The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-11-25
whose mysterious disappearance las
winter and the subsequent finding

y
winter and the subsequent finding
her nutilated remains after a search
OF months attracted the attention o
the whole country. The police anl
the prosecuting attorneys office de
clare they have evidence sufficient
to convict Vending OF the horrible
crime of which he is charged. The
accused man, on the other hand
continues to maintain his innocence
and at no time since he has beer
lodged in the Louisville Jail has he
manifested any uneasinesS over the
outcome of his trial On the con-
trary, according to the Jail attaches
the young man has rather appeared
to enjoy the notoriety.
That strong circumstantial evl.
dence exists to connect Vending
with the murder is not to be denied
His position as jantor of the school
/ where the remains of the little girl
were found and his fight from the
are considered the strongest links
in the chain of evidence forged
against him.
Alma kellner, the elght-year-old
daughter Of Mr. and Mrs. Fred F..
kellner, left her home in East
Broadway on the morning of Deem
Der last to attend mass at ST.
Johns church. about three blocks
away When she did not return
home at the expected time her par
ents made inquiries and the next
morning a general search was be.
gun. The general theory was that
it was. case of kidnapping and with
the publicity given the case letters
began to reach the parents attempt
ing to extort money for the return
of the child.
From day to day the search con-
tinued for many weeks. The uncle
| of the child, well-todo resident of
Louisville expended much money
running down supposed clues But
not the slightest trace of the little
girl was found either by the police
or by private detectives and tbs
case remained an absolute mystery
until May 80. nearly six months al
ter her disappearance.
On May 80 some plumbers en-
ployed to find leak in the water
pipes under one Of the buildings at
tached to st. Johns church found III
tie slime and ooZe in whica they
were digging a part of the remains
Of the missing child. Buried near by
were found a glove which the little
girl wore and several garments
identified as belonging to her.
! Further evidence found around
the school building and among the
effects of the janitor, Joseph Wend-
ling, directed suspicion toward him
and when an effort was made t.
capture him it was found that he
had fed the city in January. His
wife was taken into custody on sus,
picion of being an accessory, but
was subsequently released.
A worldwide search for Wendline
was then begun He was traced into
Texas, but eluded the detectives
when they were almost on the point
of capturing him in San Antonio
Late in July, however, he was To-
Gated in San Francisco through let
tiers he had written to a woman IL
Hume, Mo-, and taken into Gus
tody.
The police theory is that the child
who was late for church, was dis
covered alone in the church by
Vending, the janitor, who assaulted
and murdered her and then dropped
the body into the basement through
hole in the sacristy. 1t is believed
he tried to burn the body in the
church furnace, and failing, later
threw it into the old cistern where i
was subsequently discovered.
The accused man is about twenty
seven years old and good looking
He is supposed to be son of good
family in France. According to hi
wife he came to America to escape
punishment for desertion from thu
French army.