New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-04
MURDERED AND BURIED.
Disappearance of an aged Couple an
Buffalo Erploined-An arrest.

Buffalo. Dec 3-The bodies of Franz Frehr
and his wife. an aged couple who disappeared
from their home, No. 800 JefTersOn-st., on No
vember 20. were found early to-day buried be
meath a woOdshed in the yard back Of their
house The skulls of both had been crushed.
The wounds were so plain that Mr.. Danser. the
medical examiner. did not hesitate to say that
murder had been done with hammer A ham
mer was found in the shed and several hairs
were clinging to the head of it.
A search for Charles Bonier. who moved into
the house Of the Frehrs the day Of their dis
appearance had been begun hours before the
finding OF the bodies Tuesday Bonier appeared
at police court in response to a summons in
job Doe" proceedings regarding the disappear
ance of the Frehrs The case was adjourned
and Bonier was ordered to appear in court yes
terday. but he did not The descriptions of
Bonier were sent broadcast and this morning
Superintendent Bull received a telephone mes
sage from Erie. Penn, saying Bonier had been
arrested there Bonier is about seventy-fve. but
looks younger and is vigorous
Bonier's housekeeper Louise Lindholm is also
in an East Side police station. The police say
she had gold pieces to the value Of $40. The
Frehrs were supposed to have kept gold in the
house. The says the money was given to
her by Bonier. Kate Kahn, relative Of the
ton. Captain Regain said he found at her house
articles that had belonged TO the F'rehrs.
George Mohr, a carpenter, and a man named
Kuhn who visited Bonier several times. were
also detained
Frehr was a cabinetmaker, but he had not
worked at his trade for long time, and was
invalid. The Frehrs owned house and lot
in Cherry-st-, and had money in the bank 1t
understood in the neighborhood that they
kept considerable sums Of money in their hons
in JeffersOn-st
with white whiskers is said to have
offered the Frehrs last spring $1,000 for their
home, and they refused TO sell Friday, No
vember 20 the stranger moved into the Frehr
house and on that day the old couple disap-
peared. The day before Thanksgiving d relative
called at the house with a basket Of food. A
stranger met her at the door and said the
Frehrs had moved away.
The police were then informed and Captain
Regain began John Doe proceedings. Charles
Bonier was at the first hearing, but not at the
second, and then the police began to look for
him Frehrss neighbors had said an old shed
IN the back yard had been torn down recently
and another one built nearer the house. The
work was done by NIohr and Bonier in pour
ing rainstorm Early to-day Captain Regain di-
rected patrolmen to take the wood out of the
on the ground indicating that recently it had
been turned. They had not gone more than
foot below the surface when they came upon
the body of Frehr. 1t lay face down. and under
It the body of Mrs. Frehr
Louise LindhoIm told the police that Bonier
had told her the Frehrs had sold the house to
him and had gone to a house of refuge to spend
the remainder of their lives Her answers to
questions regarding the gold found upon her
were unsatisfactory. She said Bonier gave il
to her. Mohr said he had been well paid for
tearing down and rebuilding the woodshed He
had not observed that the ground under the
new building had been freshly turned. No other
information could be secured from AIohr or
Kuhn They viii be held witnesses.
Captain Regain said later the deeds Bonier
held for the house probably were forgeries
This convinced US" he continued. that muir
der was committed. Inspector Martin found Z
letter giving the address OF Eva Bannerschmidt
in Erie. and this we sent TO Erie to have
Bonier arrested there" Jacob Stern. who has
been Interested in the search for the Frehrs
confirms the report that the deeds were forged
Vincent Burzynski. a notary public and real
estate dealer, took Bonier's oath when he swore
he Frehr in the transfer Of the property
Burzynski said to-day the man he supposed to
be Frehr was active, and he described a man
answering the description Of Bonier. The trans
sideTation named was 81.
Bonier arrived from Erie late this afternoon
He was surprised when he stepped from the
train and saw the large crowd. He had not
been informed that the bodies of the Frehrs
had been found, and seemed TO think he was
wanted in connection with the police court pro-
ceedings begun on Tuesday 1t probably
due to that fact that he SO readily consented
to return with the Buffalo officers without ex-
tradition proceedings.
BOnier was at once taken to the Office Of Su-
perintendent Bull. He disclalmed any knowl-
edge of the murder, but finally admitted that
ne had forged the deeds TO the Frehr house and
lot. For the present it was announced Bonier
would be held on the forgery charge.
In his statement to the authorities BOnier said:
Il had been negotiating with the Frehrs for
some time for their property, and at last they
agreed TO sell to me. Thursday afternoon, No
veInber 10, I went to their home in Jefferson
ST. with s., 200 cash. Most of il bills but
several hundreds dollars in gold I told
them I was rely to close the deal. and they
said they were ready We talked it, and
then l paid them, and they agreed to go with
the next day have the deeds made out.
THE next day, Friday, in the morning I
went to their house to get the deeds. As I
approaching the place l two men jump into
a carriage and drive rapidly down JehersOn-st.
No one answered my knock and went in.
No one was in the house. l saw the deeds
the table and I picked them up and carried
them to my home in MOnrOe-st. l thought I
had g right 10 them as the buyer of the prop
erty, and l supposed the Frehrs had gone TO
some old folks home 10 live, ana left the papers
belonging 10 the property for me That same
day l made arrangements 10 move into the
house with my hOusekeeper, Mrs LindhOlm-
Other matters took up my time for the next
few days. il was not until Thursday that !
went to have the deeds made out. l went TO
Vincent Burzynsk and had them made out
there. I signed and acknowledged them. I
signed the name Of Franz Frehr 70 each deed.
and the notary took my Acknowledgements of
ne signature and execution. / signed Frehr's