The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-03-29
GIRL STRANGLED, BURNED
AND PUT ON FIRE ESCAPE
Ruth WheeIer's Body Found I'm
der VOTERS Window.
SHE WAS SEEKING WORK
Wrote to Commercial School For a
Stenographer and Child of Fiji
teen Was Sent to Him and Stran.
gIed in F's Rooms.

New Yer City.--Ruth Wheeler,
fftee- years old, who only recently
vas graduated from the Merchants
and Bankers Business School at Mad
ison avenue and Fifty-ninth street,
wont back to that school to see if the
school knew of any place where she
rould get employment as stenogra-
pher. The school gave her the adj
dress of Albert Wolter, 224 East Sew
enty-fifth street, who had sent post
card to the school asking that can
didate for stenographer be sent to
him. Ruth Wheeler went to see him
about $50 in the morning, and in his
fat she was murdered and an attempt
was made to burn up her body.
When she did not come home at
dinner time her sisters, with whom
she lived at 313 West 134th street,
set out to find her, and being business
girls went first to the school. They
learned that she had been there and
that she had gone to answer the call
Of Albert Wolter. They went then to
Albert VOTERS rooms, only to find
that he denied any knowledge of their
sister, but they did not like his beha-
vior and they went to the police of
the East Sixty-seventh street station.
Wolter was arrested and sent to a
cell under $4,000 bail, charged with
abduction, only because Ruth Wheel
er's two sisters felt convinced that he
had done wrong. In his rooms was
found a memorandum book with
Ruth Wheeler, 81 week." written
In it. Later Ruth's body, burned al
most beyond recognition, was found
at VOTERS home and he was charged
with murder
John Taggert and his wife, who oc-
cupy rooms on the fourth floor of the
building at No. 224 East Seventy
fifth street, directly adjoining the
Wolter apartment, were attracted to
a bundle on the fire escape.
A closer inspection of the bundle
led Taggert to believe that his neigh
ber had wrapped a quantity of old
clothes in the bag. Although he was
surprised at its weight he pushed the
package off the fire escape into the
adjoining yard, four flights below.
A skirt which had been hanging
on the rail alongside the bundle was
also thrown into the yard by Taggert.
Taggert called on John Mohl, the
janitor of the place, and they went
into the yard where the bundle had
fallen. Mohl shrank from the pros
pective discovery, but Taggert drew
his pocketknife and ripped open the
Bewed end of the bag.
AS the cords were released the
Jagged ends of the arms and legs
protruded through the paper wrap
ping. Taggert instantly realized that
he had found human body and at
tempted to cut further into the bum
die, but his progress was hindered by
picture wire which bound the inner
wrappings over the head and chest of
the murdered girl.
There was not shred of flesh on
the portions of the body found in
this bundle, but turquoise necklace
and shred of silk which was a part
of the girls shirt were taken to dis
close that the victim was woman.
They were identified by Ruths sis
tiers. The arms and legs were miss
ing from the bundle, which also con-
tanned / quantity of burned coal and
charcoal.
Ruth Wheeler came of hard
working, respectable family Her
father, John Wheeler, died a dozen
years ago in his service as a railroad
man at Spuyten Duyvil, having pre-
yiously served as an engineer on the
steamship line between New York and
Bermuda, and her mother then re-
sumed work as a dressmaker to sup
port her four children, whom she sue
ceeded in educating for their work in
life. There were four of them
Pearl. Adelaide, John and Ruth. AS
each reached the age when it was
possible to go to work and contribute
to the family's support each found a
place, Pearl in Stern's, Adelaide with
w. r. Gregory & Co., of the Produce
Exchange, John with the Standard
Oil Company. on Staten Island
Wolter persistently denied his
guilt. He said he was an expert Ger
man stenographer and wanted to ex-
change lessons with an English stem
ographer. He is about eighteen years
old, and has not lived at home for
six months.