Republican farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1810-1920, 1918-02-22
Charge Factory Worker
Was One of Men Who
Killed Clergyman.
ARREST SCHRAMM
AT LOCAL PLANT
Robbery Motive Which
Actuated Staying of
Pole Curate.
Tuesday, Feb, 10

Schramm today on the charge
of homicide Detective Captain
Cronan believes that he has
cleared up a murder mystery
which has puzzled the. police
heads Of the entire county since
the night Of August "a, 1915,
when the Rev. Father Kayser, a |
Polish priest was shot and kill.
ed in Gary, Indiana.
Schramm, who has resided at 1873
Pierpont street since last September
under the alias of Michael Loves,
has, according to acquaintance, been
the victim of a tormented conscience.
At times he has been STEPPED in the
depths of gloom, while at other times
he forced himself to be the most hi
larious of party.
Ever since the night OF the tragedy
Captain Cronan has taken an inter
est in the case, but the meager details
sent out from Gary were not suffi-
Gent to go upon, and it was only after
weeks of waiting that he was able to
get sufficient details to warrant him
in arresting Schramm.
According to the history of the
crime, Father Kayser was in his
study at the rectory attached to his
church shortly before midnight Aug
| ust "a, counting the proceeds of a
charity bazaar which had been held
in aid of the orphanage under his
| charge. He forgot to close the shut
tiers of the window and two men peer
ing through the glass watched his
every move.
Fearing to keep such a large sum
| of money in the house the clergyman
put it in a bag and leaving the rec
| tory wended his way to the nearby
convent where there was a strong
vault and where he knew the funds
would be safe until banking hours
next day.
He had not got more than 200 feet
away from his house when he was
set upon by two thugs who demanded
the money. A struggle followed and
| the priest fought so strenuously that
one of the bandits shot him dead.
The cries for help and the noise of
the death grappIe coupled with the
explosion of the shot attracted some
people to the aid of the priest but too
late. He sank to the ground and the
assassins made good their escape,
! but without any loot.
The case created a furore in the
Indiana city, but after being a seven
days wonder the matter faded from
|
done or heard about it afterwards. It
was put down by the Gary police de-
partment as being another of the
many unsolved mysteries and as such
allowed to slide.
Captain Cronan, read about the case
in the Associated Press dispatches of
the date and ever since has had the
crime among the collection which he
has persistently worked on.
When Schramm came to Bridgeport
last fall he was seen by Captain Gro
nan, and marked as being man who
at some time or another would re-
ceive more than passing attention
from him. His actions were
watched, his friends questioned and
soon it became apparent that
Schramm had a past.
He could not sleep at night He
was given to fits of dependency dur
ing which he would confde in init
mates the fact that he had a great
trouble on his mind He avoided
church, priests and ministers, or any
thing that savored of religion, not
withstanding the fact that he was one
of the most ardent Catholics up to the
time the murder of Father Keysel
was committed
Captain Cronan sent such detailed
description of Schramm, his actions
and travels since leaving the HoosieI
city three years ago, that the Gary
authorities sent forward a warrant
upon which the arrest was made to-
day at Schramms home by Detec.
tive-Lieutenant Dooley and Detective
Sergeant Bray
Schramm denied any knowledge Of
the crime at first, but weakened ant
admitted that he had knowledge 0.
the murder, but catching himsel.
later said that he had merely read
details of the tragedy.
His statements were so contradic
tory and his motives for assuming
: aliases so mysterious, coupled with tn.
fact that he has admitted to many
the fact that he was mixed up in the
murder of the priest, that Defective
Captain Cronan feels confident that
: al last the long search for the ASSASSIN
x of the Polish priest is at an end, ant
now Schramm will have to go bacl
to Gary to answer the charge of muir