St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-01-06
Says She Killed Wasserleben
Because He Insulted Her.
Shot Him in the Head as He
Laid On the Bed.
--
Then Took Body to Water
and Threw it in.
Suspected She Wanted His
Insurance Money.

Insurance Money.
Mobile. Ala, Jan. 1.-Followin,
On inquest over the body of Fred
erick Wasserleben, the police officer
Who was killed at his home her,
Saturday, the coroner's jury to-day
rendered q verdict that the deceased
came to his death from gunsho,
wounds in the head received at thu
hands OF his mother-in-law, Mrs. M
7. Godau. It was recommended
that Mrs. Virginia L. Wasserleben
the wife of the dead man, and Willie
Green, his brOther-in-law,to to be held
as accessories. Hans Bergermann
. druggist, testifies his belief that
Wasserleben had been systematically
poisoned by his relatives
Mrs. GOdau testified that she kill
ed Wasserleben as he lay in bed late
Saturday evening, after fight which
they had, when he offered her an
insult. She said she dragged the
body to the porch and covered it, in
order that the children might not
zee it. Later she hauled it in a
wagon to desolate spot distant
from the home, where, she said, she
hoped it might be thought he was
MURDERED BY THUGS
Mrs. Godua repeatedly declared that
her daughter and son were innocent.
Mrs. Wasserleben, her daughter,
denied all knowledge of the crime,
and maintained that it was commit
ted where the body was found.
The funeral of Wasserleben was
held this afternoon, and the widow
and baby daughter were permitted
to eftend TN company with deputy
eAeriff. Delegations from the Police
Dapartment and lodges OF which
We4earleben was q member acted as.
pellbearers.
cd that slow poisoning was resorted
to by Mrs. Wasserleben in an effort
10 kill her husband in order to get
the large amount of insurance car
ried by him. H. Kruemple, for
mer justice of the peace, and who
was an intimate friend Of Wasserle-
ben, said that the patrolman's ply
Dical condition some time ago was
such that hes (Kruemple) suspected
that he was
BEING GIVEN POISON.
Kruemple says that he told Mrs.
that II her husband
died In the near future she would be
Of having caused his death.
He says that shortly after talking to
Mrs. Wasserleben he noticed an im-
proyement in ner husbands condi-
lion. Chief of Police v. A. Giblin
Baid to-day that at one time he spoke
10 Wasserleben about his apparent
illness, and the patrolman told him
that after each meal he suffered with
pains in his abdomen. The police
Day that Mrs. Wasserleben at one
time frequently consulted clerk in
! drug store in the western part OF
the city as to her husbands illness
and that the woman at times went
to q grocery store from which she
could telephone to this clerk, whose
name is Hans Bergman, and to whom
Dhe sometimes talked in English and
sometimes in German. The police,
nay that Bergman told them that
he advised Wasserlaben that his wife
had predicted that he would not live
until New Years day.
Mrs. Godau stated that she did
not sleep much last night, and said:
"How could one sleep when they
knew that on New Years day they
would be In the county jail?"
The woman in her confession to-
day said:
Erred Wasserleben tried to as
sault me, and when fought him OF
By tearing his shirt almost of, he
lred pistol shot at me, but jump
ed out OF the way.
Erred then threw the gun on the
bed and laid down and
TOLD ME- TO KILL HIM,
that IL / didn't someone else would
sooner or later. I fred shot into
his head. He then fell out of the
bed-in the death struggle, and soon
er than hear him moan and see him
suffer finished him. then wiped
up the blood from the floor with
IN old blanket and tried to hide
everything, even cutting the bullet
out of the window that he fired at
me. / then put Fred's police coat
on him, buttoned it up, and tied
rope to his arms and dragged the
body into q wagon. I hauled the
body through the rain to the pond,
backed the wagon into it and dump
the body out
Charles Stein, the first husband of
Mrs. Godau, the self-confessed muir
dress, was shot and killed in field
on his farm, supposedly by night
marauders. He carried several
thousand dollars
LIFE INSURANCE
The second husband, William
Green, disappeared from home and
was never heard from again.
Mrs. Godau was arrested for the
murder OF her last husband, William
Godau, who was found murdered on
4 September morning in 1902 near
his chickenhouse. Mrs. Godau tried
10 fasten the crime. on q negro.
The woman was acquitted. Her
husband was insured for $4,000