Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1918 — TRAIL LEADS TO RENSSELAER [ARTICLE]

TRAIL LEADS TO RENSSELAER

Michigan Man Charged With Murder Was Married Here. Milo H. Piper, a wealthy insurance man of Muskegon, Michigan, was arrested a few days ago at Hamilton, Ontario, charged with the murder of Frieda Weichman of Chicago, to whom he was married on March 21, 1916, by Rev. P. C. Curnick, former pastor of the M. E. church in this city, the couple having driven here from Crown Point, where they had secured a marriage license and were married at the Methodist parsonage. In 1915, it is charged,Piper met Miss Weichman at a Chicago tennis club. She was married to him within a year and the two started on an automobile honeymoon. Until August, 1916, the girl’s relatives received letters from her, the last being from Fairbauldt, Minn. ”-iy in September, 1916, seetion hands working on the Grand Trunk railway in Eggleston township, Michigan, came upon a freshly turned grave near a railway crossing. A few minutes digging brought to light the body of a girl, clad in a night dress, a skirt and a sweater jacket. The body was n such condition that the coroner decided an autopsy would be useless. While vain efforts were being made to identify the body, Mrs. F. W. Klinke of Hinsdale, a suburb of Chicago, who had been a friend of Miss Wiechman, became alarmed at not hearing from her. After writing several letters to Muskegon, she came there and went to the Piper home, where she found a woman with a baby, who said she was Mrs. Piper. She went to Piper’s office but he denied ever having met Miss Weichman. Mrs. Klinke then, applied to the police. bief of Police Moray produced the clothing which had been found on the body buried beside the railway tracks. Mrs. Klinke immediately identified the garments as having belonged to Miss Weichman. Detectives were sent to find Piper, but he had vanished. He was traced to Chicago, from there to Detroit, and was finally arrested at Hamilton, Ontario. Piper is said to have been married about four years and his wife and three young children now reside in Muskegon. Pipfer, when questioned by the police strongly declared his innocence and accused a mysterious “John Sheldon” of having used his name to marry Miss Weichman despite his protest. Piper said that he urged Sheldon not to use his name in getting married, but that Sheldon so threatened him with trouble if he said anything about it, that he decided to remain silent. Muskegon, Mich., Dec. 16.—Milo P. Piper, charged with the. slaying of Miss Frieda Weichman of Chicago, admitted today that he had visited several Michigan cities with the, young woman in 1916 when they posed as man and wife, according to Prosecuting Attorney Broek, but insisted that he knew nothing of. her death and burial In a lonely spot in Eggleston township, where the body was unearthed a year later. Indianapolis, Dec. 16.—Accord' Ing to the Rev. Paul C. Curnick, of this city, field secretary for the Methodist hospital, Milo H. Piper

and Frieda Weichman were married by him at Rensselaer, Ind., March 21, 19'16. At that time Dr. Curnick was serving as pastor of the Rensselaer Methodist Episcopal church and there were no unusual circumstances surrounding the marriage, he ,said. As he recalled it, the marriage license was obtained at Crown Point and the cowpie, who were ni.cely dressed, came tr his parsonage in a big touring car and declared they were going to take their honeymoon in the south, traveling by motor-.