The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-29
DELV|NG FURTHER
 INTO MURDER CASE
Albert Walters Girl Compan-
 ion Gives More Facts
ACCUSED. MAN DEFIANT
supposed Murderer of Ruth Wheeler VIII Admit Nothing, But Chain of Evidence Is Gather
 ing Round Him

New York, March ss.-Spurred on by the discovery that Ruth Wheeler, the girl | stenographer victim of the sensational murder uncovered last Saturday was by every evidence smothered and stuffed alive, though unconscious, into the fire place of Albert Wolter's apartments and there burned to death, the authorities to- day continued the task of trying to de- yelop the real motive for the crime. After the autopsy on the body Coroner's Physician Hanlon decided that traces of soot in the nostrils and lungs convinced him that the girl was still living when her body was set on fire by the mur- derer.
 Hours of questioning of the closest sort | have failed to shake young Wolter in his declaration that he never had seen the Wheeler girl and knew nothing of the way she met her fate. He steadfastly declines to explain the entry of Ruth Wheelers name in his memorandum book | or to account to the satisfaction Of the police for his movements on the day when lit is learned Miss Wheeler visited his rooms in answer to an advertisement TOT stenographer and was not seen again alive outside of the Seventy-hfth street house In which Wolter lived | Incarnation obtained from Katie Mill Ter or Mueller, Wolter's companion, who was arrested yesterday, was mostly of a negative character. A fresh trail in Vol ter's case, however, was struck by the authorities in story told them by young woman who confessed to having known Wolter well. Her tale of the many young girls, who she said had been as sociated with the prisoner, set the au- thorities to look up the numerous girls whose names and addresses were found in wolter's memorandum book. The investi- sation is expected to reveal whether
 Wolter had any connection with white
 slave operations.
 Since the latter part of January more than 50 girls between the ages of b ana
 IT years have been reported to the police
 as missing. but 15 have been accounted for.
 Under a merciess grilling today Katie
 Mueller broke down and gave the police
 startling additions to her testimony. |
 apartment with wolters on the night
 Ruth Wheeler was first missed, and at
 o'clock was sound asleep. About mid
 night the report of her testimony con | tinued:
 "l was awakened by a crash in the front room. I called out Who's there?
 anJ Albert answered from the front
 room saying Part of the fireplace has l fallen down and I'm fixing it. You stay
 In bed
 q went right back to sleep, but I was 1 awakened again about o'clock by an-
 other sound as of something falling. Albert
 was down on his knees before the fire place, shoveling something with his
 hands back into the grate. He said the | fireplace had broken down again. l said | Can't I help you? and started toward
 him. He said roughly: Go back to bed
 and stay there, or I'll choke you to
 death. I went back to bed and stayed" | Following the examination of the Mueller woman and its results thus in-
 dieated, Inspector McCafferty of the de- | tectlve bureau said:
 Our case is practically compelte. We | will prove that this poor little girl went | to seek work from Wolter; that he at
 taciSei her. that she fought, and he chokeo her until she was unconscious" At the Tombs this afternoon Wolter cried frequently and declared that he knew nothing about the murder when ac- costed by Coroner Holtzhauser. Wolter refused to answer the question as to
 whether he assaulted the girl. rH No, I would not look at her." he said, when asked If he would see the body and identify 1t. He appeared greatly fright ened
 Wolter insisted that the Mueller woman opened the door and admitted Adelaide Wheeler. sister of the murdered girl and that Wolter was In bed at the time
 The prisoner said that when the girl
 spoke about a policeman outside, the door was opened at once and the girl was allowed to gos