Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-20
Death of Miss Munson Recalls
a Crime and Its Terrible
Consequences
MURDERER NOW RAvlNe MANIAC
After confes.ins and Giving Details Of
the Crime Of William Mundfrom be
came insane. and Now Constantly I'M
asines He Is Carrying HE Victims
Dead Body on His Back.
Special to mes-Repubncan.

Waterloo, April 20.-The death OF
Miss Mary Munison, a sister of the
rather notorious Mrs. Christian Hemme
at the county poor house, recalls a
terrible tragedy that occurred in YER
non township some years age. Miss
Munison was Sc years of age when she
died. She had been a ward of the Dun
~ since 1883. Her death was sudden,
she having been sick but "a couple OF
days. Previously. however, she had
been a sufferer for four weeks.
Not very much is known of Miss
Munsion. She was never married, but
1t is reported that h had an illegeti-
mate son. Where he is is not known.
One report is that he Is In an insane
asylum, another that he is serving
time in the ~penitentiary. and still an
other that he IS dead.
Mrs. Christian Hemme, who will be
remembered distinctly, was the
who was accused. in conjunction with
her nephew, William Mundfrom, Of
numbering her husband. and throwing
his body in q we'll on the premises in
Mt. Vernon township. Mundfrom was
convicted OF the crime and was sent
to the penitentiary at Anamosa.
where he now is in the insane depart.
ment.
Hemme, 1t seems, had been slmoth-
cred and then taken out by his wife and
his nephew and carried to an old we'll
on the premises and thrown in. Lum-
Der was piled In on top of him and.
when he was missed the neighbors in
searching discovered the remains In
the we'll.
This crime happened about fifteen
years ago. Mundfrom and Mrs. Hem
me were smitten with one another,
though Mundfrom wal only a mere
boy. Mundfrom slept with his uncle.
and night according to prearrange-
ed plans, he put his arm around his
uncle's neck and s%trangled him to.
death. Then the nephew and perfd-
aous wife. he having hold of the mans
shoulders and she hold Of his feet. car
ried the body and threw It in an aban-
doned well On the premises. When the
man struck the water he revived and,
moved as sif to come to CONSEQUENCES
again. Then Mundfrom seized q pole and
struck the man on the head. poking his
head under the water.
The neighbors finding Henme in
TIE well thought at frst it was q case
Of suicide, but It was determined to ar
rest the young man. He confessed and
was conTicted. but he failed to testify
against Mrs. Hemme when the time
came.
Mundfrom. after serving a few years
lii the penitentiary, became insane and
imagined thai he could not get Hernnne's
body off his back. He was the one who
had helped bear the body of his uncle
from the house to the well. His memo
~ OF that awful occasion would not be
dimmed, but stood out with added lumi-
nation as the years passed. He thought
no much on the subject that his mind
until he became a raving ma
MAC, crying out his agony in awful.
husky tones. He imagined the body OF
his uncle was constantly on his back,
bearing him down. In a condition of
lunacy bordering on idiocy the young
man is now spending his time In the in
sane department of the penftentiary.