Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-03-31
KILLED AND BURNED
Horribly Mutilated Body Of New
York Girl Found.
BODY WAS BURNED TO CRISP
Albert Walter Arrested for Brutal
crime--LandIady Declares Prison
er Received Many Calls From
Girls - Wanted Work.

New York, Mar. 28.-The body of
Ruth Wheeler, little girl graduate,
who was lured from her widowed
mother on Thursday last by a decoy
OF employment, was found late Sat
urday afternoon, huddled in a gunny
sack, on a fire escape outside the
apartment of Albert Wolter, the man
charged with her abduction.
She had been strangled with a
rope, hacked with a knife, burned be-
yond all recognition and the body hid
den. Identification was only possible
by shreds OF clothing and fragments
OF JeWelry, but there was abundance
OF evidence of how the murder had
been done.
Around the neck, the charred rem
nants of Manila rope were burnt into
the flesh. There were oil stains in
front OF the newly painted fire board
that hid an open CRATE. Fully dressed
the girls clothing and hair had been
saturated with kerosene, the /, fire
board had been removed and the body
thrust up the chimney, standing.
Saturday afternoon a nsighbor hv-
ing on the same floor of an adjoining
house had noticed the lumpy bundle
outside his window and thinking it
refuse had poked it of the fire es-
cape into the back yard with a broom.
The bundle fell with a crash and the
neighbor rushed down the stairs for
the janitor to investigate.
Grewsome Contents of Sack.
When the two men cut the strings
that bound the sacking there rolled
out before them the full evidence Of
an atrocious murder. Both men ran
for the police.
The girl was Is years old and the
daughter of a dressmaker. An employ
ment agency for graduates is conduct
ed by the college where Ruth went
to school, and Ruth went there to
look for situation. Thursday morn
ing she left home on her usual errand
and never returned
The girl was never on the streets
at night and her failure to come home
for twenty-four hours without explain
alton meant more than a caprice The
next morning the elder sisters, Pearl
and Adelaide in serious concern, went
to the college and learned that the
following post card had been turned
over to her:
Dear Madam: Please call in refer
ence to position of stenographer at
residence Of the secretary, A. Wolter,
1872 East 105th street"
Police Make Investigation.
Investigation at the address given,
soon showed that Wolter, whom his
landlady described as sickly, white
faced youth of about 20 years, wear
ing fiashy clothes, and having elabor-
ately curled hair, had left the apart
ment where he lived with his wife,
earlier in the same day. He received
many calls from young girls, said the
landlady, and she had particularly no
ticed that one who called Thursday
was fresher of face and better dress
ed than the ordinary run of them.
With Wolter gone, the detectives
waited for his wife, and when she APP
peared they trailed her to a corner,
where she met a man answering VOL
ter's description. He was arrested,
taken back to the rooms he had vacat-
ed and searched.
At first he denied sending post
cards to business schools, but when
detectives turned up answers ad-
dressed to him, he admitted he had
received the cards. but could not ex-
plain it.
He admitted that the woman with
whom he is living is not his wife, it
is stated by the police.
Last summer he and she had work.
ed at MISUNDERSTANDING at a
boarding house. They came to this
city last month and since then the
woman has supported him by work
ing in a laundry.