Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-09-16
Mystery Of Mutilated Body Solved
by New York Police-Gives
Love as Motive.
WAS STRUCK AS SHE SLEPT
Could Not Let Her Live Without
Him, Says Rev. Hans
Schmidt.

New York, Sept. 15.-With the
arrest early yesterday of the Rev
Hans Schmidt, assistant rector of St
Joseph's Roman Catholic church
charged with the murder of Anna
Aumuller, domestic, the mystery
surrounding the finding twelve days
ago of parts of the dismembered
body of a girl in the Hudson river
was solved Schmidt, according tc
the police reports, has confessed
and at the time of his arrest at
tempted to commit suicide by cut
ting his throat with a safety razor
blade.
81 killed her because I loved her
30 much" Schmidt-is alleged to have
told his captors, but the police YER
sion of the motive for the crime is
that the young woman was about
become mother. He had married
her through ceremony of his own
performing, without witnesses.
According to the police and the
district attorneys Office, Schmidt's
confession was full and absolute. In
1t he is quoted as saying that he
killed his companion with butch
er's knife and cut up the body with
the knife and a saw. The deed was
committed, according to the police,
while the woman slept, shortly after
midnight on Sept. 2, in an apart
ment in Bradhurst avenue, where
the priest had placed her five days
before.
When her heart had ceased beat
ing, according to the alleged confess
sion, Schmidt carried the body from
the bed to the bath room and plac-
ing it in the tub began Immediately
his CORY task of cutting it up. With
the keen knife and the saw he cut
off the head, arms and legs. Still
fearful Of detection, he then cut the
body in two. Five bundles wrapped
in bed clothes and papers, We're
made of the six parts. Five times
Schmidt left the apartment with a
bundle to cross the Hudson river to
the Jersey shore. Five times be
leaned over the stern of the ferry
boat in midstream and gently gave
the river his burden, Then he re-
turned to his church
Stain of the girls blood still dis
colored the bath tub when detectives
searched the Bradhurst avenue
apartment yesterday.
Schmidt told the police he had
taken the mattress on which she lay
when he dealt the death blow, un-
der cover of darkness to a vacant lot
nearby and burned 1t. .. ..
In the apartment, among other
things, the police found marriage
license issued in New York last Feb
ruary and bearing the names of the
priest and the murdered woman.
This license had been used. Accord
ing to Schmidt's confession he went
through a marriage ceremony with
the girl. In this ceremony, Schmidt
was both priest and bridegroom;
there were no witnesses.
A gayly colored pillow of unusual
pattern led to Schmidt's apprehen-
sion. This pillow, stained with
blood and soiled with the filth of
the river, was wrapped around a
portion of the torso
The detectives traced the pillow
to its manufacturer; the manufact-
nrer traced it to the dealer; the
dealer traced it to Schmidt And the
police, tracing Schmidt and the girl,
knew all about both of them hours
before they arrested him.
Schmidt was arrested by Inspect
or Faurot, in charge of the detective
bureau. The priest was dressed in
full clerical garb when the detective
entered his rooms in the parish
house of his church in West One
Hundred and Twenty-fifth street.
The inspector had produced a photo
graph of Miss Aumuller and asked
Schmidt if he knew the girl.
The priest after a moment Of hes
itation inquired whether his visitors
were police officers. His actions in
dictated that he was expecting ar
rest. He then asked permission to
change his clothes and ii was when
he left the room that Inspector
Faurot declared he attempted to cut |