Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04
he Was Found Shot in the Breast Near EX-
President Hayes Home.
MURDERED BY MAN AND A WOMAN
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. I,

the puffs OF his cigar he told the story of
how he won his spurs in his profession The
story ran:
Some IL years ago Christina 7. Schlach-
berger was house servant in Greensburg.
With the natural thrift of her race she had
saved from her earnings some 81 200, which,
for safekeepiug, she placed in the hands Of
Sheriff Bolan, of Westmoreland county.
Andrew Cotreker, a sturdy Teuton. met
Christina. Her charms made such an i'm
preston upon him that they soon were
mated. Some months after the happy event
Cotreker became dissatisfied with his sur
roundings. With 81, 900 of his wife's earn
ings in the shape of draft, he started tor
the West with the intention of founding
home for himself and wife.
A TRAGEDY AT HAYES HOME.
Not long after his departure from Green's
burg the body of a German was found on
the outskirts OF the town of Fremont, O.,
just in the rear of the residence of ex-Presi-
dent Hayes. A CHASTITY hole in the breast
told of violent death. In the dead mans
hand was revolver. On the body were
found draft for 81, 900, silver watch and
a small notebook, on page of which was
written. 81 am tyrd uf life berry me hear"
ALI indications pointed to suicide. A
photograph OF the body was taken. That
night the potter's field had another occu-
pant. Feeble efforts were made to ascer-
tain the identity of the man, but without
success.
Among that class which figured to a more
or less extent in the police records of Fre-
mont were one-legged John Welsh, known
as "Pelter" Welsh, and May Isenbeis.
This couple had lived together for some
years. Frequent quarrels ruffied the Sc
renity of their lives to such an extent that
they soon possessed an unenviable reputa-
ton. Some 18 months after the discovery
Of the dead German they quarreled over
some money stolen from the woman's mother.
AS result they were arrested on charge
of larceny. When the case came to trial
Welsh testified against the woman in any
thing hut complimentary terms. In the
height of passion at being held up to the
shame of the public, the woman threatened
to enlighten the Court as to the story of the
dead German. Welsh at once ceased his
TRADE.
A MYSTERY ONLY HINTED AT.
When questioned, the woman refused to
say anything further on the subject. The
case went to the jury and the woman was
convicted on the charge Of larceny. Prose-
cutting Attorney CARRIER now set to work to
learn what the woman knew of the death of
the supposed suicide. He sent TOR Mr. Nor
ris to whom he related the circumstances
connected with the discovery of the body
and the strange hints thrown out by the
Isenbeis woman. At his suggestion the de-
-tectiye was locked up in cell adjoining
that of the woman. The pseudo prisoner
soon became acquainted with her. He
stated to her that he knew "Pelter" Welsh,
and that it was Welsh's intention to have
her sent to the penitentiary for five or SIX
years in order to have her out of the way.
He had grown tired of her. The woman
was enraged at her partners perfidy. Urged
on by the idea of revenge, she told the story
of the Germans death.
She had decoyed the German to the edge
Of the town one night under the direction of
Welsh. Here they were discovered by
Welsh, with the intention of extorting
money. During the wrangle which ensued
the revolver held by Welsh was discharged.
The stranger dropped to the ground, shot
through the heart. The confederates at
once set to work to hide the traces of the
crime. The revolver was placed in the dead
mans hand. In the notebook found upon
the corpse Welsh wrote the supposed last
words of the dead man. Welsh then took
from the dead mans pocket gold watch,
but fearing that the absence of the watch
would be deathblow to the theory of sui
eide, he replaced it with an old silver one
which he himself carried.
NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE.
Upon the strength of this confession Welsh
was indicted for murder by the grand jury.
In court the woman substantially repeated
the story given to the detective. The man
strenuously denied that he had any part in
the crime. Without more evidence the case
was likly to end in an acquittal. Now be-
gan the work Of forging the chain of evil
dence necessary to the conviction of Welsh.
Mr.. Norris e1humed and made a careful
examination of the body of the supposed
suicide. The skin upon the forefnger of
the right hand was hard and calloused, and
the nail was bent. The man had been a
tailor. Constant use of the forehnger in
sewing had roughened the skin, while the
nail had been bent in pushing the needle
through heavy cloth. An examination of
the clothing and other articles found upon
the body at the time of discovery yielded |
more clues. The neatly mended socks and |
underclothes gave the detective the idea
that the man had been a married man. One |
of the pockets of the coat had been mended |
with piece of calico. To secure the gold |
watch which the Isenbeis woman had ac-
cused Welsh of abstracting from the body |
was the next step. The watch was traced to |
O., where Welsh had traded it
for horse. The silver watch was indenti- |
fed by Mansfield jeweler, who had at one
time shortly before replaced broken main |
spring. Upon seeing Welsh in the court |
room the jeweler recognized him as the man
who had had the repairing done.
IDENTIFIED AT LAST,
The Sheriff of Westmoreland county, |
hearing of the case, and seeing in one of the |
papers a picture of the dead man, which
bore strong resemblance to the missing |
wrote to Mr.. Norris for full par
ticulars of the c1se. AS result of this let
ter, the detective went to Greensburg. The
Sheriff recognized the draft as one he had
drawn for Mrs Cotreker prior to her hus-
bands departure for the West. The gold
watch, being heavily ornamented with
head of Washington and picture of a
soldier, was easily identified by the wife,
who also produced shirt stud, which cor
responded with the two found upon the
body. To complete the evidence, she pro-
1uced the remnants of an old sun bonnet,
which exactly matched the calico patch in
.he dead mans coat. -.
With all these facts in his possession, Mr..
Norris went before the jury sitting on the
Ease Of Welsh and related TO the court the
full particulars of his search. As result
W elsh was convicted of murder and SEN
:enced to hang. Aside from the woman's
all the evidence produced against
The convicted man was purely oircumstan-
ial. Up TO the day appointed for execu-
Jon he strenuously protested his innocence.
rhe day of execution was at hand. Welsh
vas to be hanged at 2 o'clock. That MORN
ng Governor Foster respited the prisoner
or 30 days. He dispatched . messenger