The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-07
CONNER Is HELD FOR
GIRL RIDERS DEATH
Says He and Former Hippo
drOme Performer Circulated
SIS in Bogus Coin Daily.
BODY FOUND IN A ROOM

rreda Fagerstron. once n bareback
rider at the Hippodrome. was found
dead at moor yesterday by John Kerns.
with whom she had beer living on the
top floor OF 1877 East 18TH street.
Bruises on the woman's body led to
an investigation by the police which
eliminated in the arrest of Kerns, h
Is being held on the charge of man
slaughter. Kerns. who is 80 years old,
has served a term in the p~enitentiary
for petty larceny and has also been
convicted as a ~pickpocket.
He met Miss Fagerstron about eigh-
teen months ago. She was "A swedish
girl, 26 years old, and good looking.
In the yard Of the house next door,
occupied by Mrs. Katie Zutrau, was
found "A complete counterfeiting outft,
including several plaster Of paris moulds
for coming so cent pieces. kerns con-
fessed having thrown these out of the
window before he left the house yes
terday morning. lie told the police that
he and the woman a been circulating
false coins for the last yea or so at
the rate of about IS "A day., In order
not to Hood the market. and that on
and on for the last twenty years he
had found no difficulty in putting coun-
terfeit money In circulation.
Sunday night, he said. he returned
home about midnight and found the
woman intoxicated He went out and
returned again at 4 o'clock in the morn
ing. She was then In bed and Kerns
thought her to be asleep. He did not
discover. he said. until he awoke at IL
O'Clock, that she was dead. n he then
reported the case To the police. He said
he thought the woman had taken cya-
hide Of potassium and he attributed the
bruises IN her face to "A fall.
Mrs. Anderson. a neishbor. testified
that she had heard screams and the
sound OF furniture being thrown about
in the Kerns fiat during the night. None
OF the tenants In the building seemed
to know anything about kerns and the
woman. who had evidently kept very
much To themselves.
In the yard OF a house next door. oc-
cupied by Mrs. Katie Zutrau. were found
a ladle containing a mixture of lead
and some other metal and several plas-
ter OF paris mplds. One of these held a
counterfeit fifty cent piece. After a re-
examination Kerns admitted that he and
the woman had been coming half dollars
for a year. Before lea wing the fiat yes
terday morning he had tried to cover ap
the violence of counterfelting by throw
ing the things out OF the window. A
broken bottle that had contained cya-
hide OF potassium, which acid was used
In the process, vas also found in the
yard.
While detectives were investigating
the anair "a woman who AT first refused
to give her name. but finally said she
was Mrs. Bessie Wolf of i1i East 14Sth
street. called at Kerns's Hat and asked
for him, apparently rawar of the
tragedy. Because OF her refusal to an
swer questions Assistant District Attor-
ney Skinner held her on suspicion as
a material witness.
The Coroner's physician will perform
an autopsy on the body tomorrow morn
ing to determine the cause Of death.
II kerns should be- cleared of a homi-
eide charge he will be turned over to
the Federal authorities on "A counter
feiting charge. He informed the As
sistant District Attorney that he got
his knowledge Of chemistry. which he
used In manufacturing false coins. at "A
correspondence school.