New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-11
MANY MURDERS SUSPECTED.
WORSE THAN FORGERY NOW CHARGED
AGAINST CHARLES ZANOLI.

DEATH FOLLOWED THE INSURANCE e"iNDih<N
WHEREVER HE wENT-THE BODY OF
HIS LAST WIFE TO BE ExHUMED
TODAY AND EXAMINED By
MEDICAL EXPERTS.
Charles Zanol. alias Braun, alias sumner,
who was arrested on Thursday on the charge OF
defrauding the Metropolitan Life insurance
Company and confessed himself guilty. mas
more now TO answer than the charges OF fraud
and forgery. Of which he so readily owned that
he was rightly the subject. 1t is now more
than suspected by the police and the District
Attorney that the prisoner was the active agent
in causing at least some OF the deaths OF MS
four wives. his mother-in-law. his daughter ana
his workman. by linking which with carefully
arranged system Of insurance, he made several
thousands Of dollars.
District-Attorney Olcott and Captain Nc
Clusky yesterday decided that the body OF
Mrs Summer, Zanoli's last wife. who died In
August last. shall be exhumed and examined
by expert chemists for traces Of poison. Until
that has been done the police have practically
no direct evidence Of murder against their pris-
oner and they frankly admit that at present the
case puzzles them. That a man could live for
years under the eyes Of the police. move about
as he chose and change his name as he pleased.
keeping all the time barber shop open to the
public and dependent on its patronage ana
while plotting forgery. fraud and murder right
along. focusing it. as 1t ripened, at the pay
desk Of great business corporation getting
caught at last only by accident, they are re-
luctant to believe Is possible. Yet Zanoli ad-
mts all this but the murder.
NEW CHARGES MADE.
The barber was again arraigned before Magis-
trate Meade In the Centre Street Police Court,
yesterday by Central Office Detectives Carey and
Aloncle. They arraigned him as a suspicious
person. and after explaining to the Magistrate
that It was now believed that he had caused
the death Of his many wives, his mother-in-law
and his employe. William Scmidt. for the pur-
pose Of collecting insurance money asked Tor
more time in which to secure evidence against
him.
Zanol was again remanded to Police Head
quarters. Joseph Moss. representing the Metro
poltan Insurance Company. was in court pu'
said that he would await developments concern
ing the suspicion of murder against Zanoli be-
fore pressing and prosecuting the charge OF ue-
frauding the insurance company. The barber
was extremely pale. but aside from that was
calm and self-possessed. and did not seem 70 De
at all perturbed BY the seriousness of the charge
against him.
After the hearing he was photographed AZ
pol,ca HEADQUARTERS for the Rogues' Gallery
Yesterday and measured according TO the ber-
t,llon system He strongly objected to these
fCrmalites
DETECTIVES HARD AT WORK.
All Yesterday the Central Office detectives and
the officials of the DistrlctAttorneys ofhce were
hard at work the case.
Captain McClusky is proceeding on the theory
that Mary Dorm. Zanolis first wife, ana NE. MI.
naf
Zanoii had hand I'm the death of Lena Werner.
his second wife; Schmidt. his 'employe: LOUISA
Herzg his third wife, Jennie schenn, ms % loul IN n
wife and Lena Werner, his stepdaughter. VINO IS
missing as well as In the death OF Mrs sumner
He asked Zanoli point blank in the course OF the
afternoon if he mad Killed ms wives ahu ine tle
other persons. The prisoner emphatlcally denied
all guilt. Afterward he wept bitterly IN ms cen
and seemed 10 be sorry for something that ne
had done. ,..
McClusky afterward said that he thought
the prisoner was acting part. The chief de-
tectiye is particularly impressed with the iact
that the diseases which afflicted the various
wives and the two other persons al! seem 10 De
variations Of one complaint
Whe, Zanoli was searched at Headquarters
ne had loaded revolver, slon ID plIls ana
handbook with ar account of 5000 in IT, lie
seemed 10th to part with the money, ana saio
that he carried the revolver to protect hmseI
against robbers and hold-ups
WHAT THE DEATH RECORD SHOWS
The Death Registry Bureau yielded up its
contribution to the yesterday In the Official
record Of the deaths now under investigation
This Is the record in the order in which the
deaths occurred
Leopoldine Dern sick from October Il. 1894. morn
ing until evening; Coroner case pace OF uea,n,
No III Elzabeth-st; investigated oX to,onsi ,, AZ
generation Of the heart; undertaken, r j. Hoeler'
OF No 1@ Ludowst.
Maria % Il zsno M and aeRdsd ed % 3 Ry k m he 'a2
Of the las; date; Of death apoplexa cerebral
Weber Of No. "A Rivington-st; burial IN the Lq-
theran Cemetery on June IL undertaken r. j.
Hoeller
Lena zanoli. attended by a physician from NO. No.
vember 22 10 a. 1895, and died at o'clock In SD the
ce1ebT5i r bua at
SSember q; E Dusan underiaker Of No ts East yss
One. hundred and -nneteenth-st'' o'eu a' >o' I''
Charles zanol,. sick from July Il. 1886 and died 6
ocIock on the afternoon OF the same day; cause OF
death, insolation burial Cedar Grove Cemetery an-
tending physician. DR.. j F. Murphy. No Az West
Thirty-tourth-st place of death No 1854 Ie"'h-
Louisa Braun. attended by a physician December
49, 1885, OF death aP9pedTy d ye,se, spS oS ex
oSssr e N e % Rssi RSrS y
r. West e; NO "a wes, 'Fs
Jennie Sumner, attended by physician August
to Of the present year; cause OF death iyph%1ld
failure az ane 20 % Eat. ny eT
and-forty second-st and DR.. J. W. Harris. Of No
2ae East One hundred went yfourth St. burial
ST. Mchaers Cemetery; fuperal conducted by IN
dertake J. c. Freedom. OF No 2.236 Third ave; age
thirty-one years: married. ded AT NO 1fo East Oi'e
hundred and twenty -fftE-st
The list is not complete. The death OF I1ottie'
Zanolrs first wifes daughter. who died. accord.
ing to his statement, just before the death OF
his second wife on October 10. 1879. Is not
there. The name OF Charles Zanoli. In the iist
esta blshes the case Of forgery and fraud against
the prisoner This dead Zanol was William
Schmidt the tourneyman barber. whose mys-
terious taking off started his friends upon the
inquiry which has now landed the real canon
in faiI after compelling him to hide himself be-
hind the name Of Braun.
Mr. oLcOTT TO ACT TO-DAY.