Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-28
TRIES MURDER IN SLEEP
Ohio Bluebsard Doubts for Fifth Wifs's
Safety Had he Stayed Free
SHows HOW WOMEN WERE sTRANeLED
'@rl :. SRIe of Crimes knapp works
y and Thinks Victims
His Fatal
GRASP.


her brother, Alfred Knapp. the self-con-
fessed multi-murderer. had long talk with
the prisoner in the presence Of Sheriff
Bisdorf.
His sister had previously written him
about marrying his fourth wife. Anne
May Gamble, at indianapolis. about a
month after the Disappearance Of Hannah
Goddard Knapp. his third wife, and In
conversation. Mrs. Wenzell said: "Anv. it
has been said that | have Hannah's ear
rings and ring. and want you, in the pres
ence Of the sheriff to exonsrate me on that
score"
"Hannahs ring will be found on her
finger"
How about the earrings?"
IF she had earrings, they will be found
in her ears
ALLY, have you been well since your ar
rest?'
mo: have not been well a moment.
suffer all the time with pain in my head.
II is there now and 1 hardly know what
am doing"
Present wife Narrowly Escapes.
Had you not been arrested. would you
have killed the wife whom you now have in
Indianapolis?'' was asked OF Alfred Knapp
today.
That is hard to tell" was the remarka-
BILE answer.
The question did not disconcert Knapp.
but seemed to arouse in him a speculative
sense that caused him to go into an ex-
PLANTATION Of his answer.
Il know that she woke mp several times
since we were married and found my hands
on her neck, when / was asleep, too She
would wake when ! grabbed her and wake
me and ask me what / meant by taking
hold OF her neck that way, and l could not
tell her why, because was asleep and did
not know I had done II.
"Just last week she woke up Just in time
OF she might never have woke up at all.
I grabbed her 50 tight and was choking her
so that she was nearly gone when she came
to and woke me up. cannot see what
makes me do that
The searchers for the body of Hannah
Knapp, wife No. 3. reported no progress up
TO this afternoon and IL they do not find
the shoe box with the body on reaching
Lawreneeburg. Ind, the search will be
abandoned.
Mayor Bosehe said today:
Unless we find the body OF the wife
| (Hannshl Knapp will likely be turned over
10 the Cincinnati police, where they have
case against him. in which the bodies
we're recovered and to which he has con-
fessed. In anticipation of Knapp probably
being tried elsewhere, he was today inter
viewed on TIE three cases at cincinnatt.
Knapp went over each OF the cases 20 which
4 he confessed yesterday. giving the most
revolving particulars
"In the case OF Mary KIkhart. whom he
] first met at Dayton. ne implicated his third
wife. Hannah Goddard, hut his cross ex-
animation was such that the officers do not
/ think she held Mary's hands while he
/ choked the girl. The Cincinnati oficers
( say that he evidently knows all about the
killing Of Mary Elkhart, Emma Li:tlemann
! and Jennie Connors, as he gives all the
! descriptions even to the kind OF a towel
found around Mary's neck"
Alfred Knapp has paid no attention to
! the repeated orders OF his attorneys and
his sisters not TO talk about his crimes.
! Prosecutor Gard notified the sheriff today
F, to prohibit reporters. policemen and others
from seeing Knapp hereafter.
Woman Aids one Crime.
In anticipation Of his probable trial At
Cincinnati Knapp was interviewed today
regarding the cases there and especially
about the Strangling OF Mary Ekhart.
When asked why he killed her he coolly
replied: Il was afraid she would tell some
thing she knew"
What did she know" he was asked,
and answered.:
well, it was this way: I was married
then TO Jennie Connors, the one / threw
into the canal, you know. and l was going
with Hannah to this house on Walnut
street in Cincinnati. to Mary Ekhar--
room. That night Hannah and went there
and Mary Ekhart went out. When she
came back Hannah and / were together
and Mary got mad because we we're there
so long and said; I am going TO tell your
wife on you and then she went out again
to the bakery. Hannah was afraid she
would tell and said we ought to keep her
from il. and that's how it happened. We
made It up and when Mary came back ]
ehoked her from behind
what did Hannah do?'
she held Mary's hands. That's the rea-
son she never said anything"
did you tie towel around her neck 20
Yes"
When asked 20 describe Mary Ekhart
Knapp said: "She was as tall as me and
had dark hair. On. I knew her when she
was in Dayton. She advertised for a cor
respondent in the personals and an
swered II and used to go to see her"
Asked then TO describe the flight of him
self and the woman. Knapp said he left
frst and met the milkman. almost knocking
him down in the doorway. The woman
followed him after the milkmAn had gone
and he then returned. locked the door tc
Mary EkhArt's room and later threw the
key into the canal
He went into much further details about
meeting little Emma LittlemAnn on ths
streets at Cincinatd and taking her to ths
lumber yard where her body was found
, and about choking Jennie Connors, wife
No. ?. and throwing her body into tbs
canal at Cincinnati.
After talking some time he vas asked
Are you sorry for the murders you hav,
doner'
Yes, I an" he replied slowly. ''Wher
I think Of Hannah and the rest feel bad
. don't know why l killed Hannah. sh,
was a good wife TO me. ! don't know VIII
, / did it. I always had a peculiar feeling o
satisfaction when ] killed a woman OF /
} child No I cannot say that ! ever had
feeling Of regret. Once or twice worried
over the fear OF being arrested. Well
! they have got me and guess that they vii
send me up for life Now, don't try 4
scare me by saying that I will go to tn,
? chair. They won't do that 10 me. vii
theyr"
!, Reacts Many Murders.
! Knapp not only told how he killed hi
.