The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-10-31
THE KAISER TRAGEDY.
Gathering Evidence Against tho
Husband Of the Victim.
PROBABLE INSURANCE sWINDLE

Detective Geyer, of Philadelphia, Who
Worked the Case Against Holmes, De-
clares There Is a Strong Case Against
the Accused Man.
NoRRIsTowN Pa. Oct. 3l.-Thc eternal
feminine is not lacking in the Kaiser case.
Mysterious mention Is heard Of strange
woman, with tho Inevitable black eyes,
who was ut kaiser's store last Monday,
when she was heard to express an inten.
tion of leaving town Again, on Wednes.
day night, she appeared, and was observed
In the town while the thrilling tale of the
highwaymen was on every lip. This time
she was accompanied by Il man wearing
fashionable clothes, even to kid gloves,
and In need of barber's services.
Interest in this story, pregnant as 1t Is
with suggestions of mystery, wnxed
stronger yesterday when the dark man
with the hirsuth face came into sight once
more. AT the time Kaiser was closeted in
the burgess Office with Detective Goycr,
of Philadelphia. During pause in the
searching inquisition the accused husband
glanced ont tho window. As he did SO
the dark man passed, perhaps casually
Instantly Il tremor seized the prisoner, and
he entreated tho detective to screen him
from the eyes of the man outside. "He is
my worst enemy" he declared.
The detective replied that the man re-
ferred to had engaged a lawyer for Kaiser,
indicating friendly feeling for him, but
Kaiser reiterated, with feeling, that he
did not want to see him.
These incidents strengthen the belief of
the authorities that an insurance swindle,
with Mrs. Kaisers life as the forfeit had
been contemplated, and that the strange
man and woman were conspirators with
Kaiser. 1t has been learned that five
policies had been issued to Kaiser and his
wife. Two of these were for 20, 1000 oAch,
ono on each life, the sum total Of either to
go to the survivor in case of the deathsof
one Then there was joint policy OF
$500, with u like agreement. and two
other separate policies for $500 each. All
these, it is said, were taken out last sum-
mer, and SS4 is the aggregate amount of
premiums thus fur paid In On two Of
them Sj4 would have become due next
month. As it is known that Kaiser Is not
in a good financial condition, the detec.
tives believe that he meant to close out
the transaction by putting his wife out of
the way.
Another strange fact has come to light.
Two months ago the couple made joint
will, under an arrangement similar to
that in the policies, but there was clause
inserted at haiser's suggestion, it is said,
to the effect that their bodies should he
cremated. The police intimate that Kaiser
had intended to profit by this arrange
mcnt by the use of poison, but that his
pecuniary embarrassment coming upon
him he used the medium Of lead and con-
cocted the highwaymen story.
Yesterdays incidents, apart from the
episode of the dark man. were II partial
hearing Of tho case by tho coroner and an
autopsy on the woman's body AS a re-
suit of tho herring Kaiser was committed
to prison without bail, pending Il further
investigation. The chief of police was the
only witness, and his testimony was con-
fined largely to the finding of the watch,
poclletbooh and pistol on Thursday.
The autopsy was to determine in partlc-
ulara vital point-whather the shot which
sent the bullet crashing through the young
womun's brain was fired on n level with
head or from point below her. This is
to determine the strength Of the theory
that Kaiser fired it while sitting beside
his wife in the carriage, or whether 1t was
fired by one of the vapory footpads, stand
ing on the ground So far as could be
learned, the evidence adduced loaned to
tho former supposition.
Detective Gever he of Holmes fame, is
using some of the methods which brought
such success in that celebrated case. From
the notorious multi-murderer Geyer ac-
cumulated weird collection of state
ments, including variety of confessions
and in each Of these he found u little truth
which pieced out damaging narrative to
to tho arch coufessor. Yesterday the de-
tective secured signed statement from
Kaiser, but he will not indicate the ma
ture of its contents, although he said there
is a strong case against the accused man,
according to his belief.