The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-03-20
KAISER IS
CONVICTED |
The Jury Returned a Verdict of Murder
in the First Degree.
THE CONDEMNED MAN UNMOYED !
The Verdict Greeted with Cheers by the
Throng Outside the Court House--How
Mrs. Kaiser Met Death Eor the
Insurance on Her Life

Norristown, Pa March 2O.-Charles
/ o. Kaiser, Jr. was last night convicted
| of murder i'm the first degree for the
! killing Of his WIFE, Emma p Kaiser
on the afternoon Of oct 28 last. Kaiser
received the announcement unmoved.
On their first ballot the jury stood nine
( for conviction and three for acquittal.
Three other ballots were taken, and
on each one man was added to the ma
jority
Eaisers father was not i'm court
when the verdict was rendered, but
came in as the officers were about to
remove his son to Jail He walked
over to the dock shook the prisoners
hand and burst into tears. Kaiser's
only Neply was: Don't cry, father;
keep up your heart"
Kaiser was removed to prison which
is about 200 yards from the court, by a
squad of 70 officers. They were follow
ed by a mob of fully 1000 men, women
and children, who howled and cheered
their approval of the verdict. The
jury's finding, while not altogether eX-
pected, has given general satisfaction.
The usual motion in arrest of judg-
ment and for a new trial were made
by the defense.
The crime for which Kaiser, who is
only "A years old. has been found
guilty was most deliberate and cold
blooded, if the jurys finding be cor
rect.
According to his own testimony, he
first met his wife in Lancaster, and
from there they went to Harrisburg
where, on July Z, 1895, they began to
live together as man and wife She
was several years his senior. on June
J. 1896, they moved to Norristown,
where he embarked i'm the crayon por-
trait business. They We're formally
married in Philadelphia on May il,
1896. In the early part of that year
/ policies aggregating about $1,000 We're
taken out on Mrs. Kaiser's life in favor
Of her husband
on the afternoon Of oct % Kaiser
and his wife started in their private
team for Gulf Mills, a village near
Bridgeport, ostensibly to deliver a
crayon portrait to a customer. Later
the team was discovered on the lonely
road leading TO Bridgeport, Kaiser,
apparently almost crazed, was circling
about the road, shrielSing murder" "
The corpse of his wife lay in the
wagon, with a bullet in the head.
Kaiser gave out the story that they
had been attacked by two highway
men, who had robbed them Of money
and jewelry, and shot the woman be-
cause she hesitated in delivering her
valuables The story was carefully in
vestigated. but no trace Of the robbers
could be found. Next day the valu-
ables alleged to have been stolen were
found hidden under stones near the
scene Of the murder
Subsequent developments led to the
theory of a conspiracy between Kaiser
and one James A. Clemmer, and a wo-
man named Lizzie DeKalb, to cause
the death of Mrs. Kaiser and secure
the insurance money. The testimony
proved that Clemmer and the woman
had intimately known Kaiser; that
they had been with him on the day Of
the killing, and that persons answering
their description had been seen on the
road near the fatal spot. In spite Of
vigorous search however, nothing has
been seen of the couple since the day
of the murder and for lack of sufficient
evidence the state was obliged TO aban-
don the conspiracy clause Of the mdict-
ment.
Kaiser has maintained his original
story throughout, although his vari-
Gus versions have been found con-
flicting and contradictory.