The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-04-27
Murder VIII Out.
IN. Y. Tines.l

On Friday morning, November Io,
1864, the body Of a murdered man was
found concealed in cOrn-stack on the
farm of Mr.. II. S. Hartshorne, near Free
hold, N. j. The murder had been COM
mitted during the night, for Mr.. Harris
horne and his farm hands had worked on
the very spot until dark the previous
evening. The victim was shOckingly
mutilated. His skull was fractured in
two places, either wound being sufficient
to cause death. But to make sure work,
the assassins had stabbed the poor wretch
fifteen times, and the knife was thrust
down his throat until the tongue was
severed at the roots. The Coroner's in
quest brought to light but few facts the
first day, but on the second day obtained
information pointing to the perpetrators
of the horrible crime. On the evening
preceding the discovery of the body two
Germans purchased suits of clothing at
a store in Freehold, for which they paid
the full price asked in gold. After max
ing their purchases in the town, and Wis
iting several saloons, they took room at
a hotel, and early in the morning left by
train for New York. The day after the
murder the room which these men had
occupied was searched, and money-belt
was found which contained between fifty
and sixty twenty-dollar gold pieces.
William Wilkning, the keeper of a
German emigrant boarding.hOuse at No.
q Greenwich street, New York, heard of
the tragedy, and, going to Freehold,
identified the body as that of John
Minike, who had been one of his boarders.
Minike had served in the army, had
saved his pay, and after his discharge
had gone to Germany and bought farm.
In consequence of family troubles he had
sold his farm and had returned to this
country. Wilkning said he certainly
knew of $1,000 in gold which Minike
had, and which he carried in belt. He
identified the belt found in the room as
the one. On being shown the old suits
of clothes which the strangers had left
behind he at once recognized them as the
clothing of two other boarders at his
house, by name Cleaver and Schwartz.
Schwartz had at one time worked on Mr..
Hartshorpe's farm, and the conclusion
was irresistible that the unfortunate man
had been enticed to Freehold as being
a location of which one of the assassins
had some knowledge, and had there been
murdered and robbed by them in the
darkness. A reward of $500 was offered
by Governor Parker for their apprehen-
sion, but all search proved unavailing,
and the crime was forgotten in. the ex-
citement of the war. 1t was long after
ascertained, however, that they had gone
to Canada; that Cleaver there robbed
- oh a t, sc he Ohora nf tho hnnfu anI
disappeared, and that Schwartz afterward
committed suicide by hanging.
Now comes the revelation, as strange
as any fiction of the stage or the novelist.
The White Star Steamer Baltic left New
York for Liverpool OIL February Goth
last. On her arrival at Liverpool the
commander of the vessel called upon De-
tective Constable, of the police force, to
arrest German passenger on the charge
of having attempted to outrage the per-
son of his little daughter while on the
voyage.
On being arrested the prisoner, who
did not know of the charge which had
been preferred against him by the cap.
tain of the steamship, supposed that
some previous crime of his had been dis
CONcTeu. Ilc Stiu IudI LID uduiC was
Gustave Cleaver, and that he was one of
the two men who more than eleven years
ago killed John Minike at Freehold, N.
j. In short, he confessed the full details
of murder of which the Liverpool po.
lice were entirely ignorant.
Information was at once given to MIR.
Lucius Fairchild, the United States Con-
sui at Liverpool, who communicated the
facts to Secretary Fish at Washington.
Detectives O'COnnor and Field, of New
York, were put to work, and they found
Wilkning, the boarding-house keeper.
He pronounced Cleaver's story correct in
every particular, and one which could
not have been told but by one who had
been an actor in the bloody deed. The
newspaper files were examined, and they
verified Cleaver's account. Papers of ex-
tradition are now being prepared, and
when completed Detective O'Connor will
sail for England to bring back this self
accused murderer, whose fearful secret
would have never been known but for
one of the most remarkable accidents in
the annals of crime.