Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-05-31
BODY Of LOST CHILD,
ALMA KELLNER, FOUND
IN SCHOOL BASEMENT
Badly DecompoSed Body, Iden-
titled as That of Murdered
Girl, Is Discovered in School
Building in Louisville
DECAYING BODY FOUND
WRAPPED IN A CARPET


membered body of little Alma Kellner.
the s-year-old daughter OF Mr.. and Mrs.
Fred L. Kellner. who disappeared from
her home here last December, was found
today in the sub-basement of st. John S
Catholic school at Clay and Walnut
streets.
A rude attempt at burying the remains
Indicated to the police that murder had
been done.
PLUMBER FINDS BODY.
The body was found by plumber, who
had been sent into the cellar to stop a
the basement. Chief Of Police Lindsay
and Coroner Ellis Duncan who came hur-
riedly to the scene, announced that the
body was that of Alma Kellner, and the
chief later gave 1t out that he believed
II to be a case Of murder. One hundred
children convened in several rooms and
the first and second floors were hurriedly
dismissed from their classes and sent
home when the find was reported to those
in charge of the school. An examination
Of the body by Coroner Duncan showed
that six ribs and one elbow were broken
and there is a possibility of a fracture
OF the vertebrate.
WRAPPED IN CARPET.
The torso was found wrapped in a piece
OF carpet, save for one limb, which was
later discovered in q corner of the cellar
and buried in the clay floor OF the base
ment to a depth OF perhaps three feet.
The leak In the water pipe, the cause of
which has not yet been learned, had
caused the water to flow until the floor
was covered to depth OF about three
feet. Lamps were quickly brought and
the relatives of the child summoned.
Frank Fehr, the millionaire brewer, and
uncle OF the girl, made a hasty examina-
ton and stated that 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 positive
identity.
The scene of the discovery is only five
blocks from the Kellner home, and the
school adjoins st. Johns church, where
the Kellner family worshipped. The body
was very badly decomposed and had prob
bly, been In the basement five months.
LAST SEEN DECEMBER s.
II was to attend services at st. Johns
on the morning of December last that
Alma left her home, about S:45, and was
seen a few moments later as she neared
St. Johns by a druggist, who noticed
her stopping for a moment to play with
cat which was sitting in the window
Of the store. The druggist was the last
known person to see the child alive.
The news that the body Of the missing
child, whose whereabouts has been the
principal topic of conversation ever since
she disappeared, had been found, created
intense excitement. People began con-
gregating IN front of the school soon
after the news was known, and by noon
several thousand persons were excitedly
discussing the case at the corner of Clay
and Walnut.
BODY ALMOST CRUSHED.
After the body was found 1t was re-
moved to one of the school rooms, and
later to an undertaking establishment,
where Coroner Duncan began his investi-
CATION. 1t did not take him long to dis
cover tina. the body of the little girl had
been almost crushed, as six ribs and one
elbow were discovered to have been
broken and there appeared some injury
to the backbone. The investigation was
difficult owning to the advanced stage of
decomposition.
Excitement over the case grew as the
day progressed, and the belief is gaining
that the little girl was enticed or sur
prised by some brute as she was within
a few steps OF the church and taken into
the dark sub-cellar, where she met her
death.
As Coroner Duncan's investigation was
pursued IL became evident tnaL the girl
had met her death In a horrible manner
Her skull was crushed and practically
every bone in the body was broken and
charred. The coroner said IL was evil
dent that the body had been broken and
dismembered and then placed in q stove
OF CRATE, but this means of disposition
having perhaps been interrupted, quick
lime had been used to aid in the disen-
tregation. The body was not in the fire
long, 1t IL thought because the bones
were only partly charred and some of
the flesh still adhered, but crumbled to
the touch.
Mayor William o. Head Joined Chief of
Police Lindsay in a conference at the
school house, to which the entire detec-
tive force was summoned.
The cellar in which the body was dis
covered is six feet wide by ten feet long,
and is reached by two entrances one a
trap door inside the school house, which
has not been opened for several months
and the other a door near the side of the
entrance to the building between the
school house and the residence of Father
Schuhman, the pastor of St. Johns
church.
This cellar was searched four days after
the girls disappearance by two detec-
tives. who inspected every corner of the