Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-11-30
MURDERS
MAN WHO
AIDED HIM
Benefactor of French
Waiter Slain for
Wife and Fortune by
Friend.

Paris. Nov. 30.-"He did not
love his country but, on the con-
trary, was always full of praise for
the Germans, was the only ex-
cuse Estelle JOHN could find
when, together with her lover,
Charles Burger, she was brought
before examining magistrates on
the charge of numbering her hus-
band and helping to cut up the
body, throwing parts of 1t into the
river and burying the remainder
In a park outside Paris.
The husband, Ernest JOHN, was
employed at the Grand Hotel here
as first floor waiter and had been
for some ten years. Two years
ago, a vacancy having occurred on
the same floor, John introduced
one OF his friends, Charles Burger,
to the management, and he was
given job. Burger having no
home, John offered to share his
with Burger and his little girl,
Madeline, aged six. Burger was
a widower, and intimate relations
soon developed between him and
Jobin g wife. Conversations in the
household often drifted to the war.
Burger had served as private
and was wounded. John had done
everything possible to evade mill
Aary service and was not very en-
thusiastic about the feats OF the
Allied armies. The two men would
often come very near to an ex-
change Of blows. Burger, futher-
more, was enyious of JOHN S po-
sition at the Grand Hotel, where
he was we'll liked by the manage
ment and patrons. He had sue
ceeded in saving up some 10000
francs. Burger knew this, as did
his mistress, and they planned
what they would do had they such
an amount.
From then on Burger thought
only of various ways of getting
this money. He could not induce
John to part with 1t with a view
to investing 1t. What he consid-
cred was his chance came one
night, however, when more than
usually heated discussion took
place between the two men. Mat
ters went so far that Burger, ex-
asperated, picked up knife from
the table and stabbed John to
death. This happened in the pres
ence of the latter's wife, while the
little girl played in the adjoining
room. Losing no time as to how
they should get rid of the body,
Burger suggested to his mistress
that they cut 1t up. Clearing the
dining room table, they put JOHN 5
body on 1t, and, while Burger
went out after a saw Nine. John
prepared sackings.
As soon as Burger returned they
aet to their ghastly task, wit
messed only by little Madeline, too
Mortified to say anything. That
same night, at midnight, the three
left their flat, each carrying
bundle containing, one the head
less body of the within, the others
an arm each, and made for the
nearest bridge, where the remains
were thrown into the river. The
next day Burger and his accom-
plice, still accompanied by little
Madeline, carrying child's spade,
left for the Clamart Wood. bearing
with them, in two separate sack
ings, the head and legs of their
victim. Madeline was told how
to dig a large hole with her tiny
spade, and when this was done
Burger gathered up the sackings,
put them In the hole and covered
them.
A few weeks later the trunk was
found some twelve miles out of
Paris In the river, and the next
lay the arms appeared. 1t was not
till eighteen months after that the
murderers were found and, with
them, the head and legs, for they
led the police authorities to the
spot where the latter had been
buried.
Burger, when asked about the
crime, threw most of the blame on
the woman and Immediately de-
MED her story that she had had
nothing to do with the crime, be-
Ing in an adjoining room while
Burger cut up the body.