Evening star., 1937-12-09
MURDERER Of FIVE
ADMITS HE KILLED.
AMERICAN DANCER|
Jean De Koven's Body Lo-
Gated Under Porch of
Villa Near Paris.
GERMAN CONFESSES
KIDNAPPING WOMAN
Ransom Demanded When Brook.
lyn Resident Vanished With.
out Trace Last July.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
VERSAILLES, France Dec. 9.-The
body of pretty 22-year-old Jean De
Koven, Brooklyn dancer. missing since
last July, was found today buried un-
der the porch of st. Cloud villa,
TO which police were directed by a
29-year-old German emigre.
The emigre, police said confessed
Staying her and four men because he
needed money.
The body of Miss De Koven was
found under water in feet of hard
clay. Diggers first found white
leather pocketbook, half open, and
from which protruded fountain pen
and pencil and some letters, all de-
scribed as having belonged to the
victim.
The police said the confessed slayer
was Eugene Weidmann, who had come
to France last March to escape Ger
man military service. He led investi-
gators to the suburban villa outside
Paris, saying that two of his men
victims also we're buried there
Miss De Koven's body, fully clothed
was doubled up and completely in
cased in red clay.
Medical examiners began an autopsy.
Second Body Found.
Police found a second body in a
shallow grave in the cellar. 1t was
identified as that of Arthur Frommer,
one-time friend of the confessed slayer.
Magistrate Georges Berry. who iden-
tined both bodies, said Weidmann told
police he strangled the American
dancer shortly after sharing bottle
OF milk with her. Berry said Weidmann
related how both he and the dancer
were hungry and the only food they
could find in the villa was the milk.
The German had kidnapped Miss De
Koven the day before-last July 23-
and taken her to the villa, police said
Weidmann listed as the men VIC
tins, beside Frommer, a rental broker
named Raymond Lesobre, found dead
10 days ago in the ST. Cloud villa;
young man named Roger Leblond and
taxi driver named Couffy.
Arrested After Gun Battle.
Weidmann was arrested at the St.
Cloud villa yesterday after a gun fight
with police. He admitted the slayings.
police said. after long questioning.
The strange disappearance of Miss
De koven created major mystery
which banned French Investigators for
months. She was last seen alive walk
Ing out of the Studio Hotel in the Rue
V1eux Colombier, where she lived with
her aunt, Mrs. Ida Sackhein.
Police, tracing the slimmest of clues,
learned she had spent $500 in travel
ers' checks. The hunt was confused
later by demands for her ransom, but
police never succeeded in finding the
sender of these ransom demands.
1t was the discovery of the rental
agents body in a cellar of the villa
last month that led investigators into
the battling De Koven case.
That gruesome find put authorities
on the trail of a German who had
made an appointment with the rental
agent at the st. Cloud villa, which the
German had rented.
1t was rendezvous with violent
death for the rental agent.
Detectives finally located the Ger
man, living in st. Cloud Three de-
tectives were dispatched yesterday aft
ernoon to arrest him.
Wounds Two Officers.
He put up struggle. There was
q short pistol duel in which two of
the officers were wounded. They
overpowered Weidmann, however, and
took him to headquarters for ques-
tloning in connection with the dis
covery of the rental agents body.
The prisoner confessed last eve
ming, the investigators said, to killing
the real estate man.
Il shot him because I needed
money" Weidmann WAS quoted.
That did not close the Interrogation
OF the prisoner. For l8 hours the
officers kept him under crossfire of
questions in connection with other
crimes.
After a night of questioning at the
(See MURDER. Page A-41