Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-15
Church Officials Searching
Record of Rev. Father
Hans Schmidt.
SAYS SAINT COMMANDED
ANNA AUMULLER'S DEATH
Lawyer Says Insanity Will Be His
Defense, If He Makes
One.

priest Rev. Hans Schmidt. the self CON
fessed slayer of Anna Aumuller. victim
OF New York's river murder mystery.
church authorities began today a sweep
Ing investigation of Schmidt's record and
his pretensions TO ordination.
We hope. of course to be able to prove
that this unspeakable monster was an i'm
postor and that he had been using forged
papers" declared Monsignor Lavelio.
vicar general of the archdiocese Of New
York. THAT Is something whic, we are
trying to clear up now. He came to this
diocese with credentials which were an
parently In every way authentic and gen.
uine, but we know practically nothing OF
him. His crime Is too horrible to conceive.
We can only hope that he may prove to
have been pseudo priest"
Defense to Be Insanity.
Schmidt's defense at his trial. If he
makes a real defense. will be insanity
Alphonse Koelble. his lawyer. SO an
nounced this afternoon after a long talk
with Schmidt In the Tombs
Il shall move to have Father Schmidt's
case brought to tIial at the earliest mo
ment possible. said Mr.. koelble.
If l then think that he is insane l
| shall ask to have a commission appoint
q
think he is sane l will tell him that
the only thing to do is to stand up like
man and pay the penalty
When / saw him today he said, i
do not need your services Let's not talk
about that now. Let wait till God and
Abraham have spoken. God and Abraham
Will communicate with you and tell you
when to come to me. Don't do. any
Thing till that time"
! Mr.. Koelble said his client was fully
aware that he faced the electric chair.
Slayer Sleeps Soundly.
In his cell in the Tombs. with his coat
as pillow. Schmidt slept soundly
| through the night and arose this morning
to partake Of hearty breakfast He
had little to add to his confession OF last
| mis- mt, In which he told the police thai
| he killed his victim as she lay in bed,
| cut up her body In the bathtub of the
apartment where he had established hei.
/ wrapped II In five bundles and dropped
the bundles in the Hudson river To
Rev. L j. Evers, the Tombs chaplain,
Schmidt was said to have made the fol
lowing declaration:
Il was directed to kill her by. St. Eliza
beth. 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: Il killed her because l loved her"
/
killed her because she was soon to be a
mother. They believe that the sirl ac-
,epted as genuine the marriage ceremony
through which she went with her slayer
last February, and in which ne was both
priest ana bridegroom.
Ordained in Germany.
OF Schmidts antecedents little is
known here save his own word. He was
born In Germany in 1881. was educated
there, ordained by Bishop Kestain in St.
| Augustine's Seminary in Mainz and came
to New York in 1906 In 1909 ne went
to Trenton. N. j., and In December. Isle.
| was appointed assistant rector OF st
Boniface's Church in this CITY. There he
met the Aumuller girl.
The skill with which the young wom-
ans body had been uismembered caused
the police to believe at first that the
| work had been done by a surgeon In
| the fiat occupied for five days by Scnmidt
and the sirl, detectives found 900 printed
| cards, which indicated that Schmidt aau
| masqueraded as SUI geon. and was pos
sessed of more than an Ordinary ,ay
mans knowledge of surgery. These
cards read as follows:
| "Dr. Emil Meiere, formerly assistant
surgeon of the Municipal Women's Hos
pitai, Paris, France. Representative OF
the Chemical Hygiene Manufacturins
Company"
Made a Full Confession.
| According to the police and attaches
| OF the district attorneys Office, Sc naidt's
confession was full and absolute. al j.
| he is quoted as saying that he killed his
companion with a Lutcher's knife and
| cut up the body with the knife and a
| saw. The deed was committed. the
police say, shortly after midn ght Stp-
| tember 2. In an apartment on Bradh drst
/; avenue.
The stains of the girls blood still dts
| colored the bathtub when dete ctives
1 searched the apartment. Schmidt told
the police he had taken the mattress 10
vacant lot nearby and burned 1t,
| Marriage License Found.
| In the apartment the police found a
| marriage license issued in New York last
| February and bearing the names of tho
priest and the murdered woman. Ac-
cording to Sehmidt's confession ne went
through MARI age ceremony H.th the
| girl There were no witnesses.
A gayly colored pillow slip OF unusual
pattern led to Schmdts apprehension.
| This pillow slip. 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 IL
manufacturer; the manufacturer traced IL
to the dealer: the dealer traced II 10
Schmidt. And the police tracing Schmidt
and the girl, knew all about both of
! them hours before they arrested him
The priest was dressed in full clerical
garb when Inspector Faurot entered his
rooms in the parish house of his church.
Early yesterday, according to parish
toner's of the church, Schmidt said to the
Rev. Father Huntmann, rector of st.
Joseph's Church, that he would hear no
more confessions, and when asked for
his reason said: II have something OF
Importance to tell you"
Told Superior Of Crime.
With his superior Schmidt then retired
10 the study where the latter told all
that had transpired In the Bradhurst
avenue fiat, where according TO his con-
| fession, he murdered the girl. Father
Huptmann conferred with his other as
| s.stants and II was agreed that the au-
thorities should be notified. The police,
however. were even then on Schmidcs
| trail, and his arrest followed shortly.
schmidt was taken to the Tombs. The
| confession which Schmidt signed follows:
IT met Anna Aumulier two years ago
, at the parish house Of St Boniface
| Church She was employed az q serv-
ant there I became infatuated with
her / loved her.
sT killed her because I loved her -