The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-20
MURDER MYSTERY
BATTLES POLICE
Continued From First Page

In the main room of the shop were
the two knives and the linen handker-
chief, probably pulled from the muir
derer's pocket as he drew the hammer
forth and made an excited search in his
pocket for the nail with which the latch
was secured.
The hammer is a light affair, weigh
ing not more than a pound. 1t has
seen long usage in the hands of some
timer. The straight hickory wood ham
die is stained with dirt from constant
handling and the top is covered with.
waxy oil, such as rises from hot solder
and rosin. Drawing this hammer from
its place of concealment in his clothing
the murderer struck his innocent vic
tim two sharp blows upon the head,
not fracturing the skull, but rendering
him unconscious.
Then came the search for the nail
which the murderer had placed in his
trousers pocket as he had deliberately
planned out the details of the crime.
Itwas in this search through his pock-
cts by the nervous and excited man
that, unnoticed by him, the two PEN
knives slipped to the floor.
A short distance from the spot where
Schindeldecker fell was a lead pencil,
one which had evidently fallen from
behind the meat dealers ear as the
blow was struck, for 1t was very evil
IDENTIFY the victims own pencil.
Here are quintette of articles which
recall the murder of DR.. Gebhardt, the
New Ulm dentist, for the alleged conf
mission of which DR.. @. r. Koch is
now awaiting trial. In the New Ulm
tragedy the hammer was the weapon
of destruction. A pencil was dropped
and handkerchief fell to the floor.
Repeats New Ulm Murder
The entrance of the hammer into the
circumstances of this crime leads to
the belief that the murderer was a
student of the methods followed by the
murderer of the New Ulm dentist The
dropping of the handkerchief and the
pencil are condolences demonstrating
the irony of fate.
Evidence very similar to that upon
which the fate of DR.. Koch rests will
probably lead to the arrest of the real
murderer of Christian II. Schindel-
decker.
So far as has been given out by the
police, their work rests largely upon
these articles of Identification. Thus
far, it is said, all efforts to discover
some motive for the crime, aside from
mere robbery, have been fruitless. So
far as has been learned the murdered
man had no enemies of bitterness suf-
ficient TO cause them to sacrifice n
human life
There were no feuds in the Schin-
deldecker family, so far as has come to
light, which would drive a desperate
man TO the grewsome crime which laid
Schindeldecker low. Robbery, pure
and simple, seems to have been the
only motive back of the crime. while
IT is in no respect the crime of a rob-
Der.
Strange Man in Shop
No person yet found saw the mur-
derer either enter the shop or leave it.
Elsie Penshorn, a little girl living at
295 Goodhue avenue, went to the
butcher shop shortly before noon Sat
urday to secure change for a dollar.
She found Schindeldecker there in con-
versation with strange man.
The butcher gave her the change and
in doing so displayed very conspicuous
ly as the girl remembers, his we'll
hlied wallet. When the girl left the
place the stranger was still there. He
must have left shortly afterwards, for
according to the story told by Gerenz
the shop was empty of customers when
he left for dinner
There is the question of whether the
sight of this we'll filled wallet aroused
the cupidity of the stranger and
caused him to watch his opportunity,
retrace his steps to the market and
commit the crime. The girl was able
TO give fairly good description of
MIN, saying that he was tall, dark and
wearing black overcoat.
A story printed in morning news
paper to the effect that the murderer
had talked and exhibited his bloody
hands to Blanche Starkey, a fourteen
year-old girl. was absolutely denied by
the girl yesterday. She said that she