Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-08-24
PETER WEHRLEY MURDERED
Shot Through the Head As lie Slept Thurs
day Morning at | O'clock
The Slayer Arrested and Makes Full Confession and
Is Ready To Plead Guilty and Receive Sentence.

The front and side doors, the only
doors leading out from the house,
were both found locked and with the
keys still in them, and as John
Wehrley distinctly remembered to
have seen his brother, Peter, bolt
the back door before retiring; and as
careful search of all the windows
and other places of ingress, made it a
certainty that the assassin had not
entered in that way, the police were
convinced that he had made entrance
to the house during the short period
that it had been unoccupied while
Mr.. and Mrs. Wehrley were at the
train, that he had entered by the
front door, taking the key from the
mail box, had unbolted the back door,
gone out the front way relocked the
front door, put the key back in the
mail box and had then re-entered the
house and hidden himself away until
such time as he thought all the in
mates were asleep.
Officers were detailed at once to
cover the outgoing trains and see
that no one made their escape in that
manner, and the adjoining grounds
were carefully searched for footsteps.
1t was evident that the crime had
been committed by someone who had
concealed himself in the house, and
more than that; that it had been done
by someone familiar with the house,
the location of the rooms and by
whom they were occupied, and that
the motive was not robbery, but must
have been revenge.
Chief Malone then instructed Off
GERS Schwister and Martin TO take
Alfred Wehrley in custody, without
acquainting him with what had hap
pened and bring him to the house, as
he had learned that Alfred had been
heard to make threats against his
father, and in fact was the only per-
son known who might have had a
grudge against deceased.
The officers went to the Adams
House, his boarding place, and there
found him apparently sound asleep
and reused him out. He stated to
them that he had gone to bed at p.
m. and had not left the house after
that hour. Detective SchWister eX-
amined his shoes and found them
damp and asking about it, was told
that it was from work at the new
packing plant. This explanation
seemed not satisfactory, as the damp
ness seemed fresh, and the police
took the shoes and made him put on
another pair. They then took him
to the house and there he was con-
fronted with the dead body of his
father in presence of the assembly
congregated there.
His action or behavior there,
strengthened the suspicion of the
Chief and he ordered him to be taken
into custody to the city jail. That
was about three o'clock in the morn
ing, and the crime had been COM
mitted at about one o'clock, or soon
thereafter.
Inquiry at the Adams House re-
suited in no tangiable result, except
that Alfred had not been seen there
after p. m. at all, except that a
boarder saw him partly undressed at
about two o'clock as if going to a
closet.
The District Attorney had short
interview with him in the forenoon,
which led to no result, the suspect
simply repeating what he had told
when first taken into custody.
During the day it came to the ears
of the police that Richard Rehlitz,
Jr., who was then working for the @.
M. & st. Paul Ry., had seen man
running through the railroad yard
under suspicious circumstances, and
the chief of police lost no time in
getting an interview with young
Rehlitz, taking with him Detective
Schwister. They found him in the
evening, and learned from him that
he, Rehlitz, was at work in or around
the depot the night before; that at
ABOUT l: 80 O'Clock in the morning he
saw and heard man running through
. 1, .Ie xXIn hrno hinn
hard as if out of breath; that the
man ran through the yard in great
haste in spite of his breathless condi-
ton, which appeared to him as if the
man was running from someone OF
something, in great fright; the
man disappeared from his vision
south of Jefferson street but not be
fore he had passed under strong
light, which gave Rehlitz the op
portunity to take good notice of him
and he was able to give good, intel
ligent description of the person hi
had seen. That description as t
size, cut of clothes and color, fitted
the suspected person. as also the Time
of flight fitted the time of the com
mission of the crime.
| Having that information, the chic
of police again saw Alfred in th
i evening and told him that he, (Al
fred,) was seen running down tn
railroad track at that hour to which
he answered, at looks as if you hav
the evidence to convict me-"
| The chief then left the suspect t
his brooding in his cell. He brough
him mis- breakfast personally mex
morning and after taking away tn
dishes, asked him whether he ha
: any statement to make, to which Al
: fred replied, Not now, maybe
little later"