The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-27
Has Served Several Terms I'm Prison,
and II Suspected OF Being n Reg
ular "Jack the Ripper
HIS RECORD IN THIS CITY
BRUTAL MURDER OF THE WEST IN.
DIANAPoLIs GIRL RECALLED.
Conflicting Statements Last Night
Parents and Sister of Knapp Con-
vinced He Is Insane.


Knapp's Alleged Victims.
EMMA LITTLEMAN, Cincinnati.
MARY ECKHART, Cincinnati.
JENNIE CONNORS KNAPP, Cincinnati.
IDA GERHARD, West Indianapolis.
HANNAH GODDARD KNAPP, Hamil-
ton.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
HAMILTON, o., Feb. 26.-Albert A
Knapp, who was brought back from In
dianapolis on Wednesday, has made addi-
tional confessions which show him to be
either a colossal liar or a moral pervert
and degenerate whose career of crime has
had few parallels. Last night he confessed
that he had killed his third wife, Hannah
Goddard Knapp. To-day, OF his own free
will he signed and swore to the following
statement in the presence of Mayor c. T..
Bosch. Sheriff Peter Disdorf, Chief of Po-
lice Kuemmerling and Constable Linehan:
"On IAN. q. 1894. killed Emma Little
man in a lumber yard in Gest street, Gin
cipnati. On Aug. /, 1884, / killed Mary
Eckhart in Walnut street, opposite the Y.
NJ. c. A.. In Cincinnati. On Aug. Z, 1894. 1
killed my wife, Jennie Connors Knapp,
der the canal bridge in Liberty street, Gin
cinnati. and threw her into the canal. In
Indianapolis, in July, 1895, killed Ida Geb-
hard. On Dec. p, 1902, 1 killed my wife,
Hannah Knapp. at 800 South Fourth street.
in Hamilton. o., and threw her into the
river out by Lindenwald This is the truth.
ALBERT KNAPP
Knapps confession of the murder of Han
nah Goddard Knapp has been confirmed in
every detail, except the finding of the body.
For this purpose officers Graf. Hetterich,
Fisher. Morton and Roedel. of the local
force. left this afternoon in boats on
search of the Miami river as far as Law
renceburg. The men are fully equipped
for the search. In his confession Knapp
told of being interrupted in disposing of the
body by the appearance of a mail carrier.
DUMPED BOX IN THE RIVER.
Charles Millspaugh. carrier on rural
route No. 4. identified Knapp this afternoon
and corroborated his stories Charles Schulz
tiess. living 1245 Wallace street. an en-
ploye of the Mosler safe works, informed
the police late this afternoon that he saw
Knapp dump in the river the box which is
believed to have contained the body of his
murdered wife Hannah Schultiess says ne
thought Knapp was some butcher dumping
refuse meat into the. river. Walter Thorne.
clerk in a local shoe store, identified Knapp
as the man who bought the shoe box in
which the body of Hannah Knapp is sup
posed to have been packed. In conversa-
ton with the Journal correspondent to-day
Miss Elizabeth Sterrit. half sister of
Hannah Knapp, said the murdered woman
was about to become a mother at the time
of her disappearance. After Knapp had
done away with the body of Hannah Cod
dard Knapp he ordered the firm of Lowen-
stein & Loeb, from which he had bought
his furniture on the installment plan to
take the furniture from the house. When
he appeared at the furniture store his face
was badly scratched. Samuel Lowenstein,
q member of the firm. said to Knapp:
'You must have had a fight with your
wife,"
"No," ne answered. "she did not do this.
Some OF the boys did, but we have broken
up housekeeping just the same"
In his confession Knapp said his wife
made nc struggle
Knapp to-day denied he was guilty of
criminaIly assaulting Bessie Drapier, at In
dianapSlis, for which he was sentenced to
Michigan City for ten years. 81 was two
miles away from the place when the crime
was committed he said. II didn't know
anything about il. 1 was sentenced for this
job because some witnesses lied about me.
The Drapier child lived In Terre Haute. but
was visiting in indianapolis when the as
sault was committed. Knapp said he had
nothing to do with assault on Alice Hall,
asserting the newspapers had confused the
case with the Drapier assault.
CONFESSION STRENGTHENED.
After his signed confession was given out
this morning Knapp admitted he had re-
peatedly assaulted women criminally
and killed some of them. He said: 81 met
the Littleman child in the lumber yard and
assaulted her, and choked her to death
when she made an outcry. went into the
room with the Eckhart girl and sat down.
She cried. and strangle6 her with towel
and hurried from the house.
"I was mad with my wife. Jennie Conners
Knapp. when killed her. We were walk
ing along Liberty street. 1 sat her down
under the bridge pretext and choked
her Z death i deny that 1 poisoned her
/ never told any one / did. After she was
dead threw the body into the canal.
Ida Gebhard killed. but my memory Is
not clear as 10 what did. and 1 cannot tel
what made me kill these people. i couldn'l
help 4. Some kind OF a desire TO kill took
hold OF me and / could not resist the
temptation TO kill. / am very sorry for my
crimes. but now hope they will be easy
with me-"
murder in the first degree was fiIed. At