The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-11-02
TRUE
by Vance w" oPublic Leos''
The Blood-Splashed Ring

IN THE course or time thousands OF
L persons have disappeared as COM
pletely as though they had dropped
through the earth, but few of these
mysteries have been quite as weird
as that of Marie Anna Holzmann, of
Augsburg, Bavaria.
She had lodged for years with a
shoemaker in that town, but he did
not report the case for month after
she had left the house.
He explained the delay by saying
that she was in the habit of leaving
for few days at a time, and he did
not want to cause unnecessary excite
ment.
The police felt that it was incum-
bent upon them to do something, so
they placed the shoemaker under ar
rest.
He was held as "a material witness"
Many weeks went by without the
discovery of anything to account for
this strange disappearance.
Then the shoemaker was released.
He went to his home and, prowling
about the loft of the house, made
CHASTITY discovery.
It was the trunk Of a human body
stuck in a bag and fastened to the
rafters.
The police were called in for sec
ond time. and on this occasion they
succeeded In locating different parts
of the body in various parts of the
house.
The remains were assembled and
popularity of the teeth made it clear
that the body was that of Marie Anna
Holzmann.
After that the authorities began to
use their brains.
They made it their business to find
out who else had lived in the house at
the time the girl lived there.
They learned that two men had been
there for at least part of the time.
One was Charles Steiner, who was
supposed to be half-witted, and the
other was John Rauschmeir, a shrewd
and unprincipled sort Of chap who had
no visible means of livelihood.
The ,Bavarians did what the police
of New York or Chicago would have
done under the circumstances.
They located the two men and they
Swallowed them for many weary days.
So far as Steiner was concerned, it
was loves labor lost, and they pinned
their hope upon Rauschmeir doing
something that might incriminate him
self.
Their expectations were realized.
One day the man went into pawn
shop and offered to pledge woman's
coat
1t was a coat that had belonged to
Marie Anna Holman!
The man was arrested and accused
Of the murder.
But he laughed at the charge. He
admitted that he was a criminal and
cheerfully confessed that he had stol-
en- the coat from the girls room, but
ridiculed the idea of having had any
thing to do with her murder.
But stimulated with the progress
they were making. the police made
third search of the lodgings.
This time they found cheap ring
a mans ring that was splashed with
blood.
Inquiries were made in the neighbor-
hood, and man was found who said
that he had seen this ring on Rausch-
meir's finger.
That was rather convincing, but the
police hesitated to show it to the man
for fear that he might deny owner
ship and thus spoil their case.
How could they contrive to make
him admit that the ring belonged to
him without letting him know that
such an admission would be fatal to
him.
They recalled. the play scene In
Hamlet when the moody Dane de-
clared that the play was the thing to
catch the conscience of the king.
Why could not little play on their
part convict this man they believed
to be a murderer?
II was WOiIu tlC dllCupt.
So the police gathered together
quantity of jewelry and placed it on
table. together with the ring, which
had been washed of it's bloodstains.
They brought Rauschmeir from his
cell and pointed to the loot upon the
table.
what is the use of your denying
that you committed murder" said the
police chief, when we have here the
stuff you stole from the girls room?'
81 didn't steal it." retorted the man.
and. seeing the ring. he picked it up.
saying: "As proof of it, there is my
own ring"
He slipped 1t on his finger, and that
little incident was the bit of evidence
upon which case was built which
ended in his conviction and execution
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