Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-18
HANS SCHMIDT PAYS
PENALTY OF CRIME
SLAYER of Anna AumulIer EIec-
trocuted Today at Sing
Sing Prison.
MAKES BRIEF STATEMENT;
SEATS HIMSELF IN CHAIR
Atrocious Murder in New York Sep
TENDER 2, 1913-Perpetrator Had
Been Detected in Counterfeiting.

| OSSINING, n. Y. February 1S.-Hans
Schmidt was electrocuted al Sing Sing
prison today for the murder of Anna
| Aumuller, September .. 1913.
| Schmidt went quietly to the death
chamber, accompanied by the principal
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, the
guards attempted to direct him toward
them off and insisted upon addressing
the seventeen witnesses.
His Last Words for His Mother.
The guards desisted from their eff
| forts and. with Father Cashin standing
at one side and the keeper at the other
Schmidt said
Gentlemen, I ask forgiveness of all
| those | have injured or scandalized.
forgive all who have injured me. Ny
last wish is to say goodbye to my
dear old mother
Schmidt then seated himself in the
electric chair and the current was APP
was dead. He had spent the night up
to midnight in praying and talking
with Father Cashin. and slept from
midnight to 5 o'clock. when he was
awakened for breakfast. He would
take only cup of coffee.
Story of the Crime.
When the torso of Anna Aumuller'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, pillow
sl1p on which was embroidered the
letter "a" but it was just such a pill
low slip IS might be found in hundreds
of homes or stores. There was not
even a laundry mark to aid tho police.
With this slender clue Inspector Faurot
took personal charge of the case, and
September IA. 1913, twelve days after
the murder. Hans Schmidt. an assist
ant priest at an uptown church. was
arrested. charged with the crime.
An hour before the arrest the in
spector had broken into fiat and
found long bladed butchers knife
had been committed there. Schmidt
confessed. and his sole defense was
that it was a blood sacrifice murder
The body had been dismembered, and
the river. although the head was never
found. Schmidt was twice placed on
trial, the first jury. in December. 1913.
failing to reach a verdict. In Febru-
airy, 1914, he was found guilty.
Accomplish Sent to Prison.
Besides the sordid story of Anna
Aumullers infatuation for Schmidt. the
trials revealed that his was a career of
crime He was engaged in a counter
feiting scheme at the time the murder
was committed. it developed, and ''Dr."
A. Muret, who posed as a dentist, was
sent to prison for seven years as
Schmidt's accomplish in the latter's
scheme 1t was found that Schmidt
also had posed as physician. that ne
had committed forgery on numerous
occasions. and that he had been guilty
of various other acts of fraud. His at
torneys pleaded their client was insane.
The slayer, however. always contended
that he was sane. He took no active
part in his own defense. When he was
sentenced he thanked the court, and
expressed desire to be executed at
once. He maintained the same stolid
composure through all the various
stages of his case.