Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1913-09-15
LOOKING UP THE
RECORD OF
Slayer
CHURCH AUTHORITIES IN new YORK
WILL INVESTIGATE THE ALLEGED
PRIESTS PAST ==C0NFESSES TO
KILLING AND DISMEMBERING OF
THE GIRL.
MAY KNOW ABOUT
LOUISVILLE MURDER

New York, Sept 15.-In the hope of
. branding as an imposter and pseudo
priest the Rev. Hans Schmidt, the al
legged self-confessed murderer of Anna
. Aumiller, the victim of New York's
t river mystery, church authorities be-
e gan today sweeping investigation of
Schmidt's record and his pretensions
: tC ordination.
"We hope, of course, to be able to
prove that this unspeakable monster
was an imposter and that he had been
using forged papers," declared Mon
signor LaVelle, vicar general of the
archdiocese of New York
THAT is something which we are
trying to clear up now He came to
this diocese with credentials which
we're apparently in every way authen-
tic and genuine but we know practic-
ally nothing of him. His crime is too
horrible to conceive. We can only
hope that he may prove to have been
a pseudo priest"
In his cell in the Tombs, with his
coat as a pillow. Schmidt slept sound
| ly through the night and arose this
morning to partake Of hearty break
fast. He had little to add to his al
legged confession of last night in which
he is said to have told the police that
he killed his victim as she lay in bed.
cut up, her body in the bath tub of
the apartment where he had establish
ed her, wrapped it in five bundles and
dropped the bundles in the Hudson
river, To the Rev L. J. Evers, the
Tombs chaplain. Schmidt was said to
have made the following dramatic
confession:
81 was directed to kill her by ST.
Elizabeth, who is my patron. as a sac
rifice to be consummated as was the
sacrifice of Abraham, in blood"
! TO the police Schmidt is alleged to
| have said
| 81 killed her because / loved her
! The police believe, however, that he
killed her because she was soon to
be mother
terry surrounding the murder of eight
year old Alma Kellner, whose mutt
lated body was found in qucklime in
the basement of st. Johns church, in
Louisville two years and a half ago,
the police sought today to obtain from
Schmidt some statement of what he
might know of this crime From Au-
was visitor in Louisville, not official
ly connected with any church there
but a guest in the house of the Rev.
Henry B. Westermann, rector of the
church of the immaculate Conception
Alma Kellner disappeared on Decem-
ber 3, 1909; her body was found nine
months after. Joseph Vending, jani-
tor at St Johns church, is now serv-
ing life term in prison for the crime.
Schmidt insisted this afternoon that
he could cast no light on the murder
of Alma Kellnes, in Louisville.
81 don't know anything about that
he replied, when questioned by the
chaplain of the Tombs prison.
Schmidt's defense at his tral-if he
makes a real probably will
be insanity A1phonso Koelble, his
lawyer, so announced after long talk
with Schmidt in the Tombs.
Il shall move to have Father
Schmidts case brought to trial at the
earliest moment possible" said Mr..
koelble.
''If I even think that he is insane,
| shall ask to have a committee ap-
pointed to determine his mental status.
Il think he is sane, will tell him that
the only thing to do is to stand up
Ike man and pay the penalty.
when | saw him to-day, he said: I
do not need your services. Let's not
God and Abraham have spoken. God
and Abraham will communicate with
you and tell you when to come to me
and don't do anything until that time.''.
Mr.. Koelble said his client was fully
aware that he faced the electric chair.
Didn't Want Him at Trenton.
Trenton, N. j.. Sept. 15.--The Right
Reverend Jas. A. McFaul, bishop of
the diocese of Trenton. today made
public letter written by him to Hans
Schmidt in 1910, while the latter was
at st. Francis church in this
city during the illness of the Rev. Rob
ert Rathner. In his letter Bishop Nc
Faul said:
"You are hereby notified that you
must leave this diocese Immediately.
II is evident to me that you are want
ng in common sense and therefore |
lo not desire to have anything more
@ do with YOU
Bishop McFaul said Schmidt was
,anished from his charge in this city
because he disobeyed the rules of the
church in performing a marriage cere-
nony without a proper dispensation.
and also because of complaints made
)y parishoners of st. Francis church
his conduct. Hans Schmidt
was not connected with the Trenton
1iocese, but came here from New
York to serve temporarily.