The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-07-10
MURDERER
CONFESSESHIS
FOUL CRIME:
Trapped In A Maze Of Lies
Carl Wanderer, Army Lieut..
Admits His Guilt

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE
CHICAGO. July 1o-In one or tne
most remarkable and cold blooded
crime confessions ever given the chi
caEo police. Carl Wanderer. former
army lieutenant and . bridegroom ~
less than a year. admitted late Friday
night that he murdered his wife, to-
gether with "a poor fool he hired 20
be killed" on the night OF June y
The true story OF the double Staying
the first version OF which was that
Mrs. Wanderer had been murdered oy
s robber who in turn was killed by
Wanderer-was exacted from the for
mer army officer after hours OF con-
tinuous gruelIing Exhausted and
nearly frantic because Of lack OF sleep
Wanderer. after being trapped IN
message Of lies. finally lost his nerve
and described his crime in detail.
He gave as his reason for the slay
ing that he wanted 10 be rid Of his
wife so that he could 80 back % the
army She was shortly to become
mother. ne said and ne hated the idea
of having a child and other fam
lily responsibilities.
He declared that he finally decided
that murder would he the best way out
of his situation and 50 planned tho
crime with the double purpose Of ma
king it appear 10 be the result of an
attempted robbery and SO that he
could pose as a hero for having killed
his wife's supposed murderer
His frst step was TO hire the uni
edntifed n'er do we'll who afterward
became his victim-a ragged derelct
Of the street who, on a promise Of
money. agreed TO hold UP wanderer-
and his wife IN the vestibule of their
home on Their return from a movie
theater. He did not provide his pseu-
DO confederate with a revolver. but on
the night Of the crime. carried two
pistols. one he had used in the army
and the other borrowed for the crime
from his cousin. Fred Wanderer.
L didn't want TO Kill my wife out
right because Of her love for me-" re
siad 7 wanted her TO think thai
when she was shot ! was defending
her with my life"
His next move was to tell hts wife
that he had abandoned all idea Of go
ing back to the army and that h
wanted to settle down and buy home.
In this way ne induced her TO draw
$500. their joint saving account from
a bank and turn over the money 10
him.
The entire murder scheme. accord
ing TO Wanderers confession. went
through exactly as ne had planned
Arriving in the darkened vestibule
of their home. the hired highwayran
from s corner where he could scarce
~ be seen. ordered Mrs. Wanderer 10
fork over that money" An instnt
later spurts Of flame blazed from Wan
derer's two pistols and his wife and
the man he had hired for the false
robbery fell dying to the vestibule
floor. The latter was killed almost
Instantly. Then
Are you hurt. honey?' Wanderer
called to his wife in the darkness
Carl. I'm dying" was her reply
There was another fusillade Of bull
lets from Wanderers pistols and a
moment later he was standing in the
vestibule with two dead bodies and
the smoking weapons in his hands
One Of these-the one ne obtained
from his cousin. ne threw beside the
body of the supposed robber Then
ne called for the police. and acting
the role OF a man crushed by grief.
described TO them how the fatal rob
berry" had occurred
His stor was believed and no sus-
ricion attached to him until the police.
while tracing the ou nership III the
pistol found beside his victims body
discovered that the Weapon had been
bought by Fred Wanderer. Then de-
tectives took Wanderer into custod E
and began questioning him. re told
~ less than sixteen different stories
% The crime before the true one came
out.