The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-02-05
BIGAMY CHARGED
AGAINST WILHELM
Woman Makes Scene at Fu-
neral Of Murdered Man.
POLICE TRAP FOR SUSPECT
Under Third Degree, Prisoner Is
Suddenly shown Body OF Supposed
victim-DOes Not Move EyeIash.
Test Tried ON Widow Sends Her
Into violent Mysteries.

New Yerk. Feb. 4-The funeral Of
Frank Wilhelm. the Newark justice OF
the peace who was murdered in his home
on Monday night. was interrupted this
afternoon most dramatically by a woman.
who proclaimed Wilhelm biganisL She
identihed the body as that Of the man
who married her in Jersey City fourteen
years ago and deserted her IN 1SsS
The Identification was positive. and was
confirmed By another witness. Mrs. Fred
ericka Wilhelm is the name OF Wilheln's
first wife Shs read in the newspapers
Of the Wilhelm case yesterday. aud
wrote 20 the Newark police that she be-
Ieved the dead man was her husband
she went 10 Newark with her sister.
Ms. Amelia Armste-. The funeral seTv-
ices at WEhelm's late home were Just
ending whe1 tbs Two women zeacAed tn
heuss and epseres the r0CM- The under
taker was Just ABOUT 70 place the cover
on the easket.
Mrs. Wilhelm ran 20 the SIDE OF the
coffin. gave one glance at the face Of the
dead man. and dropped n a dead faint
Her sister turned 10 the people n the
room and said:
Ny God, Il is Frank, her husband.
Becomes HysterieaL.
When Mrs. Wilhelm was revived she
became hysterical Her screams and
sobs could be heard a block away
The Newark Mrs Wilhelm. who IS held
by the police on suspicion OF knowing
something Of the killing Of her husband,
was not al the funeral
Prosecutor Mott had given her 2ermis-
sion 70 attend. but at the request Of the
detectives IN the case he rescinded the
order Just as the woman was making
preparations 10 leave her cell
The scene al the funeral was the climax
Of On exciting day IN this tragedy Early
this morning Nicholas Sica- who IS under
arrest charged with numbering Wilhelm,
was taken TO the house OF the dead man,
where the body had previously been
placed. Sica was confronted with his al
legged victims corpse
The sight did rot disturb him He had
evidently been expecting something Of the
sort. and had ne-ved himself 10 stand the
strain
The method OF the third degree exercised
upon sica had been used earlier in the
night with Mrs. Wilhelm as the subject
She was taken 20 the morgue and sud
denly shown the body Of her murdered
husband. The result was an attack Of
hysteris-
Confronted with Body.
As soon as Mrs. Wilhelm had been
taken from the morgue. Wilhelm's body
was loaded into a wagon and taken 70
his late home. The detectives placed their
ghastIy burden IN the basement on the
floor at the exact point where Il vas
found on Monday evening by the widow
Then they brought Sica to the house.
admitting him through the rear basement
door, walked him into the passageway IN
pitch darkness. and suddenly unmasked
a bright light
So close TO him he could have touched
Il with his foot. Sica saw the corpse Of
the man the police say he murdered He
did not flicker an eyelash. For more than
an hour the sleUths piled him with in
terrogations or heaped him with accusa-
tions. They could not disturb his calm.
He maintains that when the proper time
comes he can prove an abb.
The woman whom Wilhelm deserted in
New York is janitress Of a fat house
IN Eighty-third street