Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-03-01
Carl Wanderer, Wife Murderer, Now
Faces Second Killing Charge; Woman
Prosecutor To Aid In Conviction

Criminal Court.
On October 29 a jury of twelve
men decided the former machine
gun officer had killed his wife
and unborn child in a fake hold
up in the doorway of his home.
But they placed his punishment at
only twenty-five years imprison-
ment-actually fourteen years
with good behavior" time count
ed out.
Dismayed by the failure of what
they regarded as a perfect case
for a hanging verdict, the State
attorneys office at once decided to
put Wanderers. neck again in
jeopardy by bringing him to trial
for his second murder-that of the
ragged stranger" whom he con-
fessed having hired to stake the
''holdup." The stranger, later
characterized by Wanderer as "the
poor boob" and poor fish" acted
according to instructions and met
his death doing so, Wanderer emp
tying the contents of an army rev.
Oliver into his body. He then
snatched another army weapon
from his dupe's hand and poured
Ia fusillade of shots into his wife's
body
Wanderer was brought back to-
day from Joliet penitentiary, where
he serving his twenty-five-yea
term. His second trial differs in
several respects from the first.
His two veteran attorneys, Bene-
dict Short and George Guenther,
are not at his side this time. In
stead w. d. Bartholomew appoint
ed by the court to defend the
double slayer, is his attorney.
With him is Mrs. Irene M. Lef-
kow, Assistant States Attorney
Heath is in charge of the prosecu-
ton.
Most Unusual Crime
Whatever the outcome of Wan
derer's second trial his name will
go down in Americas cI uninal his
tory as one of the most remark
able murderers I'm the past CEN
tury. 1t was the evening of June
21 last that he and his wife went
to a neighborhood movie" AS
they returned home and entered
the door of Their North Side flat
the ragged stranger" stepped up
and the grim tragedy as planned
by Wanderer was staged in its
smallest detail. Neighbors attrac-
ted by the shooting found Wan
derer clutching the throat of "the
poor boob" already dead, while
crumpled up beside the corpse lay
pretty young Mrs. Wanderer, bleed
ing profusely from several bullet
wounds and slowly dying.
"Oh, Carl; ] am shot; am
dying" she was heard to moan.
To the police that night Wander
er sobbed out a pitiful tale of an
attempted holdup in which he had
succeeded in shooting down the
highwayman, but not before his
wife had been mortally wounded.
The police apparently believed the
story. it was plausible and Wan
derer had made an enviable rec
ord overseas, having risen from |
he ranks.
Detectives Traced Gun
The detectives departed, leaving |
Wanderer alone with his dead,
but taking with them the revolver
IF the ragged hold-up man. Then |
on July Wanderer was locked |
up. Tracing the pistol supposed
to have belonged to the highway
man, the police had found that |
Wanderer himself had become the
owner of the weapon two weeks
before, borrowing it from his
brother-in-law.
After a three-day grilling, Wan
1erer confessed. at least, accord
ing to the police. Later, he wrote
The Story of His Life" for a
morning newspaper and declared
he wanted to be hanged as soon
as possible to expiate his crimes.
Repudiatcs Confession
But when his trial started on
October IT he had changed his
mind. He completely repudiated
his confession" saying that it
had been wrung from him by psy-
chic suggestion and police brutal
ity. This latter contention OF the |
defense was taken seriously by the |
Jury, II was discovered that Wan |
derer always had been abnormal |
and that IL he had killed his wife
Z was while insane. The jury |
also was greatly impressed with |
he story of Wanderers sister OF |
how his mother had committed
suicide because she had dreamed !
repeatedly that her son was being
hanged.
The State based its case almost
'ntirely on the confession, the tes-
'imony of a number of newspa-
permen who had talked to Wan
lerer after his arrest and upon
he motive that the former officer,
tired of married life and abhor-
ring the thought of becoming a
father, had staged the fake hold
up as a convenient method of rid ]
ding himself of his responsibilities
and starting life anew. II was also
shown that for several nights pre-
ceeding the murders Wanderer
had torsaken his wife while she
made clothing for their coming
child. and had escorted a sixlSoa-
girl to dance halls and
other amusemens.
But II was the vivid picture OF
police brutality as painted by at
torneys Short and Guenther that
The jury remembered when it re-
tired for what was to prove
forty -eight-hou deliberation. Not
pne. IL was later explained. voted
for the death penalty. and only
.wo for life imprisonment. Six