The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-18
SCHMIDT EXECUTED

Continued from rage One-D
Keeper Dorney, who directed the exc
cution, were astounded at Schmidt's
hurried movements and disregard for
the measured pace of the death
march, when he suddenly turned as
the rubber mat in front of the chair
was reached.
With the long ebony and silver
crucifix held aloft before him,
Schmidt swept aside the reaching
arms of waiting guards and rasped
sharply:
"One minute. please, one minute
The guards, at first mistaking
Schmidt's action for a struggle
against seating himself for death.
stepped back in surprise at the sound
of the condemned mans voice.
Ignoring them, Schmidt addressed
the men sitting on the witness
benches restless with expectancy.
He FOrgives All.
Pardon me- he said. 81 ask the
forgiveness of all whom I have Of
Tended and of all who have scandal
ized. 1 forgive all who offended
against me-"
My Lord ard my God. must -'
interrupted Father Cashia in an adj
ing the words hhrriedly after the
priest. fastened on with his dying
statement:
MY last thought is for my mother"
rang his voice, sharp and clear against
the silence of the little ROOM
please give my mother my last
good wishes. It is for her. i
MY Lord and my God" again in
terrupted Father Cashin- Schmidt
then began quietly repeating the pray
er, sat down at the conclusion and
died without uttering another sound.
Within a minutes he was dead. He
/ had spent the night up to midnight
tin praying and talking with Father
Z ~ Il -Io ferl7f TO
o'clock when he was awakened for
breakfast. He would take only cup
of coffee.
a Police Triumph.
New York. Feb. 1S.-When the
torso of Anna Aumueller's body was
washed up on the New Jersey shore of
the Hudson river. there started a
search which has had but few paral-
lels in the annals of New York crime.
There was but one faint clue, pill
lowslip on which was embroidered the
letter "A" but it was just such a pill
lowslip as might be found in hundreds
of homes or stores. There was not even
a laundry mark to aid the police.
With this slender clue Inspector
Faurott. took personal charge of the
case and on September IA, 1913, twelve
DAYS after the murder, Hans Schmidt,
an assistant priest at an uptown
church, was arrested charged with the
crime. An hour before the arrest the
| inspector IldQ DTOkSIl lIlO d hat anu
found a long bladed butchers knife
and other evidence that the murder
had been committed there.
Had "a Career of Crime.
Schmidt confessed and his sole de-
/ Tense was that it was a blood sacri-
flee murder" The body had been
dismembered and presumably all of ii
was thrown into the river although
the head was never found. Schmidt
was twice placed on trial, the first
/ jury 10 December, 1913, failing to
reach a verdict In February, 1915,
he was found guilty.
Besides the sordid story of Anna
/ Aumueller's infatuation for Schmidt,
the trials revealed that his was d
/ career of crime. He was engaged in
a counterfeiting scheme at the tihne
/ the murder was committed it devel-
oped, and DIR" A Muret, who posed
as a dentist. was sent to prison for
seven years as Schmidt's accomplish
in the latter's scheme.
It was found that Schmidt also
had posed as a physician, that he had
committed forgery on numerous oc-
casions. and that he had been guilty
. of various other acts of fraud. His
attorneys pleaded their client was in
sane The slayer. however, always
commended that he was sane. He took
no active part in his own defense
When he was sentenced he thanked
the court and expressed a desire to
be executed at once. He maintained
the same stolid composure through
all the various stages of his case.