New-York tribune., 1911-04-22
|0LD MURDER MYSTERY
MAY D|SBAR ATTORNEY
Robert kuehnert Fails to Tell
Court Here Why He Fled from
Cincinnati to Mexico.
WAS IN EXILE SIX YEARS
Accused by Newspapers of Kill
ing Neighbor, Pull" Prevents
Indictment-Bar Makes
Charges in Court.

The record in the charges brought by
the Bar Association against Robert
kuehnert. practising lawyer of this
city. for the investigation OF which the
Appellate Division Of the Supreme Court
| appointed former Justice Gildersleeve
as referee yesterday. contains an ex-
| traordinary story Of an incident in the
life Of Kuehnert while a resident Of Gin
cinnati. that caused him to give up his
| lucrative practice and go to Mexico.
where he remained six years, then COM
| ing to this city to take up his profess
sion again.
His failure to tell the Appellate Di-
vision when applying for permission to
practice in New York OF the peculiar
circumstance Of his leaving Cincinnati is
| responsible for the charges filed against
| him. Kuehnert's affidavit when seeking
the right to practice here said he had
| been lawyer in good standing at the
bar In Cincinnati for twelve years His
failure to tell OF his six years stay IN
Mexico and the reason for II was con-
sidered by the Bar Association a de-
ception Of the court
The circumstance which the Bar Asso-
| citation called attention to had to do with
the murder Of a man near the home Of
Kuehnert in 1892, which was followed
by the direct statement OF newspaper
that the affair warranted the indictment
or the ~ Euehparf prf no
lawyer said when examined before the
grievance committee Of the Bar Asso-
citation. the prosecuting attorney. the
coroner and the chief Of police OF Gin
cinnati were close friends Of him. He
! was not prosecuted. However. the fact
that bis name was associated with
crime. and the fear that his children
would be pointed out as those OF a man
who had been accused Of murder. caused
him 10 leave Cincinnati and go 10 Mex
ico, asking his wife to follow him there,
although the records do not show wheth-
his chosen place of exile. While he was
away suits were brought against him.
In one case a Judgment of $4,000 was
recovered. and in another his surety
made good a claim. II was alleged in
these suits that Kuehnert had alb
seconded.
DooittIe at kuehnert Fire.
One night in the winter Of 1892 there
was fire in Kuehnert's home in a sub
Urb Of Cincinnati. The invalid father Of
Mrs. Kuehnert was on the third floor Of
the house and the lawyer had some diff
Guilty in saving him. The flames made
rapid progress and IL became necessary
for Kuehnert to rescue his children. He
had carried one TO the home Of neigh
Dor and was carrying out the other. when
he met a neighbor named Doolittle, 70
whom he turned over the child, with the
request that he take Il 10 the house
where the other had been placed. Then.
Kuehnert said, he and his wife returned
10 the burning house To save something
II they could. but the flames had made
too great headway and they barely es-
capped The insurance policies on the
personal property Of Kuehnert were paid
without question. but there was some
opposition on the part Of the company 10
the payment for the loss Of the house.
Two weeks later Doolittle was found
in the road near his home dying from q
bullet wound in his head. Before he died
he said: Why. a lawyer up the road
knows all about that" It developed that
Doolittle was in the insurance business.
and Il was said. but denied by Kueh
merit, that the lawyer turned over 10 Doc
little the care Of the children on the night
OF the fire that Doolittle might aid In
saving the property. It is said also that
the murdered man had something 10 do
with holding up the payment Of the in
surance money to Kuehnert. The lawyer
said that he had seen Doolittle only twice
in his life and did not even know that he
was In the insurance business.
A newspaper reporter quoted Doolttle
as referring directly to Kuehnert in his
ante-mortem statement. which Kuehnert
saws he did not. The newspaper tried TO
fix the crime on the lawyer and asked
that he be indicted.
Prosecutor His Friend.
John Schwartz, who was then prose-
cutting attorney, went to Kuehnert, 1t
was reported. and said he would refuse
N have him indicted because he was his
friend and that he would even take the
chance Of being defeated for reelection
70 his office. At the inquest Kuehnert
proved an alibi by showing that on the
night of the murder he was at meeting
~ the board OF directors Of a building