New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-28
DID NOT AID W0LTER
KITCHEN MUELLER
DENIES SHARE.
Police Hold WOlter'S Com
paRiOn as Material U7itness an
Ruth Wheeler;s Murder.


Ruth Wheeler. Katchen Mueller. with
whom he had been living. was picked up
by the police. She was held without bail
az witness, and was later sent 70 the
House Of Detention.
The arrest OF Miss Mueller, who had
been sought by the police since the
charred body of Ruth Wheeler was
found, was made an hour after her COM
panion was formally charged with muir
der. She WAS returning TO the furnished
room house. al No. l22 East 105th
street, where she and Wolter had gene
10 take up their life anew after the ter
rible crime that made 5heir former abode
untenable.
When she reached the house where the
detectives had been waiting since Satur-
day afternoon, she had a German news
paper containing an account of the find
Z ing Of the body and OF the search for
her. together with clippings concerning
the affair. but had no idea % giving her
self up. as Il seemed
/ The woman, who is expected by the
/ police 10 be of great help 10 them in
I piecing together the scattered fragments
I Of the grewsome story. told them that
/ she had a violent quarrel with Woiter on
4 Thursday night. That was after the
murder, and the quarrel came about be-
cause Ruth Wheeler's sister had called
upon him. But they must have made up,
/ for they were together that night and
again the next day.
Held as a Witness.
katchen Mueller is held by Coroner
Holtzhauser as willing and valuable
witness. When she WIS arraigned she
I had not told Of the remarkable changes
which she noted in the apartment where
/ Ruth Wheeler's body had been secreted
in the fireplace on Thursday evening
She had not told Of the quarrel after
the dead girls sisters made a fruitless
I search Of the rooms and of VOTERS mad
I desire 10 set away from the tomb OF the
innocent victim.
When this story WAS repeated by her
70 Inspector Titus. Captain Hughes and
Assistant District Attorney Turrbull. the
police had d statement from John Tag
CERT and his wife which may make the
woman's position more serious. The
. Taggert family lives in an apartment
adjoining that where the body of Ruth
/ Wheeler was found. az No. 22i East 10th
street II = rs Mrs. Taggert who on
/ Thursday night saw the bundle contain
+ ing the body Of Ruth Wheeler pushed
on the ire escape where Il was found
on Saturday.
Mrs. Iaggert gave the remaining link
in the chain Of evidence which the police
have forged around the affair. She
placed the time when Ruth Wheeler's
body was smouldering ar . o'clock on
Thursda- Afternoon. II was then that
her son John. nine years old. noticed
clouds Of smoke rolling out of the
kitchen chimney. the fue Of which is
4 connected with that Of tho Wolter apart
ment.
Complains CT Neishbors.
The woman said that q heavy odor
! nliod the room as the smoke thickened.
/ Her son opened the door leading into
tlie hall, when ;he fumes from the pyre
became 50 sitting that II was impossible
4 - stay In the kitchen. Mrs. Taggart BE-
j
burned, ami when her husband returned
T home from work she called his attention
To the nuisance caused oy neighbors nd
ding the house Of rubbish
Although the police accepted this part
( Of the statement as fixing the time when
the body was cremated. the most sig
nificsnt part of Mrs. Taggert's story was
I 10 the effect that she was sure man
4 placed the gunnysack containing Ruth
/ Wheeler's body on the fire escape shortly
after "a o'clock that night.
Miss Mueller said that she WAS ia the
I apartment from O'Clock on Thursday
night mtu t. o'clock oh Friday morning.
, bat she denied having any knowledge Of
( the murder other than what she read in
I tre newspapers. The quarrel With
I Wolfe; must have occurred after .
I O'Clock on Thursday night. when Miss
Adelaide Wheeler and policeman
/ entered the rooms. II was an hour later
( when me bundle and VOTERS blood
stained shirt were placed on the ere
escape.
Examination Lasts five Hours.
These statements. which the police are
. confident mean the solution Of The muir
der. were summed up during the five
hours when Miss Mueller MAS the target
for running IRE of questions from Tho
Assistant District Attoruey ana The
police officials in the East G7th street
police station. The examination was
halted a. times as tn grewsome ex-
hbirs which We're taken from The arlrt-
ment were shown To the woman.
Although the questions came fast and
unexpected, Miss Mueller never ,yavered
ia ner answers She insisted that she
never saw any part or Ruth Wbcsler's
body. and that tho INST news af che
crime came I" her through the newspa-
pers.
Al last after abe disconnected ends az
her story had been pulled together and
paragraph after paragraph had been
read 10 her. II was "yident that her
knowledge of the circumstances which
. surrounded the crime was more yaIu-
able than Was II first supposed
IN her story. according To the police.
Miss Mueller accounted for every hour
from Thursday morning until the time
OF her arrest. with the exception Of sat
uTday night. which she said She spent
a. the home 81 friend. ON Thursday
morning the woman went 10 her plac.
/ sl .mpl8yUlaHt That uieht abe ,,-,,,