The Calumet news., 1913-09-15
coNFEssEs HORRIBLE CRIME
Cuts Victims Body to Pieces and
Throws Them In River
n. Y. MYSTERY IS CLEARED UP

New York, Sept l5-ln hope of
branding as an imposter and pseudo
priest the Reverend Hans Schmidt, al
legged self lf-confessed slayer of Anne
Aumuller, the victim of New York's
river murder mystery. the church au-
thorities began today a sweeping in
vestlgation of Schmidts record and
pretentions To ordination.
we hope. of course. Ia be abb" 1"
prove this unspeakable monster was
an imposter and has been using Corg-
cd papers" declared Monsignor La
velle. vicar general of the archdio-
cese of New York. That Is some
thing we are trying to clear up. He
came TO this diocese with credentials
apparently in every way authentic and
genuine. but we know practically moth
ing of Kim. His crime is too horrible
to conceive We may only hope he
may prove to have been a pseudo
priest"
In a cell at the Tombs. n coat for a
pillow, Schmidt slept soundy last
night and arose this morning to par
take of a heart, breakfast He had
little To add Ia his alleged confession
of last night. in which he is said to
have told the police he killed his vie
tim as she law on her bed, cut up the
body IN the bath tub OF the apartment
where he had established her. wrap
ped Il in five bundles and dropped
them in the Hudson river. To Rev. l..
j. Evers. the TomDs chaplain, Schmidt
was said to have made the following
declaration:
Il was directed to kill her by st.
Elizabeth. who is my patron, as a
sacrifice To be consummated as was
the sacrifice of Abraham, in blood"
To the police. schmidt is alleged to
have said:
II killed her because | loved her"
The police believe. however, he kill
ed her because she soon was to be "A
mother. They believe the girl accept
cd az genuine the marriage ceremony
through which she went with the al
legged slayer last February. at which
nc was both priest and bridegroom.
Mentioned in Another Crime.
The police sought today to obtain
from Schmidt some statement of wha;
he might know Of the murder of eight
year-old Alma kellner. whose mutilat-
ed body was found in quiclsline in the
basement of ST. Johns church at
Louisville, KY, nearly five and half
ago. From August. 1909 TO 1910
Schmidt was u visitor in Louisville,
not officially i'm connection with any
church there, but as a guest at the
rector Cf the church of the lmmacu-
late Conception. Alma Keilner disap-
reared December Bird. 1909, and her
body was found nine months after Jo-
seph Wcndling, janItor OF st Johns
church. is serving life term for the
crime. Vending stoutly denied his
guilt and the jury did not consider the
evidence sufficient, to lodge against him
verdict Of first degree murder.
Did Not Kill kellner Girl.
Louisville, KY. Sept. l5.-Investiga-
ton here today failed to establish any
connection Of Rev Hans Schmidt, held
in New York for the murder of Anna
Aumiller, with the murder in Louis
Vile OF eighty year-old Alma Kellner,
whose mutilated body was found in
the basement of st. Johns Catholic
church, December 3, 1908.
Schmidt was the guest of Rev. III. u.
Westermann pastor of the church of
the Immaculate Conception Sat the
time Of the girls disappearance and
subsequently finding of the body. Mem
bcrs Of the Kellner girls family scout
ed the idea that Schmidt was in any
way connected with her death