The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1905-02-09
Men Arrested for the Murder Of
John Wren Make Full Con-
fession Of the Crime
SCHUMACHER ADMITS GUILT
In His Confession to the District At
torney He States That He Struck
the Blow Which Resulted in the
Death of John Wren.
From Thursdays Dai1y.)

The mystery surrounding the kill
ing of John Wren at Trevor on Christ
mas day has been cleared up, and by
his own confession N. J. Schumacher,
the proprietor of the Trevor saloon,
takes upon himself the guilt. He has
admitted in signed statement that
it was he who dealt the blow which
resulted in the death of Wren, but he
still holds that the mans death was
not caused by the blow, but that it re-
suited from fracture of the skull
caused by his falling on the frozen
ground. To this extent Schumacher
claims that the killing was acciden-
tai. John George is implicated in the
murder by the confession of A. K.
Bolton, another of the suspects, but
he is the only man who duplicates the
bar keeper.
The confession of Schumacher is
the one of paramount interest. 1t is
considered voluntary statement, and
the statement is signed by Schu-
macher in the presence of the district
attorney and another witness.
Schumacher told the whole story of
the stormy afternoon at the saloon.
He stated that the men had been in
the saloon drinking since O'Clock,
and that along about O'Clock he had
some trouble with John Sweeney, who
seemed to be the companion of Wren.
Sweeney had demanded liquor, and
0Ia- ~
to him Schumacher admitted that he
had struck Sweeney a blow in the
face. He admitted that Wren was in
no way mixed up in the trouble more
than that he was friend of Sweeney.
Wren and Sweeney had been put out
of the saloon, and when they returned
the second time Schumacher and Boil
ton went for them. Bolton threw
Sweeney out of the building, and
Schumacher took care of Wren. The
latter protested, and Schumacher
stated that he struggled with him,
but finally got the upper hand and
hurled Wren through the door. The
struggle was continued outside the
saloon. "Wren didn't strike a blow"
said Schumacher, "but when we fell
together I took punch at him.
Schumacher stated that he got up,
but Wren didn't. He went back into
the saloon, and when he came out
short time later he found Wren still
lying in the road, but Sweeney had
gone. With the aid of Bottom, Wren
was carried over and laid on the porch
surrounding the saloon. He was left
there while the party went to the
home of Schumacher for Christmas
tree celebration.
This was the extent of the confess
sion of Schumacher, but Bolton took
up the story where Schumacher left
off, and in his confession he told how
later IN the evening he and party of
men had accompanied Peter Schu-
macher to the saloon for drink, and
when they got there they found Wren
lying in the road near the hitching
post. They decided that he was too
drunk to walk and too heavy to carry,
so they obtained a wheelbarrow and
took him to the Schumacher barn,
where the dead body was found on the
following morning.
Bottoms confession agrees with
that made by Schumacher, with the
exception that Bolton insists that
John George, the bartender, assisted
Schumac cher in the fight outside of
the saloon and that he also struck
Wren.
The confessions of Barhyte, Rooney
and Wannamaker are all in keeping
with the statement made by Schu-
macher. The saloon keeper was care
full in his testimony and confession to
take upon himself the blame for the
killing of the man and he completely
exonerated George, declaring that he
was on the inside of the saloon when
Wren was killed.
George positively refused to make
any admission of the crime. "You
can send me up for 1ife,'' he said to
the district attorney, but | am en-
tire1y innocent of any wrong doing"
This afternoon Barhyte, Rooney,
Wannamaker and Bolton were re-
leased on their own recognizance, but
the charge against them had not been
dismissed.
1t is more than probable that Schu-
macher will be held on a charge of
mans1aughter, but the degree has not
as yet been determined.
District Attorney Baker deserves a
great deal of credit for this, his first
official work for the county. He GER
tain1y has started right. In this con-
nection it should be said that great
deal of credit for the confession of
Schumacher is due to Deputy Sheriff
John Mutz of Salem. MUTT has been
on the track of the guilty parties since
the night of the murder and he has
aided the District Attorney and At
torney Buckmaster in securing the
evidence which finally forced the men
to make the confessions on which it is
expected that Schumacher will be
convicted.
The hearing of the men charged
with the murder has been set for Feb.
z, but it is probable that George and