The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-03-03
MARCH >. 1903
Man Jailed For Killing Thisd wife
Makes Startling Confession.
SUSPECTED OF OTHER MURDERS

When Pressed. Knapp Tells of Revolt
ing Details of His Many Crimes.
Is a Degenerate Of Pronounced
Type.
Hamilton. O., Feb. 27-Five muir
ders. the victims of which were all
women, and two OF them his wives
such is the revolving record of Albert
Knapp, given yesterday IN sworn
confession given by the murderer be
fore Mayor Bosch.
Knapp. according TO the police. is a
degenerate OF a pronounced type. The
murder of his third wife. Annie God
dard Knapp. which led TO his arrest
Wednesday at the home of his newly
welded wife. in Indianapolis, was
done. Il don't know why to quote the
prisoner.
Knapp's confession, which was
sworn to before Mayer Bosch, is as
follows:
Il have killed five women. On jan
uary p. 1894. killed Emma Littleman
in n lumber yard in Gest street. Gin
cinnati. On August 1. 1894, I killed
May Eckert. in Walnut street, oppo-
site the Y. N. c. A.. In Cincinnati On
August Z. 1894. l killed my wife, Jen-
ME Connors Knapp. under the canal
bridge. in Liberty street. Cincinnati.
and threw her body into the canal In
Indianapolis. in July. 1895. killed Ida
Gerhard. On December %. 1902.
killed my wife. Annie Knapp. in Ham
ilton. and threw her into the river at
Lindewald. This is the truth.
II make this statement by my own
free Will and not by the request Of
any officer or any one else"
Knapp is now suspected of stran-
Cling three women at Evansville, Ind.
and to have killed women elsewhere.
He was in the Cincinnati House OF
Refuge when i years old. and new
records are being discovered almost
hourly
Pressed as 20 further details. Knapp
said he met the Littleman girl. who
was really only q child. in a lumber
yard. assaulted her. and then choked
her 20 death when she made an outcry.
When he killed Mary EcSert he went
TO room after her. assaulted her. and.
said Knapp. when she cried I stran-
gled her with a towel and hurried
from the house"
Il was angry AT my wife. Jennie
Connors Knapp. when l killed her We
were walking along Liberty street I
sat her down under the bridge on
some preteXt or other and choi1ed her
to death. ! deny that 1 poisoned her
I never told any one that I did. When
she was dead l threw her body into
the canal
Il killed Ida Gerhard but my men,
DRY is not clear as to what I did. I
cannot tell what made me kill the peo-
pie. could not help It, Some kind of
desire TO XIII took hold of me and l
could not resist the temptation to kill.
am sorry for my crimes, but now
hope they will be easy with me-"
After the confessions a formal
charge of murder in the first degree
was fled A Cincinnati attorney was
allowed to see Knapp and told him 20
make no further statement Knapp
was surprised that his people had Sc
cured a lawyer FOR him. Knapp talks
much of the Pearl Bryan murder and
is afraid Of being lynched There is
little danger, however. that the course
of law will be interfered VITA.
Knapp made a long statement last
night at the Jail lie adhered to his
written confession and added some
points. OF these the most interesting
relates to the fate of his first wife.
Emma Stubs. whose fate had been
overlooked. Knapp declares that she
is still alive and is now in Louisville.
Ky. He says that she got a divorce
from him. Knapp was asked why he
committed his various crimes and how
he felt when he was choking a woman
to death
He said: II cant tell. was seized
with an irresistible desire to choke
them. and cant help ii. | could not
let go when I once began, even If l
wanted to. I never feel any remorse,
only a feeling of satisfaction when |
know that they are dead. | used my
hands in every case, except that Of
/ Mary Eckert / choked that woman
with towel. but I could have done II
with my hands. | got acquainted with
Mary in Dayton. O.. through an adver-
tisement. and when she went to Gin
ciDnati / visited her at her room and
choked her to death one night"
| Every doctor who has seen Knapp
here agrees that he is a moral per
vert, similar to Jack the Ripper" ex-
cept that he finds satisfaction in
choking women and children.