with
$4,000 In hls pocket. He came direct from the
''old country" and, like q prudent man, de-
posted his money with o New York banking
firm. Going TO Baltimore soon afterward, he
CHANGED to- make the acquaintance there Of
Zeigenmeyer, who had ealso. recently arrived
In this country. Being adepts In the same
hand1craft,' and employed In the same office,
they soon became warm friends, and were
constantly In each others company. both
when at work and at leisure:> With the I'm
pulsive and conadlng, freedom OF hls race,
of his finances to his comrade, who, 1t
would seem, from that time pursued
Ia scheme TO get possession OF the $4,000
which, for deliberate and deVilish cunning,
has rarely, ii ever, been surpassed. In No
vember the two friends were thrown out OF
employment, and after much consultation
Zelgenmeyer persuaded Gumbleton to go with
him to Chicago, that city presenting, 60 the
formers Judgment, the most advantageous
opportunities for consummating bis plot. To
Chicago they went, and there they boarded
together until one night, when the river re-
celyed the body of GuHbleton, and Zelgen-
meyer returned alone to bis boarding house.
Stating that his friend had gone to New York,
and that he was about to follow, the crafty
zeigenmeyer secured the baggage Of the muir:
dered man and moved, not to New York, but
to another part of Chicago. He then assumed
Gumbleton's name, aud under this disguise
began bargaining with some real estate
agents for farm. This adrot move was
taken, as 1t afterward appeared, In order to
secure the means OF Identification. For his
next step was to enclose. forged endorse
had foundSn the clothing OF the deceased, TO
the New York bankers. The check being sent,
the necessary Identification was furnished by
the real estate agents, q certificate for the
money was procured, Gumbleton'a, name was
again forged In order to secure some baggage
OF his at the depot, his old clothing was sold
off to a junk-dealer, and Zeigenmeyer pro-
Gumbleton was found embedded In the Ice In
the lake at the foot OF Van Buren, street, In
Chicago, In January, and suspicion was then
attached to Zeigenmeyer. Zeigenmeyer was
skilfully traced by q Chicago detective to an
obscure village at the base of the Hartz noun
tains in GERMANY, d was arrested and
brought back to this country.
This very remarkable case was worked out
wholly from circumstantial evidence, based
upon disjointed facts and fragments Of facts,
which 1t required the most careful and acuLe
study to gather and collate, so admirable had
the criminal covered his tracks. The most
important clue, indeed, was, as 1t were, stum-
bled upon, In the shape of an account book Of
Gumbleton's found In the junk establishment
where Zelgenmeyer had disposed OF theScast-
off garments of his friend. Hadit not been for
the. foolish desire of the murderer to make
thus little more money out of his victim, IL
is hardly probably that conviction could
have been secured. AS 1t Is, new trial is de-
manded. and zeigenmeyer is quite hopeful as
to its result He finds no fauItwith the Wit
nesses. but expects, next time, to get "a
more intelligent jury"