The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-31
Joseph Vending, Slayer
ofAlmaKellner Caught
in San Francisco.
LONG MAN-HUNT
FINALLY ENDED
Prisoner Admits His Identity,
but Denies Any knowledge Of
Crime Which Startled World
by It's Brutality-Woman
Leads to His
Capture.

san Francisco, Cal, July 30
Dragged from beneath sink in the
wash-room of a Third Street lodging
house. where he had been hiding for
twenty-four hours, Joseph A. wend-
ling. accused of the murder of little
eight-year-old Alma Kellner in Louis
VILE, KY, the man who has baffled
the police for four months, was as
rested to-day by Detectives Burke and
Ryan, OF the local police department.
Vending admitted his identity. but
protested his innocence of the crime.
A few hours after the arrest Cap
tain of Detectives j. p. Carney. of
Louisville. arrived to learn that his
1l,OoO-m mile search for Vending had
been crowned with success. 1t was the
telegraphed tip from the Kentucky de-
tective which led TO the arrest.
Lost Trail Many Times.
In his pursuit OF the supposed mur-
derer Carney many times lost the
trail. but the secret of the where's
abouts of his quarry always lay with
Mrs. Cora Muena, a milliner OF Hume,
Mo. 1t was from her that Carney
flashed the information that led to
the arrest.
1t seemed the irony of fate that the
only respectable woman found by Car
ney TO have been connected with
Vending uuring his wanderings
should have been the unconscious
means of betraying him.
Mrs. Muena met Vending at the
home of her aunt in Houston, Texas,
and before she returned to Hume she
was engaged to the dashing young
Frenchman, who dazzled the aunt with
tales Of wealth in France, which would
come to him with the death of his aged
father. Before Mrs. Muena left Hous-
ton. she grew to fear Vending, and
| after her return to Hume she broke
the enga cement
Carney received clues that led him
to search for Vending in Houston
and San Antonio. Texas. then to Los
| Angeles, California, and later to Rio
Vista, Cal. but the detectives visit
to all of these places proved fruitless.
Finally the trail became so cold that
Carney determined to visit Mrs. Muena
at her home in Hume. He reached
there just in time to prevent the de-
struction of a postal which gave the
address of Vending in Vallejo. CAL
Mrs. Muena had destroyed her CORES
pondence with Vending and was on
the point of burning the postal when
the Louisville detective arrived.
When the address was flashed to San
Francisco. Detective Burke was sent
at once to Vallejo. In the possession
of Alice Miller, with whom Vending
| had been living. he found the fugitive's
| photograph and kit OF burglars
tools.
Vending was soon traced to this
city, but the detectives were here
thrown off the track, but they caught
it again when Captain of Detectives
Wall received tip Thursday night,
that the fugitive was in Third Street
rooming house.
Mrs. Mary Moriarity, the owner, said
that man answering Weddings
! description had been there, but had
LETT a few days before. The detectives
Were skeptical, and after watching the
| house for twenty-four hours deter
mined this morning to make search
! Their efforts We're rewarded by the
| discovery of Vending beneath the
| sink of wash room.
Admits Identity.
| When the bullet wound in his hand
and the tattooed ship on his arm were
exposed by the officers he admitted
his identity. To the authorities
Vending protested his innocence of
| the Kellner murder. declaring that he
knew nothing OF it until he read of
| IIe 4llHOlHSo VI slIle UOuS. NSiiuA''iS
maintained that he had adopted the
name of his mother to avoid his
brother in-law. Louis Arnold, who had
| pursued him from France to make
him marry Madeline Arnold
That the bitterness between the two
men has grown since the marriage
until he feared for his life, was the
explanation clung to by vending IN
explaining his flight.
Vending told captain Carney that
he would not resist extraditlon, and
the latter said he would start TOR
home with his prisoner as soon as
he was rested from his long cha se
According to Captain Carney. the
4 evidence against Vending Is strong.
The strongest link was the discovery
Of some Of the girls bloodstained
clothinr in closet in Wendling's
home This with other circumstantial
evidence given before the coroner's
and Grand juries will in the opinion
Of the Louisville officer, send Vending
i to the gallows.
Carney claims to have ended to-day
/. one of the longest and most expensive
nan hunts of modern times,
Vending during all the proceed
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