The New York herald., 1921-05-23
CONSTABLE ACCUSED
BY SON OF SLAYINCS
Young Schultz Says Father
Set Fire to House and
Then Shot Family.
INNOCENT. Is DEFENCE
Official for 25 Years Also Is
Suspected Of Burning and
Hacking Farmland.
CHARGES HARD TO PROVE
Elder Schultz Is in Jail for AL
legged Attempt to Kill His
Wife Recently.
INNOCENT, IS DEFENCE
CHARGES HARD TO PROVE

Specsal Despatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
HApDAM, Conn., May 22.-Sheriff
Thompson OF Middlesex county said
to-day that julius Schultz had made
a statement to the authorities directly
involving his father, Emil Schultz, for
twenty-five years town constable here,
in the burning OF Joseph Balls home
on December II, 1915, and the murder
of Ball, his wife and son.
Schultz is now locked up in the
county Jail here charged with at
tempting TO murder his wife, while
the authorities are trying to obtain
evidence to support the charges in the
Ball case and in the murder OF Dennis
lie Due, a farmland, whose body was
hacked to pieces and burned last week.
The Sheriff said that he had been
told by Julius that on the night of the
Ball murder Schultz forced the boy to
accompany him to the place. His father
set fire to the house, the boy said, and
then, as Ball. his wife and his 1S-year-
old son tried to run from the house
Schultz stood in the shadows and shot
them as they emerged from the door
way He then put the three bodies back
into the parlor, after hacking them with
a hatchet and cutting them with big
knife, and they were burned and
charred almost beyond recognition when
the Sheriff found item.
Difficult Case to Prove.
Ernest A. Inglis, States Attorney,
said tonight that while the State might
find it difficult to prove that Schultz
was concerned in the murder of the Bal
family, the circumstantial evidence In
the case was strongly against him.
''I have no doubt" he said that the
findings of the coroner in the lie Due
death will show something stronger than
circumsta ntial evidence. OF course l
cannot divulge at this time the strong
case, but it is safe to predict that ne
will be indicted for perhaps a series OF
crimes. and pending trial VIII certainty
be held without bail"
Sheriff Thompson said that the cruelty
of Schultz to his wife and their eight
sons. excepting the two oldest, who had
been in the army and were able to fight
back was a byword along the country
side and had been for many years. This
statement was corroborated to-day by
Julius and Gus Schultz, who sald that
their father had often beaten them ana
their mother.
"a week ago last Friday" said Sheriff
THOMPSON. Julius came running to me
and told me the old man was raising
hell with them. / went up to the house,
but neither sne mother nor her sons
would enter a complaint. Last Wednes-
day, however julius made complaint
and so did his mother went up to the
Schultz store, and Mrs. Schultz told me
that her husband had chased her down
tho road with a loaded revolver and had
threatened TO i<lll her if she did not sign
over some property TO him. He had
beaten the boys something terrible"
julius Schultz said to-day that he and
an older brother had enlisted in the
American army during the war and had
seen actual service, against the wlsnes
Of their father, who was born In Ger
many. julius said that his father had
told him he hoped the first bullet fired
by the Germans would kill Julius for
fghting against his fatherland."
The body of lie Due, who is believed
by the authorities to have been muir
dered by Schultz, was found burned
and charred in a one room shack about
a mile from the Schultz store
victims skeleton Scattered.
Parts Of the skeleton OF lie Due were
found scattered over an area ABOUT
six feet square, with the skull several
inches from the trunk, indicating that
the head had been severed from the
body. Identification was made largely
through n buckle which IN was known
Ia Due wore on his rubber boots. There
were evidences that the Tire mad been
started with oil, and even this after
noon there remained an odor of kero-
sene about the place.
The trouble between Schultz and mem
bers OF the Ball family dates back 20
1914. when Schultz as a constable ar
rested Ball. Later the members of the
Ball family are said to have made faces
at him as he passed along the road
which aroused fierce anger in Schultz
The authorities claim to have evidence
in addition to the story told by Julius
schultz. that Schultz left his house just
before the burning of the Ball home and
the murder of the family occurred.
Tonight Schultz sent out word from
his cell in the county Jail that he woulc
not talk about the case, except to sa!
that he was innocent of any crime, ant
would prove it at the proper time IL
has not been able to furnish the S1O,o0l
bail demanded
One Of the reasons why Schultz ha,
been cruel to his wife, according to In
formation received Tonight was that NJ
had trouble with her over property wortl
about SIS, 1000. which he transferred Z
her name about a year ago. when h,
was threatened with a law suit. Recent
ly. thinking that the danger Of the cour
action had passed he has been tryinl
70 get her to return the property
threatening 70 kill her if she refused
During several quarrels recently he Il
said to have struck her In the presenc'
or her sons, but the older boys advised
hor 70 retain the property