The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-23
CITY NEWS
POLICE PERSIST At
MURDER MYSTERY
Department Takes No Stock
in Story Told by
Woman

With the murder of Christian III.
Schindeldecker now five days old, and
the murdered man in his grave, no
definite progress towards the capture
of the assassin has been made. Ever
since the murder the police department
as whole has been giving its best
efforts to the tracking to earth of the
murderer. The entire strength of the
secret service branch of the depart
ment has been working night and day
ferreting out clews and running to
earth every rumor that seemed to give
promise of throwing a single ray of
light upon the. darkest mystery that
has Mortified st. Paul in years.
But the inquest of the coroner's jury
into the cause of Schindeldecker's S
death occurs tomorrow morning, and 1t
is possibility, strong, many believe,
that when that jury meet the ponce
will have a man whom the jury can
charge definitely with having coInnlIt-
ted the murder
Wild Story Discredited
Yesterday developed nothing of news
in the case. A wild eyed story, gwen
some credence, to the effect that TWO
men participated III lliS "a NA-O
West Seventh street butcher, is dis
credited by the police. Mrs. Poppler,
who gave out the story, declared that
the murder was committed by a big,
broad shouldered negro, whom she saw
in company with a white man.
She says that she came from her
home on Cliff street Saturday at l2:lO
o'clock to purchase some meat, ana
that when she tried the door of the
che cOlIl6 NOT
open it, the white man came around
the corner of Banfil street and looked
in the window.
The police are inclined to the belief
that the stories of the grewsome at
fair. which happened so close to her
home, have distorted her mind until
she has come to associate two suspi-
cious looking men, whom she saw some
time Saturday, with the murder.
Walter Gerenz, delivery clerk for
Schindeldecker who first reported his
employers death and is the last man
found thus far to have seen Schlndel-
decker alive, was taken before CHIEF
O'Connor yesterday to be questioned
again Gerenz has been before the
chief several times explaining details
of the transactions of his employer and
a close watch is being kept upon his
actions as he is regarded, at the least,
as a very important witness. He was
a boarder at the Schindeldecker home
on Superior street at the time of the
murder and has been living there
part of the time since.
The situation as regards new deWel-
opments in the matter is practically
unchanged from the police end. No
new developments worthy of consid-
Grafton have been made public. The
only witness able to give any definite
in tho matter has hQpn Waller
Gerenz. Evidently no one entered the
shop, aside from the murderer, after he
left it Saturday noon to go to dinner.
The only bits of evidence, clews which
might lead to identification of the as
sassin are the hair, of brownish color,
found clasped in the dead mans hand,
and possibly the hammer, although the
police have arrived at the decision that
the hammer was owned by Schindel-
decker and kept by him in the shop.
Search for Enemy
No person has been found who was
able to give conclusive proof that
Schindeldecker had an enemy whose
hatred was strong enough to cause
murder. On the contrary. everything
points to the man having had no ac-
Quaintances who were not friends, or
apparently such.
The theory that the murder was
committed for robbery only is not Civ
en- much credence, although the sug-
gestion is made that some man made
desperate through need of money, and
we'll acquainted with Schindeldecker,
did commit the murder to secure the
money, killing Schindeldecker that his
victim might never arouse to speak
his name and accuse him before the
world of the robbery.
The case remains as deep a mystery
as ever, but the indications were new
er so promising that the veil was about
to be lifted, disclosing in the light of
circumstances and evidence the real
Cl n yNf c., i