Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-10-28
Mystery of the 1slip Skeleton
Cleared Up by the Womans
Husband
THIRD DEGREE BROKE him
discriminating Letter Read to G~h.
hardt Made Him SILVER and Cry
"Whsts the Use, Anywayt
You Have Ne.
Killed Her"

New York Oct. 3.-A year and a half
ago a friendless girl was murdered in a
forsaken patch of woodland near Islep.
l.. T. n week ago her bieached and
charred skeleton was found with nothing
to indicate It's identity but her jewelry
and bill Of sale from a German shop:
three days later. through the police OF
Hamburg Germany. her identity was
established as Anna Luther, though the
cables first carried the name as Latter:
last night her husband, Frederick Geb-
hardt, was caught in Astoria, L. l.. BY
q photographers fash light. and tonight
he confessed over HIS signature that he
is the murderer Gebhardt married Anna
Luther under the name lotto Mueller"
The confession Is as follows:
about December. 1907. first met Anna
Luther. we We're married in February,
1915. and went TO Europe TO live We re-
turned April g. 1903. She went TO Henry
Wertupp's in Newark y. j.. 70 spend a
day or two On tho pretense that ] was
going to rent apartment for US -
i've in. returned 10 my home and vito
in Astoria.
"I met Anna again on April 6 N
Newark. and We went to an address IN
3ith street. New York and then 20
JHlnalCd. II. !. We SfA'a1 AZ jamaica
until next dav
HE SHOT HER IN TUE HEAD
April went to Bay Shore and va
walked about and showed her soma
property. I got into an argument with
her about some money matters and
, turned away and wanted to 20 back She
followed ne up. screaming and shot her
in the head ] didn't look at her. and
don't remember whether | shot her moro
than once
Immediately after I went TO the Islip
depot and took train FOR lone. It was
nearly dark. on the way home on the
/ train | threw the revolver out of tho
car window
~ want to state that didn't kill Anna
Luther for her money rs the newspa pers
have stated. My original reason for mar
rying Anna was that didn't care to live
with my Hrst wife any longer, but as she.
my first wife, had given me child. my
desire 10 again see my child caused me to
want 10 get rid of Anna Luther and re-
turn to my first wife and child.
This is tho reason why 7 shot Anna
Luther. and told her in Bay Shore that
was married and had wife and child
and must leave her.
RAN AFTER AND KISSED Me"
She screamed and ran after me ard
kissed me and wanted me back ana / shot
her.
| This confession is made Of my own
free will without any hope OF recon-
pense being offered me"
| From the time Of his arrest last night
until he broke down under the questions
of the detectives Gebhardt. though ad-
hitting that he committed bigamy when
| he married Anna Luther. denied consist
entity all knowledge Of her death. How
about this letter." asked Coroner Savage
and he began to read a note mailed last
night TO the German consul and signed
Otto Mueller. 1t said that Mueller, with
out doubt. was the husband o.. Anna
Mueller. who had disappeared In Septem-
bor, 1913. after he had upbraided her for
receiving visitor whom she represented
to be a Mr.. Bradley Of Denver.
| GAVE DESCRIPTION OF SELF.
This man, Bradley" the letter said,
''is about six feet high with light hair,
| tate agent. l, Mueller. will at once go
| to Germany to see my parents-in-law and
will then be at your services
~
/ had prompted Gehhardt to write this fatal
/ letter had led him to give TO Bradley.
who does not exist outside his own imag-
ination. his own personal description. As
soon as he saw the letter Today his jaw
dropped. he grew white and began to
shiver. Before the reading was G." mplet-
ed. he exclaimed.
''Oh, what's the use. anyway? You
have me and | might as we'll own killed
her"
Given verbally. the confession as related
was even more shockngly brutal, tho
police say. than 1t appears in the formS
| language Of the police officers, whos(
version Gebhardt signed.
Il had to get rid OF her he said
but didn't mean to kill her. l though
first I could get her 10 give me som
! money for land | didn't own. SO tool
her down to Long Island near some lotl
! did own to let her see the land. She
wouldn't come 10 terms and l told her
then that ! was already married and
had child loved, that ! was tired OF
her and wanted to go back TO my
wife.
She began to cry and plead and scream,
and run about. She told me she loved
me and kissed me. As she put Up her
face to kiss me again, I shot her In the
head"
Gcbhardt told the police he never
thought 1t worth while" to go back to
bury her. Instead he wrote letters to
her friends in Newark and Germany
telling them that Anna was in poor
health and had gone to Florida Then
he quit "bothering about her"
| Gebhardt when he was in Germany
bought two German police dogs and II
was by tracing the doEs that the detec.
tives found his home In Astoria. While
newspaper photographer chanced Z
nnsh light at the dogs, the farc revealed
the pale face Of Gehhardt pcerinE from
the chinks of an clubhouse lie was run
down and arrested.
| Search Of the house discovered Il
quantity Of household effects and wo-
mans hnery marked "A. L.. Gebhardt
| had told his wife he bought thcn Mt 4