The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-06
CHARGE OF MURDER
Three Men From the Vicinity
of Derby.
PUT INTO COUNTY JAIL
Accused of the Murder of a
Little Girl.

Last night Sheriff Simmons brought
here under arrest on the charge of muir
der John Kleinnger and his son, Louis,
and Henry Church, who live two miles
in the country southwest of Derby.
Tomorrow, or within a few days, Mrs.
Kle!nniger and the daughter of the family
will be arrested and prosecution will be
Instituted FOR the murder OF a little girl.
whose CORPSE was found in the Arkansas
river south Of Hydraulic bridge June Is.
The body of the child was found by a
farmer, washed up on the low sand bank
Tedjoinins his place.
Some little excitement was worked up
over the finding Of the corpse. and the
Jury in the coroner's inquest found that
the child had been murdered. Nobody
animated a suspicion at the time, but
Sheriff Simmons and Deputy Duncan with
Constable Austin Of DERBY went to work
on the cast with determination TO bring
the guilty parties TO justice. Mr.. Austin
got the story of the man who found the
corpse, the description Of clothes in which
the body was dressed, etc This with a
story from DR.. Dixon OF Derby enabled
the officers to locate the murderers with
considerable certainty of suspicion, which
attached TO K'einnigers and to Henry
Church, young man who had been pay
ing considerable atttntion to young Mss
k4einniger. A child had been born al
kleinnigers. and DR.. Dixon had been
called professionally. This he stated TO
the officers, but when they went TO Klein
myers the whole family denied the doc
tors story and denied that he had been
called.
Young Church. it is said. also denied
eny knowledge Of the case, but when the
parents OF the Kleinniger girl compelled
him to take the young lady 10 the Fourth
celebration at MuIvane he made the fol-
lowing statement to Constable Austin. up
on the strength OF which warrants were
sworn out and the arrests made:
HENRY CHURCH'S STATEMENT.
"On the night OF the birth OF the child.
1 think ii was the 10Th Of June, Louis
kleinniger went TO Derby after Doctor
DIXON, who came out 10 the house and
stayed most OF the night. The girl was
very sick, and l went around to the
house the next night to see how she
was. While there and before l had been
in the house, Mrs. Kleinniger came out
10 the bara where l was standing and
began talking TO me about everything
THAI has happened She said her husband
was awful mad, anu that unless l took
the child away and disposed OF il in some
manner that her husband would xiii me.
and that i must be done al once | was
frightened and started home to get my
buggy, which L al before dark and came
back 10 the house. As l drove up TO the
place Louis kJelnnIger came out of the
house with a basket. 1t was one Of these
ordinary baskets with = handle. l saw
that there was something in it wrapped
in cloth, and supposed by the careful
way he was carrying it that it contained
the child. When he came out he put 1t
in the buggy, and said to take II away,
any place 1 wanted 10, but that if l
brought it back or opened my mouth
about it to anyone that ne would kill rue.
1t was still light and l Wis frightened
for fear someone would come along and
see me with 1t, so L put il down in the
bottom OF the buggy. l did not know
what TO do with the child, and tried TO
think Of some good place TO leave il
Finally 1 thought tie best thing to do
would be to take Il TO Wichita and put
Il In the Orphans home, and l started
for there For several miles 1 drove along
without meeting anyone and was about
half way to Wichita before / began col
leoting my thoughts. When l did So l
wondered at the silence of the child as
part OF the road was rather rough, and
l did not think it could sleep all the way.
Then I had never seen the child and was
curious enough TO want to 10 50.
lifted up the basket beside me and raised
the quilt which covered il. As l did so
a horrible sight met my view. The baby's
head had been crushed in on one side
and the blood was all concealed and dry
and hard. II was cold, and had evidently
been dead some time. I was SO frightened
1 did not know what to do and realized
that 1 was in a fix. Should l have been
caught with the dead child in the buggy
] could never explain II away. SIN study
ing what 10 do, I drove on toward Wich-
ita. When l reached the bridge below
town that crosses the Arkansas the
thought struck me to drop the child in
the river. L was dark by this time and
Istopped the horse and got ont. did not
see anyone. and went 10 throw il into
the water. Some how l could no. do it.
so ! took the hitchSlrap ana run II
through the handle of the basket and
tried to let il down into the water gently.
The strap was not long enough. and I
had 70 let go one end. The basket Ht
sQuarely on the water and the last I saw
OF It 1t was floating down the river WIKI
the current"
The KleinnIgers are well spoken Of by
persons from the ne.Ch59rhood in which
they live having been prominent In move
ments one way and another. The pre-
mary wiI De set in Walkers court today.
ANOTHER HORSEWHlPPlNG
Tra2fE m. n