Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-27
Attempt at Incineration.

Fully dressed, the girls clothing and
hair had been saturated with kerosene.
the fireboard had been removed and the
body thrust UP the chimney standing.
| When the match was touched to her she
burned like torch
Probably the murderer had hoped for an
opportunity TO remove the body under
cover of night. But when the girls dis
appearance raised such an uproar and he
began TO suspect he was shadowed he
had packed up and fled in terror.
This afternoon a neighbor living on the
same floor of an adjoining house had no.
ticed the lumpy bundle outside his win
dow. Thinking il refuse. he had poked
ii off the fire escape into the back yard
with a broom handle.
The bundle moved obstinately and fell
with crash. His curiosity more than
his suspicious aroused. the neighbor hur-
ried downstairs for the janitor to investi-
gate.
When the two men cut the strings that
bound the sacking there rolled out be-
fore them the full horror of an atrocious
murder. Both fled for the police.
Fifteen Girl.
Ruth Wheeler was fifteen years old,
the youngest of three sisters bred by
their mother. dressmaker, to seif-sup-
port. Both the elder sisters were stem
ographers and Ruth had just graduated
from a business college, eager for en-
ployment and proud of her diploma.
An employment agency for graduates
is conducted by the college Ruth called
there often to look for situation. Thurs
day morning she left home on her usual
errand and never returned.
The girl had been carefully brought
up. She was never on the streets at
night. Her failure to come home for
twentyfour hours without explanation
meant more than a caprice.
The next morning her sisters Pearl
and Adelaide. in serious concern, went
to the college and learned that the fol-
lowing postcard had been turned over
! to her:
Dear Madam: Please call in reference
to position of stenographer at residence
of the secretary. A WOLTER,
.'122 East 105th street"
Wolter Is Trailed.
Investigation at the address given soon
showed that Wolter, whom the landlady
described as a sickly. white-faced youth
Of about twenty, with fiashy clothes and
elaborately curied hair, had left the apart
ment where he lived with his wife earlier
in the same day. He received many calls
from young girls. She had particularly
noticed that the one who called yesterday
was fresher of face and better dressed
than the ordinary run of them
With Wolter gone. the detectives waited
for his wife. When she appeared they
trailed her to a corner where she met
man answering VOTERS description. He
was Immediately arrested. taken back to
the rooms he vacated and searched
At first he denied writing postcards to
business schools But when the detect
ives turned up answers from business
schools addressed to him at various
house numbers he admitted the cores
pondence, but could not explain it.
Woman Not Married to Him.
Before magistrate he had nothing
to say. To others he admitted that the
woman with whom he was living is not
his wife. He met her shortly after
coming to this country from Germany two
years ago, he said: they fell in love and
set up housekeeping.
Last summer he and she had worked
at Irvington-on-the-Hu at a board
ing house. They came to this city last
month. Since then the woman had sup
ported him by working in a laundry.
She has not been arrested.
Detectives who searched VOTERS rooms
said tonight that they believed he was
a procurer. Among his effects we're
fouud obscene photographs and a note
book filled with the names and addresses
of girls with their ages, wages, weight
and details Oh appear uolCd.
Among the names. the detectives say.
was that of Ruth Wheeler. They believe
he obtained his names from employment
aeencfes and business colleges, that have
lists of girls looking for work.
CHASTITY Find in Ashes.
The discovery of the body today i'm
medtately brought second search OF
VOTERS vacated apartments and strict
of the tenants ad1oin-
ing. In the ashes OF the fireplace were
found the charred bones OF human toes.
norton of an arm bone, woman's
garter and a bundle containing man
nie htshirt, on which was embroidered the
initial W."
Mrs John Taggaft, wife of the neign-
bor who pushed the body off the fire es-
cane. said that Thursday night she saw
a man step out of the Wolter apart
ment and lay bulky bundle on the graf
ing of the fire escape. She got no view
OF his face.
The parents of Albert Wolter were
found tonight and told in voluble but
broken English of the difficulties their
son had brought upon them.
He was always crazy. about women.
said the mother From the time he was
q little boy it was always dancing, pleas
,re. women-women-with him.
Youth Only Eighteen.
The father, a piano tuner from Dres-
den. Germany, said Albert was two years
Younger than the age he had given the