The San Francisco call., 1913-09-17

DID S(,H|N||)T 7
Rob DEAD
Pas TOR!
Conditions Indicate Slayer of
Girl Stole Papers Describ-
ing Him as Minister

NEW YORK, Sept Ills Hans
Schmidt. former counterfeiter, mur-
derer, now held in the tosnbs. the
same Hans Schmidt who was ordained
to the priesthood in Germany five or
six years ago, or is the prisoner here
an impostor who in some way came
into possession of the credentials OF
the real Father Hans Schmidt?
This is the question that the police
and the Catholic clergy today are
asking, and to find an answer the
photographs and complete description
of the prisoner were sent to Germany
to see If they tally with the real
| priest
| The belief is expressed here that
the real Father Schmidt came to his
death in Germany and that the pris-
oner seized his papers and name and
used them TO further his own Grim
inal aims.
| GOOD BY DAY, EVIL At NIGHT
| More revolving details of the life
| led by Schmidt during the last year
are just coming to life. His was Dr.
Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde existence in
real life. Everything tends to show
that Schmidt during the day, lived
! the model life of a man of God, but
as soon as night came he divested
himself of his clerical garb and IN
dulged in the widest orgies.
There seems to be no doubt in the
minds of the police that Schmidt is
a monster and a master criminal
a man who would stop at nothing TO
gain the end he desired. And il is
| the belief of most of those who have
come in contact with the man that
his expressions intended to create the
impression that he is a madman is
part of shrewd scheme by which
he intends to cheat the death chair
That Schmidt killed the Aumuller
girl and then dismembered her body
because he feared she would expose
him was learned today through the
story told by Annie Hirt. who worked
with Anna Aumuller in St Bonifaces s
rectory Through Miss Hirt's story
the police learned that even before
Miss Aumuller was placed in the fiat
| by Schmidt, where he later murdered
her a child was born to her-in an
other part of the city.
PROMISED TO MARRY GIRL
The little babe died soon after COM
ing into the world. Whether its
death was from natural causes or
whether it was killed is not yet
known. After the birth Of the child.
it is said, Schmidt told the girl that
he would take care of Ii, placing II
in an orphanage. and that as soon as
possible he would desert his duties
as priest, rent fiat. come 10 live
with her as her husband and bring
the child with him. He never told
the girl 1t was dead.
1t was evident from the conversa-
tion Miss Aumuller had with Miss
Hirt just day or two before the Au-
muller girl quit her position in the
rectory to live in the fiat that she had
lost faith in Schmidt's promises to
her.
The girl decided that she would
wait until Tuesday of the next week,
promising Miss Hirt that If Schmidt
had not kept his promise she would
tell her story not only to Miss Hirt,
but to Father Braun, pastor of ST..
| Bcniface's church.
Schmidt crept into the fat that
night and murdered the girl while
she slept.
SECRET SERVICE ON TRAIL
United states secret service men
| today were tracing the counterfeit
I operations alleged to have been con-
Quoted by Schmidt and his friend.
Doctor" Muret. dentist, who is being
held in the Tombs on a technical
charge. number of bogus $40 and
! $40 papers recently were passed In
nearby Connecticut towns, and the
secret service men are trying to trace
| them to Schmidt and Muret.
Muret today declared that it was
Schmidt who suggested the counter
/ feiting scheme. Schmidt. no doubt,
| laid particular stress upon the fact
| of how easy it would be for him, in
his priestly garb. to shove the
| queer" In case he were caught in
| the act of passing bogus money he
could easily explain that the money
had been in the collection box and
so escape any suspicion that he was
| implicated In its manufacture.
| From those who lived in the neigh
/ borhood of Muret's fiat. which it is
said Schmidt visited almost nightly,
today came stories of wild escapades
in which women and girls nearly
always figured.
Pr5oNE YOITR WANTS