Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1909-04-30
AWFUL STORY OF CRIME
WOMAN UNDER OATH MAKES
STARTLING STATEMENT.
Affldavlts Against a Man Charged
with Arson Connect Him with
Dayton Murders.

Columbus, o. State Fire Mar
shall w. s. Rogers last night made
public sworn testimony directly accus-
ing Elmer Carr, now in Jail, with
having knowledge of the murder of at
least two of the six girl victims of
crimes in Dayton that have shocked
the entire country.
The arrest of Carr for alleged arson
led to the investigation resulting in
the far more serious charges. The
accusations made by Fire Marshal
Rogers are in the form of affidavits
made by Mrs. Carrie NJ. Middlestet-
ter of Dayton. Her statement consti-
tutes one Of the most startling bits of
testimony ever secured in the crimi-
nal history of Ohio.
After setting forth that Carr was
cheese maker employed by the Mid
dlestetters in Dayton and that "the
woman was under his influence to an
alarming extent" the fire marshals
statement, based on the voluminous
testimony, says:
Last Wednesday Detective o. b.
Hullinger acting under orders from
the state fire marshal, discovered ad-
ditioual evidence against Carr in the
arson cases.
"Hullinger met Carr on the streets
of Dayton Thursday and promptly ar
rested him, entering a charge of ar
son against him. In company with H.
H. Hollenbeck, another fire marshal
detective assigned to the case, he
went directly to Mrs. Middlestetter,
assured her that Carr was sure of
long prison term and finally they in
duced her to give evidence against
him.
Carr had been working for Mrs.
Middlestetter and her husband at their
cheese factory near Dayton. He was
responsible for domestic differences
which resulted in their separation.
Mrs. Middlestetter, acting under Carr's
orders, moved to Dayton.
Then, according to Mrs. Middle
stetter's affidavit, Carr started upon
saturnalia of crime. She declares he
brought home ladies' purses every
night, giving them, broken and with
the handles torn, to her young chill
dren. Then the story gradually came
out about the monstrous murders of
Mary Forschner on January % last
and of Lizzie Fulhart on the night of
Sunday, January 81.
Then on the night of January % he
left the house at dark, wearing his
black falseface and other DISCUSSES,
including heavy workman's shoes and
corduroy trousers. He carried his
other shoes in the pockets of his over
coat. Then he returned at IL o'clock,
carrying the workman's shoes in his
hands. He saturated the overcoat,
slouch hat, corduroy trousers, all COW
cred with mud, and the other dis
guises, with kerosene and burned
them before the eyes of the woman
and her daughter. Then he threat
ened their lives if they breathed a
word of what they had seen.
He told them they would know all
about his adventures in the morning,
according to Mrs. Middlestetter's long
confession, and they did. 1t related
to the brutal murder of little Mary
Forschner, who was sent by her moth
er to the corner grocery store about
7 o'clock that night and who was
found near midnight murdered in
stable three blocks from her home.
She had been outraged and brutally
mutilated.
And on the night of January 81
last, so Mrs. Middlestetter says in her
testimony, Carr had young 1S-year-old
Lizzie Fulhart in her boarding house.
He went away with her just before
midnight and she was never seen alive
after that hour. This was on Sunday
night. At 9 o'clock the following
night Carr came back and sent for
Mrs. Middlestetter to meet him out in
the dark.
HE wanted her to go with him to
an abandoned old mansion on Jeffer-
son street, near the heart of the busi-
ness section of Dayton. He had the
keys to the house, but she was afraid
and would not go. He came back
next day and she accompanied him.
There he pointed significantly to the
cistern in the back yard of the prop
erty and told her it would some day
tell it's tale. On the following Friday
morning two workmen found the dead
body of Lizzie Fulhart floating in the
cistern, her head covered in a gunny.
sack which came from the Middle
stetter home"