Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-19
PSEUDO-PR|EST
PAYS FOR CRIME
WITH HIS LIFE
HANS SCHMIDT Is EXECUTED At
SING SING; GOES WILLINGLY
TO CHAIR. .. s.,

Ossining, N. Y, Feb. 1S.-Hans
Schmidt was electrocuted at Sing Sing
prison today for the murder of Anna
Aumuller September 2, 1918.
Schmidt went quietly to the death
chamber, accompanied by the princi.
pal keeper and the Rev. Father Cashin.
the prison chaplain. Leaving the
death house, he said goodbye to those
who remained.
When he entered the chamber, tho
guards attempted to direct him
toward the chair but Schmidt gently
shook them of and insisted ON ad-
dressing the seventeen witnesses. Tho
guards desistsd from their efforts and
with Father Cashin standing at ono
side and the keeper at the other,
Schmidt said,
Gentlemen, I ask forgiveness Of all
those have injured or scandalized.
forgive all those who have injured
me. My last wish is to say goodbye
to my dear old mother"
Schmidt then seated himself In the
electric chair and the current was ap.
Piled three times. Within a minute
he was dead. He had spent the night
up to midnight in praying and talk.
ing with Father Cashin, and slept
from midnight to o'clock, when he
was awakened for breakfast. He
would take only a cup Of coffee.
GOOD DETECTIVE WORK.
New York, Feb. 18.-When the tor
so Of Anna Aumuller's body was wash.
ed up on the New Jersey shore Of the
nd vi ofo rtn
which has had but few parallels In
the annals Of New York crime. There
was but one faint clue, a FELLOWSHIP
on which was embroidered the letter
a." but it was just such q FELLOWSHIP
rs might be found in hundreds Of
homes or stores. There was not even
laundry mark to aid the police. With
this slender clue, Inspector Faurot
took personal charge Of the case and
on September II, 1918, 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 inspec-
tor had broken into fiat and found
a long bladed butchers knife and 9TH
er evidence that the murder had been
committed there. Schmidt confessed
and his sole defense was that it was a
"blood sacrifice murder"
The body had been dismembered
and presumably all of it was thrown
into the river, although the head was
never found. Schmidt was twice plac-
ed on trial, the first jury, in Decem-
her, 1918, falling to reach verdict.
In February, 1914, he was found gull
ty.
Besides the sordid story of Anna
Aumuller's infatuation for Schmidt,
the trials revealed that his was a
career of crime. He was engaged In
a counterfeiting scheme at the time
the murder was committed, and
"Dr." A. Muret, who posed as a den-
tist, was sent to prison for seven
years as Schmidt's accomplice in the
latter's scheme. It was found that
Schmidt also had posed as a physt.
clan, that he had committed numerous
forgeries and had been guilty OF other
frauds. His attorneys pleaded their
client was insane. The slayer, how.
ever, always contended that he was
sane. He took no active part in his
own defense. When he was sentenc.
ed he thanked the court and express.
ed a desire to be executed at once.
He maintained the same stolid com.
posure through all the various stages
OF his case