The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-27
MONSTER CONF BSES
MURDER OF FIVE
WOMEN
Alfred Knapp Was Seized
With an Irresistible De-
sire to Choke His Wives
and Other Women to Death
Guilty of Numerous AS
saults.


yesterday, who confessed to the MUIR
der of his third wife, today made a full
confession of five murders. Knapp'S
confession, which was sworn to before
Mayor Fosch, is as follows:
ION Jan. Fl, 1894, killed Emma Lit
tleman in lumber yard in Gest street,
Cincinnati. On Aug. l. 1894, / killed
1894, l killed my wife Jennie Connors
Knapp under the canal bridge in Lib
erty street, Cincinnati, and threw her
into the canal. In Indianapolis, in July,
1895, killed Ida Gebhart. On Dec. %,
1902, 1 killed my wife, Annie Knapp,
in Hamilton, and threw her into the
river out by Lindenwald. This is the
truth. I make this statement by my
own free will and not by the request
Of any officer or anyone else."
After his confession, Knapp admit
ted that he had repeatedly assaulted
women criminally and killed some OF
them. He said he met the Lippleman
child in the lumber yard and choked
her to death when she made an out
cry.
II went into the room with the Eek
ert girl, and sat down with her. She
cried and 1 strangled her with a towel
and hurried from the house. I was
mad at my wife, Jennie Corners
Knapp, when killed her. We were
walking along Liberty street. I sat
her down under the bridge and choked
her to death. I deny that 1 poisoned
her. 1 never told anyone 1 did. Ida
Gebhardt killed, but my memory is
not clear as to what / did. I cannot
tell what made me kill these people. I
could not help it. Some kind Of a
desire to kill took hold Of me, and
could not resist the temptation to kill.
am sorry for crimes, but now I hope
they will be easy with me-"
A formal charge of murder in the
first degree was filed. Knapp is now
suspected of strangling three women
at Evansville, Ind, and to have as
saulted and killed women elsewhere.
Did He Burn the Bodies?
Knapp has served five prison sem
fences, three for larceny and two for
assault. He has served two terms at
Jeffersonville, Ind; one at Columbus,
Ohio; one at Joliet, ILL.,, and one at
Michigan City, Ind, to which prison
he was sent from Indianapolis in 1896,
for assault on Bessie Drapier, a child.
Since his return to Indianapolis, in
December, he has, the police feel sure,
been guilty Of two burnings. When
he was convicted of the DRAPER as
sault he threatened to get even With
everyone concerned in his conviction.
Ex-Sheriff Womack, then sheriff,
gained his enmity. His barn was re-
Gently burned and several thousand
dollars worth of fine horses and i'm
ported cattle were roasted to death.
A. L. Boarden was one of the Jurors
who convicted him. His barn was
burned six or seven weeks ago. Almost
every hour adds to the long list Of
crimes laid to the mans door.
Hannah Goddard Knapp, the muir
derer's third wife, called at the office
80 ID u. A&.,I~ - ,,.1Isz.
torney last October, and asked him to
bring divorce proceedings for her. She
said she feared her husband would
murder her, as he had made threats.
The attorney told her she had not lived
in Indianapolis long enough for a di-
Vorce.
Letter to His Fourth Wife.
Anna Gamble, the fourth wife Of
Knapp, received a letter in IndianapO
lis today from her husband, evidently
written after his confession. 1t reads:
MY Dear Little Wife: I will drop
you few lines to let you know how
l am getting along. I think I am in
for it, all right, so we will have to ex-
pect the worse. 1 don't know what
they will do with me, but l expect it
will be life imprisonment at Columbus,
Ohio, as they are on the track Of Han
nah. They have not found her body,
but may find her by the time you get
this letter. 1 won't write much this
time, but as soon as you answer l will
write more. But, oh, my darling sweet
heart, 1t is hard to be parted from you.
But be a good girl for all time and
take good care Of yourself. You know
what 1 am, don't you? Now write me
a nice long letter. Don't forget your
kid, and he will never forget his little
sweetheart as long as he lives. I will
toll oil IN IAtf VNVr1f
just as soon as you get this. How is
daddy? With love and kisses, l will
close. Your loving husband until
death. Get our marriage certificate
from the police. Write at once"
Mrs. Knapp said she did not know
anything about the Hnnah mentioned
in the letter, as her husband had never
spoken to her of the woman. HE
spoke of having a wife at one time"
she said, "but l did not ask him any
questions. 1t did not bother me-"
When asked if she thought Knapp was
insane, the young woman said he had
never acted as though anything was
the matter with him.
Knapp made an extensive statement
tonight. He adhered to his written
confession and added some points. Of
these, the most interesting is as to the
fate Of his missing first wife. Knapp
declares that she is still alive; that
she obtained a divorce from him and
that she is now in Louisville. Another
chapter was added to Knapps confess
sed career tonight when he asserted
that he was implicated in several hold
ups here last December. Knapp was
asked why he committed his various
crimes and how he felt when he was
choking a woman to death. He said:
How 1t Feels to Choke Women.
Il can't tell. I was seized with an
irresistible desire to choke them and
l could not help it. l could not let go
when I once began, even If ] wanted
to. l never felt any remorse-only a
feeling of satisfaction when I know
that they are dead. used my hands
in every case except in that of Mary
| Eckert. I choked that woman with a
towel, but could have done it with my
hands. 1 became acquainted with
| Mary in Dayton, Ohio, through an ad-
vertisement, and when she came to
| Cincinnati visited her at her room and
| choked her to death one night
Knapp denied that he assaulted little
Ida Hebhardt at indianapolis before
he murdered her. Every doctor who
has seen Knapp here agrees that he is
moral pervert, similar to Jack the
| Ripper" except that he finds satisfac-
ton in choking women and children.
The parents of Knapp in Cincinnati
1 RI h