The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-15
Police Arrest Priest for Killing
the Young Woman
Whose Dismembered Body Was
Found in the Hudson.
COMPLETE CONFESSION MADE
Reported as Saying He Had
Married the Girl.
Slew Her When Secret Was
About to Be Known.

New York, Sept. 15.-With the arreS
of the Rev. Hans Schmidt, assistant
rector of st. Joseph's Roman Catholic
church, charged with the murder OF
Anna Aumuller. a domestic. the mys-
terry surrounding the finding twelve
days ago of parts of the dismembered
body of a girl in the Hudson river was
solved. Schmidt according to the po-
lice reports. has confessed and a tha
time of his arrest attempted to commit
suicide by cutting his throat with a
safety razor blade.
'I killed her because I loved her so
much" Schmidt is alleged to have told
his captors. but the police version of
the motive for the crime is that the
young woman was about to become a
mother. He had married her through
a ceremony of his own performance,
without witnesses.
According to the police and tie dis
trict attorneys office, Schmidt's con-
fession was full and absolute. In 1t he
is quoted as saying that he killed his
companion with a butcher knife and
cut up her body with the knife ana
saw. The woman was killed, the pollce
say, while she slept, shortly after mid
=.
Bradhurst avenue. where the priest mad
placed her five days before.
When her heart had ceased beating,
according to the alleged confession,
Schmidt carried the body from the bed
to the bath room, and placing it in the
tub began his CORY work of cutting
it up.
Five bundles. wrapped in bed clothes
and paper, were made of the six parts
Five times Schmidt left the apart
ment house with a bundle to cross the
Hudson river to the Jersey shore. Five
times he leaned over the stern of the
ferry boat in mid-stream and gently
gave the river his burden. Then he re-
turned to the church.
Blood Stains Found.
The stains of the girls blood still! dis
colored the bath tub when detectives
searched the Bradhurst avenue apart
ment.
In the apartment among other things
the police found a marriage license IS
sued in New York last February and
bearing the names of the priest and
the murdered woman. This license mad
been used. According to Schmidt's
confession. he went through a mar
riage ceremony with the girl. In the
ceremony Schmidt was both priest and
bridegroom; there were no witnesses.
A gayly colored pillow of unusual
pattern led to Schmidt's apprehension.
This pillow. stained with blood and
soiIed with the filth of the river, was
wrapped around a portion of the torso.
The detectives traced the pillow to it's
manufa cturer; the manufacturer traced
it to the dealer: the dealer traced it to
Schmidt. And the police, tracing
Schmidt and the girl, knew all about
both of them hours before they arrested
him.
Confession and Arrest.
icI7-
toner's of the church, Schmidt said to
the Rev. Father Huntmann, rector of
ST. Josephs church, that he would
hear no more confessions and when
asked for his reason said:
"'I have something of importance to
With his superior, Schmidt then re
tired to the study, where the latter
told all that had transpired in the
Bradhurst avenue fiat where his al
murdered the girl. Father Huntmann
conferred with his other assistants
and it was agreed that the authori-
ties should be notified. The police.
however were even then on Schmidts
trail and his arrest followed shortly.
The confession, which the police say
Schmidt signed, follows:
'I met Anna Aumuller two years
ago at the parish house of st. Boni-
face church. She was employed as
beauty. I became infatuated with her.
I loved her.
s'I killed her because I loved her SO
much She was so beautiful, so good.
could not let her live without me.
"I had made up my mind that she
and 1 could not live together. I was
priest and must remain with my
church / could not let her go away
from me. So opened the door of the
fiat. / awakened her. 1 told her I
had come to fulfill my threat. Then
drew the knife across her throat.
after 1 had disposed of the body 1
wanted to destroy all evidence of the
crime 1 took the mattress on which
I had slain her and carried it to
vacant lot and there burned it,
"I am guilty; that is all can say.
must pay the penalty. There is moth
ing else for me to do. But I loved
Anna Aumuller.
"She wanted me to marry her and
procured a marriage license. She
trusted me.
Read Ceremony Himself.
ST am priest and ordained to per
form the marriage ceremony, so when
she insisted upon a ceremony L mar
ried myself to her. There was no
need of any other priest doing it 1t
was Just as absolute as if 1 had called
perform a marriage ceremony. She
was my wife
His Record i'm Germany.
Msinz. Germany, Sept. 15.-The Jour
nal today says that Johannes Schmidt
belonging to the Mainz bishopric, has
been long under suspension by the
bishor. He disappeared from Mainz
and later arrived in Munich. where ne
was arrested on a charge of commit
ting a number of frauds, according to
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