The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-08-04
WENDLING CAUGHT
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
HIS FORMER FIANcEE UNcoN.
sCIoUSLY ASSISTED THE OF.
FIcERS IN HIS ARREST.
DRAGGED FROM BENEATH SINK
Protests His Innocence, But the Police
Claim They Have Enough EvIence
to Convict HIm-Arrested in Lodg-
ing House.

San Francisco.-Dragge from be-
heath a sink in the washroom of a
Third street lodging house in this
city, where he had been hiding for
"a hours, Joseph A. Vending, accused
Of the murder of Alma Kellner, in
Louisville, KY, was arrested by De-
tectives 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 Carney, of Louis
Vile, arrived to learn that his 1900
mile search for Vending had been
crowned with success.
In his relentless pursuit of the sup
posed murderer Carney many times
lost the trail, but the secret of the
whereabouts of his quarry always lay
with Mrs. Cora Muena, a milliner, of
Hume, Mo-, who unconsciously be-
trayed 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 his wealth in France, which
would come to linn with the death Of
his aged father.
Before Mrs. Muena left Houston she
grew to fear Vending and after her
return to Hume she broke the engage
ment.
Carney went to Rio Vista, but the
man had fled, leaving behind him, how
ever, his name on the pay roll of
company which was building jetties
along the Sacramento river. Then the
trail again became so cold that Car
ney determined to visit Mrs. Muena
at her home in Hume.
He reached there just in time to
prevent the destruction of postal card
which gave the address of Vending
in Vallejo, Cal.
When the address was flashed to
San Francisco, a detective was at once
sent to Vallejo. In the possession of
Alice Miller, with whom Vending
had been living, he found the fugi-
tive's photograph and a complete set
Of burglars tools.
Vending soon was traced to this
city, but the detectives were thrown
off the track by a strange double, who
left a suitcase in deserted house in
the North Beach foreign quarter.
The death by his own hand of this
suspect, two days ago, again left the
detectives without scent, but
they caught it again when Captain of
Detectives Wall received a tip that
the fugitive was in Third street
rooming house.
The owner of the house declared
that man answering Weddings de-
scription had been there, but had left
few days before. The police made
search and when Vending was drag
ged forth he did not make the slight
est resistance, and, when the bullet
wound in his hand and the tattoed ship
On his arm were exposed by his cap
Vending protested his innocence of
the Kellner murder, declaring that he
knew nothing of it until he read of the
finding Of the body. He 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 Mad
cline Arnold.
According to Carney, the evidence
against Vending is very strong. The
strongest link was the discovery of
some of the girls bloody clothing in
a closet in Weddings home.
Vending says he left Louisville on
January 18, four months before the
mutilated body of the child was found,
because of a quarrel with mis- brother.
in-law, Louis Arnold but he refused
to say word that would in any way
connect him with the death of the
child.
81 did not know Alma Kellner, and
to my knowledge never saw her." said
Vending. "The story that I saw her
enter the school on the morning she
disappeared and followed her into the
building is without foundation.
"I wish I was as sure to escape the
wrath Of my brother-in-law as I am of
freeing myself of a murder charge"
he declared.
Vending left in the company Of
Captain of Detectives Carney Tuesday
10 face the charge that rests against
E,m in the city from which he fled lao1
January. He is anxious to return and
his confident manner in expressing
his desire to face the murder indi "
ment and have the thing over has all
IL l. -.