The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-09-16
MINISTER ADMITS
he KILL Ed GIRL
COnieSSeS to Officials Before
RemaRded to the TOmbS.
PRISONER BELIEVED INSANE

Victim, Parts Of Whose Dismembered
Body Were Found In the Hudson,
Was Employed as Servant at Par.
sonage of Church Where Slayer Was
Curate-church Authorities Inclined
to Believe Murderer an Imposter.
New York, Sept. 15.--Hans Schmidt,
an assistant priest of st. Joseph's
Catholic church, was arrested and
confessed that he had murdered and
then dismembered the body of girl,
parts of whose body have been found
in the Hudson river during the past
few days.
The murdered girl, whose name was
Anna Aumuller, was a servant in the
pastoral residence of the Rev. Father
Braun, pastor of st. Boniface's church,
where Schmidt, from December, 1910,
until May, 1912, was a curate.
| Schmidt's only explanation of the
cause of the murder was that he loved
Anna.
Catholic church representatives Of
New York diocese, headed by Mon
| signors Mooney and Lavelle, who are
| Wears generals of the diocese, held a
conference after receiving reports of
an interview with Schmidt in the
| Tombs by the Rev. Father Evers. to
learn whether or not Schmidt really Is
a priest of the Catholic church
| Schmidt made statements to Father
Evers about being ordained priest
by st. Elizabeth of Hungary, who told
me to kill Anna as @ sacrifice Of
blood" and made many more wild
statements that incline to the belief
that he is insane.
Had Marriage License.
Schmidt said when first arrested
that he was married to Anna Aumil-
Ter, but later said he wasn't. In his
room at st. Joseph's rectory was a
marriage license taken out in the
names OF Hans Schmidt and Anna
Aumumller, dated Feb. 26, 1913. The
girl would have become a mother in
| ABOUT 1our months.
Schmidt was taken later to the
Tombs, where he said he was both
hungry and sleepy. He ate a hearty
meal and then promptly went into a
sleep that was interrupted only by
the visit Of Catholic police chaplain.
1t was learned later that Schmidt,
during a string Of statements about
his connection with the church which
were at variance with statements he
had made earlier, said that he was
IAN imposter and was once arrested
in Munich as an imposter."
The pictures of Anna Aumiller
found by the police show a rather pre-
possessing girl. She was about "a
years old. Schmidt, whose age the po-
lice have recorded as 33 years, is a
sallow-faced young man with CLASSY
eyes, whose general appearance and
actions caused many to think that he
Is addicted to drugs.
Motive For the Crime.
The only motive advanced by the
police as to the cause of the crime is
that Schmidt, fearing that the birth
of a child to the girl would cause dis
closure of his relations with the WON
an, which of course would bring pun
lshment from his superiors, decided tc
kill her, Coroner Feinberg, after hear
ing Schmidt's story, held a hearing In
Inspector Faurot's Office at headquar
ters. after which Schmidt was held
on a charge of homicide
According to the police and the die
trlct attorneys office, Schmidt's con
fession was fun and absolute. In I
he is quoted as saying that he killed
his companion with a butchers knit,
and cut up the body with a knife an(
saw. The deed was committed, th'
police say, while the woman slept
shortly after midnight on Sept 3, ii
an apartment in Bradhurst avenue
where the priest had placed her fly,
days before.
Five bundles, wrapped in be,
clothes and papers, We're made of tn
six parts. Five times Schmidt lef
the apartment house With bundle t.
cross the Hudson river to the Jerse
shore. Five times he leaned over tn
stern of the ferryboat in midstrear
and gently gave the river his burden
Then he returned to his church,
A gayly-colored pillow OF unusua
} pattern led to Schmidts appreher
sion, This pillow, stained with bloc
! and soiled with the filth of the rive
was wrapped around portion of tn
. torso,
Force of Habit.