The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-12-26
MILO \. P|fER'S
STORY IS TOLD.
1t Is Claimed Fellow Bandits Slew
Bride.
KILLS SELF IN JAIL CELL
According to a Friends Statement Al
legged Murderer Was Partner in
Robberies Fellow Bandits
Feared Woman Would
Tell of Crimes.

Muskegon, Mich. Dec. ga life
activity in arranging the defense had
been marked-denied in an eXtraordi
nary statement made public here that
Piper committed the murder of which
he stood accused when he committed
suicide in the county Jail here Satur-
day evening.
1t is admitted Piper lied when he
said it was not he who married
Freda Wechman of Chicago at Rens-
selaer, Ind
Knew of Murder Plan.
1t is admitted, too. that he had
knowledge of the plan to murder her
and that he acquiesced in the plan
in so far as he took no action to halt
It, But that he fired the shotgun
blast which killed Miss Weichman is
emphatically held untrue.
According to this friend, whose
name for the time must be withheld,
Piper told the whole story to him be-
fore he fled to Canada.
Partner in Robberes.
The Goldberg and Sheldon persist
( emily named by Piper as companions
on his honeymoon trip with Miss
Weichman took part with him In
robberies along the way, and when
they faced the Mortified amaZement
and fury of the girl they spoke to
Piper.
After a robbery of the post office
at Rockford Mich, it was to be his
life or hers, they told him. He could
choose.
Piper chose TO allow the girl to die,
and came home to confess all but his
marriage to Freda Welchman and to
rest secure in his wlfe's belief that
he was through with wrong associa-
ton, his wife declares.
Wfe's Hint Significant
Mrs. Piper's significant hint, sobbed
out with impressive emphasis in the
first throes of her bereavement, cor
roborates the friends recital. But
she herself will say no more.
81 know he is innocent" she cried,
pounding upon the arms of her chair.
hllONf DttuuNt lit lbih llit NphiN-
thing and I'll never tell--never He
got into bad company, but he never
killed Freda Welchman. l know, be-
cause he told me-he told mew
Told you what?' was asked.
Told rue what I'll never tell" re-
peated the stricken woman, and
would not commit herself further.
Friend Reveals Confession.
But the story stands. The friend
spoke positively when Freda WEIGH
man't aunt, Mrs. F. William Klinke
of Hinsdale, Ill.,, linked the twelve
month silence of her vanished niece
with the finding of the body of a
woman in a lone grave in the woods
u miles from here in May, 1916.
When she started search for Piper,
who had left with Miss Weichman
March l, 1916, osten5ibly for the mar
riage altar. Piper fled from ques-
tons TO Hamilton, One.
On the evening before he went he
told his friend his story and the
friend sealed his lips. as did Piper
because of the complexity of penalties
that awaited. Fear of both the fed
eral and the state penltentiary drove
Piper to suicide, 1t is asserted.
Other Men Bandits.
piper went to Hamilton, Ont,
to look for Goldberg and Sheldon,
who actually exist. They were hold
up men, and their last job with Piper
was at Rockford, Mich, in the robbery
OF the post office there.
at must have happened about three
weeks before the killing of Freda
Weichman and quantities of stamps
and money were taken. The authori-
ties there will remember.
"Pipor tells of leaving Hinsdale
with Freda in an auto and of meet
ing the men, Sheldon and Goldberg,
in Chicago, and then of two other
men joining the party.
sheldon Married Freda, he claimed,
using the name of Piper.
Lied on Uife's Account.
"Of course he lied about the
Sheldon marriage to save himself
with his own wife here. And
Freda Weichman was always Pr
per's wife on the trip; never was
anything to the others. She was a
good girl and she must have been
staggered when she realized what