The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-10-28
Wife Slayer Sullenly Refuses
To Confess to Other
Crimes.
SERVED NINE YEARS
IN SING SING PRISON
Prisoner Believed TO Be Member of
international Marrying
Band"

ISLIP. L. l.. Oct. 2s.-Coroner Savage,
Of Suffolk county. with representatives
of the district attorneys office and a
stenographer. is giving Frederick Geb-
hardt, alias Otto Mueller, real third
degree" examination today. endeavoring
to have him clear up his early life and
explain what he meant when he de-
he hed killed three other women !5e-
sides anna Luther and wanted to make
clean breast of it." Gebhardt. after
making that statement. seemed to re
gret it, and. although pressed for some
time, stubbornly refused to say any
thing more.
The coroner is working In conJune-
ton with the New York police. and
firmly believes that he has in his Gus
tody one of the most remarkable crimi-
nails ever arrested.
His Record.
It is his opinion. from what he has
already learned in the course OF his
Investigations. that the prisoner is a
member of an international band, the
members OF which make a practice OF
marrying women for consideration,
robbing and deserting them
The band, according to the coroner.
found most OF its victims among the
immigration servant girls. who save
their wages, only TO .ose them when
they try To exchange them for hus-
band and a home.
Mueller professed to be greatly sur
prised VheE informed the authorities
had learned OF MS sentence on May II,
1895. to Sing Sing prison for robbery and
nAriurv. The robbery consisted OF steal
ing $40 from Lena Wessner. of Brook
Iyn. whom he had promised to marry
and the perjury charge resulted from
his swearing that he had not married
a woman in Germany several years be-
fore. which statement was proven false.
Served Nine Years.
For this he served nine years in Sing
Sing prison and Il was through a com
parison ~ his Bertillon records after
bis arrest last Monday with those on
record at police headquarters in New
York that his identity was established.
Il ne similarity btANEEli AAAE " Ss7s'tiNt
and the Luther won ans cases leads the
local authorities &C believe that when
Gebhardt's record g uncovered ii Will
be found that he had many victims
They believe that he robbed such as ne
could get the money from without a
/ ceremony, and where the ceremony was
+ performed he put his victim out of the
wav If she proved troublesome.
They base their belief OF. the state
ment Of Gebhardts Astoria wife that.
when she refused 10 deed ten lots that
were in her name over TO him, he beat
/ her terribly and told her that he would
/ Kill her.
/ Strike a Snag.
/ The authorities struck a snag. how
/ ever, when they tried TO get Gebhardt
TO talk tod1y. He insisted that he did
not mean 20. be Understood as declaring
that he killed three wives.
/ As a matter OF fact. he insisted, he
has been married but twice. once to
his Astoria wife and the second time
TO Anna Luther in Newark He de-
clared that he told the entire truth in
his original confession. and that any
thing else that might be attributed "a
him was a lie.
The authorities do not believe him
+ The New York detectives will try tC
. trace Gebhardts movements from the
/ time he came TO this country.