Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-09-15
HE KILLED ANNA AUMutLER
HAD ESTABLISHED HER IN THE
APARTMENTS WHERE HE
SAYS CRIME OCCURRED
CHURCH is INVESTIGATING
EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO DE-
TERMlNE If THE MAN is
PSEUDO CLERGYMAN

New York, Sept. 15.-In the hope of
branding as an imposter and pseudo
priest the Rev. Hans Schmidt, the al
legged self-confessed slayer Of Anna
Aumuller, victim of New York's river
mystery, church authorities began to-
day sweeping investigation of
Schmidt's record and his pretensions
to ordination.
I'VE hope, of course, to be able to
prove that 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 dio-
oese with credentials which were ap-
parently in every way authentic ana
genuine, but we know practically notn-
ing of him His crime is TOO horrible
to conceive. We can only hope
that he may prove to have been a
psuedo priest"
! In his cell in the Tombs, with his
coat as a pillow Schmidt slept sound
lly through the night and arose this
morning to partake Of hearty break
fast. He had little 10 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 bathtub of the
apartment where he had established
her, wrapped it in five bundles and
dropped the bundles in the Hudson
river.
To the Rev. L. ]. Evers, the Tombs
chaplain, Schmidt was said to have
made the following declaration:
q was directed to kill ner by st.
Elizabeth, who is my patron, as a
sacrifice, 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, that
/ he killed her because she was soon to
be mother.
With a view to clearing the mys-
terry surrounding the murder of S-year-
old Alma Kellner, whose mutilated
body was found in quicklime in the
i basement of st. Johns cathedral in
Louisville two years and half ago,
the police sought today to obtain
through Schmidt some knowledge of
what he might know OF this crime
From August, 1909, to March 10,
4 Schmidt was a visitor IN Louisville.
He was not officially connected with
any church there, but stopped in the
house of the Rev. Henry B. Wesrer-
wan, rector of the Church of the m
maculate Conception. Alma Kellner
disappeared on December 8, 1909 Her
body was found nine months after,
Joseph Vending, ianitor at st. Johns
church, is now serving a life term in
prison for the crime.
Will Claim Insanity
schmidt's defense at his trial if he
makes a real defense probably will
be insanity Alphonso Koelble his
4 lawyer, SO announced after a long talk
with Schmidt in the Tombs
81 shall move to have Father
schmidt's case brought to trial at the
earliest possible moment said Mr.
Koelble. IF | then think that he is
insane, shall ask to have a commits
sion appointed to determine his men
tai status. If I think he is sane,
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: Z
! don't need your services. Let's not talk
about that now. Let's walt till God
and Abraham have spoken. God and
Abraham will communicate with you
and tell you when to come to me
Don't do anything until that time"