| Show ster s of G Great tilt s By Br GEORGE BARTON T Detective Wood and the Mutilated Body Two bo boys s 's playing near the East Park Parl reservoir in Fairmount park Philadelphia on Christmas day 1888 saw two bags partly covered ered with water With the curiosity of youth the they hauled them out and opened them What they found filled them with horror Each of the bags bass contained parts of a human bod body and when pieced together in the morgue proved pro to be that of a small and slender man The remains were so mutilated that identification seemed to be im im- im possible Chief of or Detectives Det Wood took personal charge chane of the case care and he he- i invited 1 the public to call at the morgue to look at the remains in the hope that it might lead to the discovery discovery dis dis- covery Y of the name of or the v victim icUm I dis-I L Lafayette fayette Keefer who ho lived ld l d half a block bIOCIc away from Irom the bakery of 01 Schroon 8 Schilling declared that the body dj was that of Anton Schilling one of the members of the firm Other neighbors called caned later and the Identification was completed Au Ail Investigation in brou brought ht forth the fact Tact that the thc two men had come to this country from Switzerland and being bing expert bakers had gone into business together in Philadelphia Presently Schroon brought his wife h here rc and later he sent fent for his daughter daughter daugh daugh- t ter Oman The two members of the firm and their families lived together in seeming harmony Schroon was terribly up upset t when he was told of oC the finding of ot the mangled body of his partner and said aid he tic would never be happy again He told of what had occurred before Schilling ins left lett the house for Cor the last Um time e. e Wood listened intently and then started out to verify the talc He found several eral flaws In it and from that moment Schroon was watched day and night by the police But the fact that his story was inaccurate did not prove him to b bs be a murderer The chief of det detectives es cU knew that he would have ha to get ret evidence that would hold in a court of laThe law la The first break came when Schroon's daughter declared that the woman with whom he was living was not his lawful wife That in itself made him himi an object of oC suspicion Next a neighbor was found who had overheard the man and the woman oman t talking about Schilling They had learned that he had some sonic money on deposit in a savings fund and they were determined to get set it by hook or orb orby orby b by crook croot When Schroon was taken to the morgue by Detective Wood for the purpose of identifying the remains remains' of his lies partner he was Jeered and hooted Ib by the crowd In the mind of the public pub pub- lic Ile he was guilty But even that I would not have ha satisfied a jury which insists upon evidence and not popular popular popular lar opinion However cr Wood was convinced that the time had arrived to arrest Schroon and he was accordingly tal taken cn to the police headquarters He ric was ordered searched and one of the things found w was aa a sup Blip Up of paper On OnIt Onit Onit it was written n Give this man my monc money It was sI signed Anton Anten Wig ling 3 Schroon hroon explained this by y sayIng say say- Ing lug the money Wat in payment of a adot debt dot owed ored him by his partner Wood b had discovered that Schilling was very much attached attach d to Susan Schroon and aud that the tho feeling was re re- re So So when Schroon made this statement about the note ho tent sent for Susan and handed her the letter You know the handwriting of Anton Auton Auton Au- Au ton Schilling said aid the det detective tl e and I want to know if sr you think he hew w wrote rote this note No she said Eald looking at the paper paper paper pa pa- per cl closely ly he lie never wrote that let let- ot- ot ter Have you jOU ever seen hand handwriting wilting like that before Her eyes filled HUed with tears and in a choking voice olce she said That is 13 the handwriting of my father It was the final straw and caused Schroon to break down and confess that he had killed his partner He said they had gotten Into an all argument argument ment and tn ui the fight tight which ensued ho had killed Schilling When he heI found what he had done he was in inan inan an on agony of despair He told his hits wife vUe about it it and she advised him to get getlid rid lid of or the body in order to avoid trouble So SQ he obtained sharp a knife 4 I and dismembered the body Then he I placed it in two bags wl which ch to took to Fairmount par park and dumped in one of or the reservoirs The water was running low at the time and the bags were soon won expos exposed d to view It was then that the t two o boys made the d discovery dis dis- I covery that led Schroon to the gal gal- lows The ways of murderers are curious I 1 should ha have ve poisoned him he lie said and could have claimed he committed suicide because my daughter would not marry him Then I would have been all Copyright b by Public I Ledger |
