Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-08-24
SOLVE SCHAF[R CRIME
Mystery Surrounding the MUIR
der of Pretty Teacher at Bed
ford Cleared Up
rELLrALE LETTER is spuND
Now Believed That Murderer Was
Looking for Another Girl and Miss
schaefer Was Killed Under Belief
She Was a Miss Rainey = Ernest
Tanks'ey !. Under Arrest


Evansville, Ind, Aug. 24.-That the
great mystery surrounding the murder
of Sarah Schafer, the pretty Latin
teacher in the Bedford high school, or
Jan. 81, 1904, has at last been solved
is the belief Of Prosecutor Benedict and
Marshal Myers of Bedford and of the
local detectives who have under arrest
Ernest Tanksley charged with COM
hitting the crime.
Tanksley was arrested here charged
with kidnapping Nellie Raipey from he.
home in Heltonville, Ind, eight miles
fmm Bedford. The girl was with him
when he was arrested. He is married
man and has wife and three chill
dren at Heltonville.
Three years ago his relations with
the Rainey girl became known and he
left home and went to Bedford and
worked there in hopes of hushing the
disgrace 1t is believed he decided the
best way to clear his family of dis
grace was to kill the Rainey girl.
He wrote her letter asking her to
meet him in Bedford on a certain alley
corner on the night OF Jan. 81, 1901. !:
was at this very spot and time tina!
Sarah SchaferS was dragged down the
alley and killed.
The Rainey girl is pronounced dup
licate of Sarah Schafer in appearance
and the police believe that Tanksley
simply made mistake in the woman
and killed Miss Schafer while thinking
he was getting Miss Rainey out of the
way. The night was dark and such
| mistake could easily have been made
Tanksley returned to his room tina,
night with fresh, bloody scratches on
his face. His roommate, Earl Hunter;
asked him how his face became bruis-
ed He did not reply. Late that might
he awoke his roommate by poking a
bundle of clothes into a stove. Hunter
asked him what he was doing and an
evasive reply was given.
Last fall Tanksley left Bedford and
at the same time Miss Rainey disap-
peared from her home and was not
heard of again until arrested. Recent
ly Miss Rainey's father turned over
to Prosecutor Benedict Of Bedford a
number Of letters Tanksley had writ
ten to Nellie. His object was to have
Tanksley arrested for kidnapping the
girl.
Among these letters was the one
making the engagement on the alley
corner in Bedford. The prosecutor
connected Tanksley. with the Schafs1
murder at once and soon unraveled the
whole skein Of evidence.
Tanksley and the Rainey girl We're
arrested here in a rooming house. He
refused to talk to the police. The girl
tried to tell the story that they had
been married. Late last night she made
statement to newspaper reporter
that she knew Tanksley was wanted at
Bedford for some charge other than
kidnapping.
There is another charge which car
be brought against Ernest" she said
"of which he has been living in terror
ever since we left Bedford. II this
charge is brought against him it viii
be terrible for him to bear and will
cause the greatest sensation. l viii
commit suicide rather than tell what
know"
Tanksley and the Raineyt girl WILL be
taken back to Bedford Friday morning
by Marshal Myers, where the man VIII
stand trial for the Schaferl murder.