The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-09-24
POLICE PROBING MuRET's PAST
BELIEVE DENIST AND FATHER,
SCHMIDT ARE RELATED
Suspect also that Confessed Slayer of
Anna Aurnuller Is AN Impostcr-
Evidence Uncovered Links Lives
of Two Accused Men Closer and
Cfoser-Schmidt's Counsel Plann-
Ing To Have Sanity OF Client Test
ed--Divcrs To Search for Girls
Head.


were being taken today to have a
jury pass or the sanity OF Father"
Hans Schmidt. bit by bit of evidence
was piling up linking closer and clos
er the lives Of the slayer of Anu
Aumuller and his alleged counter
feitins partner. DR.. Ernest Muret.
Muret was the central figure in the
days developments. The priest, whose
very right to the name he claims anu
to the cloth he wore is being called
In question. grew morose in his cell
and talked little.
Muret appeared I'm Court to plead
guilty and be held on a charge O.;
having dangerous weapon in hi,
possession. But this charge was 8,
mere formality. serving to hold hin,
while the mysterious twists and turns
of his many-sided life are being fol.
lowed up and his association with the
Aumuller's girls murder Is traced tc
It's beginning.
The pseudo dentist, who appears
from information the authorities have
already acquired TO have practiced
medicine under other names I'm Chi
cago. in England and on the CONT
nent. has been thought by the police
almost from the beginning to bear
some blood relationship to Schmidt.
This development bringing with II
the statement that the cousins were
close friends and that Muret long
ago disappeared. perhaps, was the
most important of any along the line
of inquiry which seeks to establish
a connection OF long standing be-
tween the two men.
IL came out also. through the dis
covery OF an engraver who made
copper plates for Schmidt. that Muret
- he now calls himself. seemingly
1AA far clover knowledge than he has
at amy time admitted OF Schmidt's
cohnterfeiting operations. having ac-
companied schmidt to the engraver's
shop when the plates were obtained
As for schmidt himself. the many
aliases he used led Inspector Faurot.
ir charge OF the case. to suspect that
the clerical prisoner might not be the
Hans Schmidt. of Aschifrsberg, but
an imposter. The theory, while
somewhat at cross puposes with that
which has brought out the supposed
blood relationship between the real
Hans Schmidt and Muret, was consi-
dered by the inspector worth while
following up.
Schmidt when this matter of
ientity was pressed on him today
- his counsel. Alphonse Koelble, in
sisted. the attorney said, that he was
not an imposter.
Mr.. Koelble today began laying the
ground work for an insanity defence
OF his client. lie told District Attor-
ney Whitman that he proposed asking
a Court inquiry into Schmidt's sanity.
This would nccessitate the appoint
ment OF a commiss !on or the bringing
OF the confessed murderer before "a
layman's jury.
Another line OF defence seems like
~ to be resorted to I'm a secondary
way. This Is an asserted absence OF
absolute proof of Anna Aumullers
death. Parts of the girls body cut
up by Schmidt and thrown into the
Hudson. have been recovered. hut the
head. which would afford rroof posi-
tive OF identity. still is missing. This
is leading the police to keep up a
persistent search for the head of the
victim.
A driver has been engaged To go
over every foot OF the river bottom
In the vicinity where yesterday fish
ermen dragged some object close to
the surface and thcn lost A