Arizona republican., 1910-05-31
Disappearance Of Little Alma
 kel|ner of Louisville MuTILAIED BODY FOUND
Janitor of a School Build ing Under Which It Was Discovered is Sought and His Wife Arrested AS An Accessory

Louisville, Ky, May 3O.-Mrs. Lena Vending was arrested tonight charged with being an accessory to the mur- der of Alma Kellner, whose mutilated body was found this morning in a cistern in one of the parochial build ings of St. Johns Catholic church.
 That the eight -year-old daughter of Fred L. Kellner of this city was mur- dered and not kidnapped was proven today when the mutilated and dismem- bered body was found in the cellar of St Johns Catholic school, five blocks from her home. The girl disappeared on December & last
 About 10 o'clock this morning a plumber, searching for leak in the school water pipes. discovered the body. Mrs. Vending confessed that she had washed the clothes of a child without Knowing who the child was, several months ago.
 The police are searching for Joseph Vending. the janitor of the St Johns school, who disappeared January F last. The woman is the janitor's wife. The detectives believe that the girl was murdered in the vicinity of the school and after attempts had been made to burn the body, it was buried in the subcellar and quicklime used to disintegrate the flesh.
 Every bone in the body was broken and the skull was crushed and discol- ored. indicating the attempt to burn the body, if such was made, was in- terrupted or the perpetrator of the crime changed his mind regarding its disposition.
 Mrs. Vending was the wife of the missing man and was housekeeper for Father Schumann, pastor of St. Johns, who Is under surveillance.
 In a sworn statement made before Captain Clancy, chief of detectives, this afternoon, Mrs. Vending ad- mitted washing the muddy clothes of |her husband shortly after the disap- pearance of the Kellner girl The de- tectives examined these clOthes-trou- CTS, shirt and hat-and declare there are still blood stains on them.
 A little more than a year ago, ac- cording to police records, Vending was arrested and fined because of inn proper conduct with a young girl, whom he accosted on the street. Ac- cording to his wife, he is a deserter from the French army.
 Neither of the parents of Alma has vet seen the childs body. Both are prostrated. NIT Fehr. her millionaire uncle, is positive of his identification through a comparison of shoe found on the body with one worn by Alma before her disappearance. Other means of identification at this time seem impossible because of the ab- sence of clothing found with the body and it's horrible mutilation and decom- position.
 The discovery of the body was by a mere accident Saturday the janitor at St Johns church told Father Sehumann that water was leaking un- der one of the parish buildings. Plumbers began to pump out the wa ter. Their work was resumed this morning. After pumping only short time the water began to smell badly and in a few minutes a slime covered object was discovered. A child's foot, with shoe and stocking on. appeared. The police and coroner were notified immediately by Father Schumann. Confronted with a gold ring and a pin found in her trunk. and after the pin had been positively identified by the mother of the long-missing child as one that Alma wore the day she disappeared, Mrs. Vending main tained a stolid demeanor and casually gave the information that the pin and ring had been given her by a boy who found them on the street. Mrs. Vending also admitted that stains | on some of the clothing which she washed for her husband a short time | after the child disappeared were blood stains.
 Her admission was before a chemi- cal examination of the garments was in the possession of the police. She said they came from an accidental wound on her husbands arm. Further. than this, a three hours sweating elicited little information from the woman, whose husband the police now