The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-05-31
Girl Supposed to Have Been
Kidnapped Last Decen-
Der Was Murdered.
REMAINS SHOW THAT MURDER
OF THE LITTLE ElGHT-YEAR-
OLD LOUISVILLE GIRL WAS A
BRUTAL ONE-EvERY BONE IN
cHlLD's BODY BROKEN, SKULL
CRUSHED AND AN ATTEMPT
MADE TO BURN THE REMAINS.
BY Associated Press.

Louisville, KY. May 30.-That Al
ma Kellner. the eight-year-old
daughter of Fred L. Kellner, of this
city, was murdered and not kidnap-
ped was proven today when her mu-
tilated and dismembered boy was
found in the cellar of st. Johns
Catholic school at Clay and Walnut
streets, scarcely five blocks from ner
home. The mystery surrounding the
girls disappearance on December 3
last completely baffled the police and
Notwithstanding search in all parts
of the United States and Canada, no
tidings of her whereabouts was re-
cefved until about 10 o'clock this
morning, when a. plumber searching
for a leak in the basement of the
school discovered the body. The To-
cal police are reticent, but hint at ar
rest at any time.
The detectives are working on the
theory that the girl was murdered IN
the vicinity of the school and after
attempts had been made to burn the
body, it was surreptitiously buried in
the sub-cellar and quick lime used to
disintegrate the flesh. Every bone in
the eild's body was broken and the
skull was crushed and charred, show
ing that the attempt to burn the body,
IL such was made, had been interrupt
ed or the perpetrator fthe crime
had changed his mind regarding its
disposition.
The finding of the body has arous-
ed intense excitement and a large
crowd surrounded the school all day.
The child's mother has not yet seen
the body, but after she recovered
from collapse she merely said: 'T
have been relieved"
WRAPPED IN CARPET.
The torso was found wrapped in
piece of carpet, save for one limb
was later discovered i ma corner OF
tfe cellar and buried in the clay floor
of the basement to a depth of per-
haps three feet. The leak in the wa
ter pipe, the cause of which has not
yet been learned, had caused the wa
ter to flow until the floor was cover
ed to depth of about three feet.
Lamps were quickly brought and the
relatives of the child summoned.
Frank Wehr. the millionaire brewer,
made hasty examination and declar-
ed the body was that of Alma, for
whom he had been searching for
months. A ring on the child's finger
was expected to finally establish posi-
tive identity. The scene of the dis
Covery is only five blocks from the
Kellner home and the school adioins
St Johns church, where the Kellner
family worshipped. The body was
very badly decomposed and had prob
ably been in the basement five
months.
1t was to attend services at St.
Johns church on the morning of De
cember s last that Alma left home
! about a quarter before 9 and was
seen few moments later as she
neared st. Johns by a druggist. who
noticed her stopping for a moment to
play with a cat which was sitting in
the window of the store. The drug
gfst was the last known person to
see the child alive.
CORONER INVESTIGATES.
When Coroner Duncan made an in
vestigation it became evident that
the girl had met her death in a hor-
rible manner. Her skull was crush
ed and practically every bone in the
body was broken and charred. The
coroner said it was evident that the
body had been broken and dismem-
bered and then placed i'll stove or
crate, but this means of disposition
had probably been interrupted. quick
lime having been used to aid in the
disintergration. The body was not
I'm the fire long, it is thought. be-
cause the bones were only partly
charred and some of the flesh still
adhered. but crumbled to the touch
Mayor Head joined Chief of Police
Lindsay at conference at the
school house, to which the entire de
tective force was summoned
The cellar in which the body was
discovered was six feet wide b. ten
feet long and is reached by two en-
frances, one trap door inside the
school house, which has not been
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