The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-06-20
MULLERING SAYS NEIGHBoRs
LIED ABOUT HIM.

81
LIED ABOUT HIM.
Later. when confronted by Joseph Port
her, whose family now occupies the for
mer Mullering homestead, and asked TO re-
eaIl certain statements which he is alleged
| TO have made shortly after his wife's dis
| appearance, the prisoner jumped from his
chair and declared in tones of wild excite
! ment that Portner and others had lied
ABOUT him to the police and that he had
made none Of the statements which haa
neen credited to him. The statements which
he denied having made were in reference
| TO his having used a shotgun on the morn
| ing of his wife's disappearance
An important point brought out by the
sweating and one which Is decidedly In
MuIieFlnS favor. was the fact that on the
day following his wlfe's disappearance Null
iering went TO the German newspapers OF
tne city and requested that pictures Of the
missing persons be published in the hope
mat 1t would lead TO their recovery. The
pictures were published and for several
days afterwards Mullering fairly haunted
| the newspaper offices and police headquar-
ters seeking information of the missing
ones.
To Special Officer Kirk MulIering stated
that on two occasions since the disappear
ance OF his wife he had placed a revolver
10 his head with the intention of killing
himself Il just want to find out whether
my wife is alive or not. II she is dead
then do not want to live longer" Muller
ing said to Captain McNamee Later he
stated that he was sure his wife is alive
and that when she learns of his arrest she
viii come forward and clear up the whole
mystery. Several times in the process of
sweating" Mullering wept
ana to think that 1 should be accused
OF klliing my wife and child" He sobbed
We have been married sixteen years and
never had quarrel until the day she al
lowed the chickens to run over my yegeta-
DIE garden Then because 1 scolded her
for 1t she left me-
Everything the neighbors have said
about me since 1 left Underwood Is with
out toundation. They have told nothing
but lies and If my wife will only come out
the truth will be learned"
When asked If he would take his wife and
child back in case they were located. MuI-
iering replied most eagerly, Yes" Then
he added: IF she has not violated tho
law. l will take her back"
No amount of questioning would induce
the prisoner to go back on his statement
that ne knows nothing concerning his wife's
whereabouts. Time and again he was
tr1pped up in statements regarding minor
details which bore distant relation to the
disappearance. He was asked why he had
told william hameyer. the blacksmith at
Old Manchester and Watson roads. that
he might need him CSameyer) as a witness
and he replied that he thought his wife
may have committed suicide, and he wanted
hameyer to prove that he was in the black
smith shop the morning of her disappear
ance, and thereby prove an alibi in the
event of his being held for her death.
Mullering said he had made every effort
to locate his wife and daughter; that he
had visited the homes of all her friends.
had gone to all the employment agencies
"here she Is acquainted, and had watched
the newspapers most carefully to see II any
trace Of her had been found. Asked II he
had visited the morgue. he said no.
HAS NOT BEEN TRYING TO
ELUDE THE POLICE.
He stated that carpenter named Lanpe
whose address he did not know had told
him that he saw Mrs. Mullering and her
daughter in the neighborhood of the rail-
road station at Underwood the morning of
the disappearance. Captain McNamee in
structed Special Officer Kirk to try and find
Lange and verify the statement
Shortly after his wife's disappearance.
Mullering said, he went to Mitchell, ILL.,, in
the hope Of obtaining employment He had
plenty OF money, he said, when he started
but that he lost it all in gambling He said
he had several hundred dollars when he
left st. Louis. He had been working as
night watchman in the Toulouse on the
belt line since last Saturday morning He
ueLltu lildI ne ndO Deen eluulng the officers,
and stated that on the contrary he had CIV
en- his address to Assistant Chief of Detec-
tves Smith, to whom he had reported his
wife's disappearance.
Several hours were consumed in ques-
tloning Mullering. but the police failed to
obtain anything from him which might
serve to clear the mystey surrounding the
disappearance of his wife and daughter 1t
developed, however. that the furniture
which Mullering sold to Portner Is mort
gagged, but as the articles were not included
in the bill of sale no charge was placed
against him. After the sweating Muller
ing was locked in cell to be held twenty
fours hours. the time allowed by law for
the detention of suspects. Special Officers
Kirk and Gibbon made another visit to
Underwood yesterday, but were unable to
learn anything new about the case.
MullerIng has the appearance of an hon
est laboring man. When arrested he wore
the clothes which he had on at the time
of his wife's Disappearance. They were
closely examined by the police, but nothing
about them indicated that their owner had
killed any one.