The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-12
STOLTZ MURDER CASE
ALBERT MUssER's TRIAL BEGINS IN
HARTFORD CITY TODAY.
Arguments in the CndwalIader En-
bezzIement Case at Winchester
Now COming-State News.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

special 10 the indianapolis Journal
HARTFORD CITY, Ind, Dec. 1.-THE
trial of Albert Musser, charged with being
an accomplce to the murder and robbery
of Mrs. Stoltz at Portland last February,
will begin in this city Monday on a change
of venue Mrs. Stoltz, the murdered
woman. had considerable wealth and lived
like a miser in the suburbs of Portland. On
Saturday afternoon, Feb r. her body was
found in her cottage. Her hands and feet
were bound and in her mouth was stuffed
chair tidy. 1t is supposed the robbers
secured over $1,000 which she had in the
house. 1t was generally supposed tfat
time that she had been murdered and robbed
on the previous (Fr!day) night, anG the
coroner so rendered his verdict. !IoW ever,
her nearest neighbors stated that she had
not been seen since Thursday afternoon. A
few claimed to have seen her alive On FIJI
day. A reward of 81 600 was offered for the
arrest and conviction of the muc le.a-s.
The first clew came 10 tile city mafs3al
on a postal card printed in a scrawling
hand and reading: Go 10 the ole ladys
house who lives next 10 the North En-
headin' factory She's been robbed; please
go"
The officer suspected the author of the
card to be Herschell La Toilette a crippled
young man of unsavory reputation of that
city, for the reason that La Toilette was
accustomed in his idle moments to print
sentences in a hand almost identical to that
on the card. He was closely watched, and
just four weeks after the discovery of the
crime La Toilette committed suicide by cut
ting his throat with a razor while the Off
GERS were at the door to arrest him. The
day before he took his life he stated to g
companion that Mrs. Stoltz had not been
Killed on Friday night, and If the officers
continued to look for her murdererS as hav-
ing committed the crime on that night they
would never find out who committed the
deed. Sure enough when the officers did get
on a clew and arrested Samuel H. Marshall
ana Albert Musser it was found the men
had alibis for Friday night, when it was
supposed the crime had been committed.
They had been in Portland Thursday night
and had returned to Madison county on
Friday. Marshall had his trial at Winches-
ter and was acquitted, and the evidence
against Musser, whose trial comes to-mor-
row, is almost the same as that against
Marshall. The Terre Haute police gave the
first clew to Marshall who made a big show
of his new-found wealth. Musser and
Marshall are thought to have been induced
10 come to Portland by La Toilette, who
Kept watch on the wealthy widow. They
were all seen together the day before her
death, and the next day Musser and
Marshall were back in Anderson spending
money: La Toilette is supposed to have
been thrown down and got nothing and
then sent the postal card to the police which
led to the discovery of the murder.
Marshall was arrested at Monmouth, ILL.,,
and Musser was caught in East st. Louis
Musser attempted suicide on being brought
back to Alexandria.
Musser's home is in Adams county at the
little hamlet of Linn Grove He has Grim
inal record of great length. He has served
one year in the Ohio Penitentiary. He
pleaded guilty in the Federal Court at In
annapolis to robbing the West Muncie post
Office He was connected with a gang of
Jay county thieves and was arrested last
winter in Adams county as the leader of
gang OF marauders which had fitted up a
cave under a barn near Berne, Ind, found
70 be filled with plumber. He was released
from the Adams county jail Jan l. 1898 On
Jan. II, with four other suspicious charac-
tiers, he was arrested tried and convicted
OF Eagrancy: He served his sentence in the
Anderson Jail and was released the week of
the Stoltz murder. The defense will en-
deavor to prove that Musser was in Mil
waukee Wis, at the time of the Stoltz MUIR
der in the employ of street car company
1t Will also attempt to prove that Musser
had no acquaintance with Marshall and
never saw him until they net in Jail. The
case case VIII be tried before Special Judge
Daily, of Burton