The New York herald., 1922-05-24
Prosecutor at Tuckerton, n. j.,
Takes Action After Presid-
ing at Autopsy.
FLED HOME ON MAY 8
Parent, John Schemi, Admits
Quarrel, but Denies Chasing
Lad From House.

Special Dispatch to THE New YoRK HERALD
TUcKERToN. n. j., May 23.-John
Schemi, father of Henry Schemi. 10
years old, who vanished from his home
on May 8, was arrested late tonight
by Policeman John Kohler of Tucker
ton on warrant charging suspicion
of murder. The warrant was issued
by Justice A. c. King of Toms River.
Schemi was taken to the county Jail
He was home when the arrest was
made.
The body of Henry schemi. bruised
about the face and body. was found
to-day in a pond near his home. 1t
was said that the boy was last seen
alive being pursued by his father. The
boy fed, It was explained, because he
feared punishment on returning from
school.
/ After presiding at an autopsy on the
body of the boy, Prosecutor Wilfred II
Jayne. Jr., intimated that the medical
men had learned enough to warrant
action.
The Prosecutor declined TO divulgt
the report, which had just been made
to him by Drs. Fred N. Bunnell Joshua
Hilliard and Robert Willets.
The finding OF the body by three
New York newspaper men ended a
two weeks search among the marshes
They were at the edge OF the little lake
scarcely more than half a mile long
and within the limits OF this town. wher
they observed something floating good
way from shore. They got boat. rowed
out and got the body.
At that moment John Sch5Tii. Harry's
father, who had quarreled with his sor
on May 8. by his own admission to the
authorities, was working In n field
scarcely more than a stones throw from
the spot where the body was brough;
ashore. He was sent for and came &c
the waterside. but when he looked dowr
upon the bruised and battered corpse be
displayed no emotion whatever; nor did
he make any comment. Mrs. Schem
came. too ard hurst into weeping.
Harry's face was badly bruised and
had been mutilated. possibly by the
fishes. There were other marks upon
the body. II il understood from the au-
topsy. that indicated that the child came
to his death from violence. The body
was fully clothed, and there was no in
dication that stones or any weight hao
been attached to IT, II the child had
been murdered, then the body was either
pitched at once into the lake or else con-
cealed near the margin whence. sub
sequently. and by rainfall and rise ir
the lake, II had been washed into the
open and set to drifting.
Prosecutor Jayne at Toms River was
notified and came to Tuckerton imme-
dlately to take charge of the inquiry.
Coroner Smith arranged for an autopsy
as basis for the Prosecutor to form an
official opinion.
Hitherto I'm the investigation OF why
Harry disappeared on May 5 and what
happened to him later has ELECTED the
fact that on the morning of that day
the boy and his father quarreled, and
that TO escape words or other chastise-
ment Harry ran from the house. head
Ing for the cranberry bogs in the di-
rection of Lake Phatocong. He was
seen by one person, a farmland named
Vase. who told the Prosecutor that
the boy was running blindly toward the
bogs and was closely pursued by his
father. a large. powerful man. Schemi
himself admitted to Mr.. Jayne that he
had quarreled with his son because
Harry had come home from school, and
that Harry had run out OF the house