New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-09
THE MYSTERY CLEARS.
KRUL1scH BOUGHT THE RATCHET.
THE SEVENTEEN YEAR-oID ERRAND BOY HELD
FOR KILLING GUNTHER wEcHsUNG,
THE DRUG CLERK.

u"ruer Oh Gunthef WecnsunB IN QUO DoepIners
drug store, at No, 937 Third-ave, on Thursday
was cleared away yesterday afternoon, when VIII
lam Krulisch the errand boy in the store, was
locked up as the suspected murderer. Krulisch
Is seventeen years Of age, slender and small for
ms years, with q neat appearance and a face full
Of intelligence At the outset the detectives were
slow to believe that the lad could have had any
part In the crime but their suspicious were aroused
by his persistent lying and he gradually involved
himself in network of circumstantial evidence
from which there seems to be no escape.
His falSincation became apparent while the
wounded drug clerk was still lying in the drug
store and was able to talk about tho murderous
assault To explain his absence from the store
at the time when Plumber McCreery found
Wechsung helpless and bleeding behind the pre-
scriphon counter, KrUlisch said he had been sent
out to buy some rolls ct q neighoring balery.
Wechsung heard what the lad said and contra
dictsi him. saying: Nobody sent you out.
Why did You leave the storeP' The boy said
be had gone to the bakery on his own notion
Later the detectives Sscertained that he had not
been seen at the bakery that morning.
Wechsung said he did not see the person who
struck him with the hatchet He had opened
the door to admit Krulisch ho said, and was
sitting on the lounge, benting over to tic his
shoesring, when the blows fell on his head.
The lad said he was admitted by the clerk at
a. m, and in a few minutes went TO the bakery,
leaving Wechsung dressing himself. Mr.. Doepfner
neticed that the money drawer near the prescrip-
tion counter was open and empty. 1t had held
sIl In change on Wednesday night. Somebody
who understood the combination lock Of the
drawer had opened it, as the lock was not broken.
Some remarks about the robbery were made in
tie bearing Of tho wounded drug clerk and of
the boy and KruIsch was asked how he got
money to buy rolls with. " OH he said, Wech-
sung gave me money from the drawer That's
he,' said the clerk You know, VIII, didn't
take any money from the drawer
After Wechsung had been removed to Bellevue
Hospital in a dying condition, krulisch continued
lying He said he lived at No. sIA East Fifty
elehth-st., and Lad eaten breakfast with his
parents before he went to the drug store in the
morning, His father, he said, was stone-cutter
out OF employment Later he admitted that he
had been lying, as his father and mother had
bcen dead several years, and he was living with
bis married brother jacob, in House G, of the
Peabody Flats, at No. 304 East Seventy -second-st-
The detectives caught the boy in several other
falseboods ON Thursday, and Captain Warts had
him watched by policemen in plain clothes.
THE EVIDENCE AGAINST KRUnIscH.
Tho wounds that killed Weschung were such as
would have been inflicted by lad like krulisch.
AT least dozen blows with the hatchet had
broken In the top of the clerks skull and had
shattered the bone in plaoes, while a man of
ordinary strength could have split the clerks
stuH open with O single blow. The hatchet was
Al 3 peouIiar brand nos eorfm1dIy sold IN this
city. II bore the name OF its makers, II. I.
Strong d. Co., OF Cleveland, Ohio stamped on the
wide blade, and the number so" had been
written with lead pencil on the handle. AS the
hatehet was the only clew left by the murderer
the police set TO work to find out where 1t had
been purchased Inspector Byrnes sent out an
order 10 the police TO inquire in all hardware
stores in the city where such hatchets were sold,
but no reports OF find were sent in before noon
yesterday
Sergeant Price and Dctective-Scrgeant Titus Of
Headquarters and Detective Cuff, OF Captain
Warts's squad, went to work in the afternoon
with the belief that young Krulsch had at least
a guilty knowledge OF the murder, and they began
to make Inquiries near the boys home, at FIRST
ave. and seyenty-second-st. A little more than
block AWAY from the fats they ran across the
little hardware store Of Isadore Freundlich, at
No I.Yl0 First-ave. There they inquired for
hatchets, and found two bearing the stamp Oh
II, I. Strong d Co., OF Cleveland but tho hatchets
were of a larger size than the one with which the
murder had been committed. Freundlich sald nc
bad sold smaller one OF tho same
make ON "Wednesday. boy bought it. Being
ascd % describe the boy he gave fair description
of Young Krulisch. Adolph Schlesinger, an un-
cmnloved mechanic, of No. 351 East Seventy
second-st.. was in the store then, and he remem-
bered be,ua in the store on Wednesday, when the
hov, hougbt the batchet. He and Freundich had
noticed something peculiar in the boys behavior
az the time. He had looked down at the counter,
as IL afraid 70 meet their ghnces, ana nc nao
spoken in low tone. All OF trepndhcns nnscneS a,,n
had the ptIces marked on the HANDLES IN peno.I
hy bimSeif and ne said the boy paid sixty cents
for the hatchet on wednesday. IL. ....,o,, o..
Price and Cuff went to the police station 1or
the hatehet and on the way hack TO the STORE
they took Krullsch in tow. The lads eyes red
dened and his face paled aS nc was led 70 the
door Of Frcundlch's store. Iltus was scanu nnS
SchIss;nger @ ~ look out Bo;h men said: That
is the boy who bought the hatchet"
THE BOY DENIES HIS GUILT.
Krulscb hurst into tears and declared 1t was
all q mistake. He was poo' ana nlenoless
boy. and had not bought the hatchet ne sald. |
Freundlioh and Schlesinger said they could not
ho mistaken In the boy. The bloody hatcheb was
nroducea. and Freundllch identified 1t by, his |
written price mark as the one ne hao GOA on
KrnlscR was taken to the Fifty-Arst,st. police |
station and crossqusstioned in the captains room,
but he persisted in his denials and wspt until ne ne
was locked up His arrest ars S1ssu drug sto, and
Mr. Doepfner expressed his astcnishmeent at the
evidence evil which the police had obtained. joseph
KniscR tho lads brother Is SSsG1HEer IKE sOn S1d
not beiisye IN his brothers guilt last evening. He
said their parents were Bohemans and moved ito to
this city shortly before William was born %Ii Inc
family had lived several years IN sHbooI eSSS IN FftbS
His His parents died eight years ago. At the ago Of
fourteen he became @ an errand boy in groeery in
Second-aye and two years ago ne was S sns e5i eS
SecSonS ave-, II yas on Feischmanns recomnaenda-
tion that the lad obtained employment IN Mr.
Doepfners store few months ago. he ne naa nod nUS
been caught In any wr9ngoolns;, on the charge of
reputation previous to his arres' OA '0
The police were wondering last night Wnae AZ
motive prompted such nero lad ~ cVsuS ~ rnSs.D
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