Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1894 — THE BENDERS OUTDONE. [ARTICLE]

THE BENDERS OUTDONE.

Horrible Cons e>g!on of a Milwaukee Hotel Keeper. The Cream City Hotel at Milwaukee took fire mysteriously on the mornning of Jan. 12. The only guest was Mrs. Anna Schrums, aged >0 whose charred remains were found in the hall. Investigation led to the conclusion that the fire was of incendiary origin and the proprietor, R. J. Peschman, was arrested. After close questioning he finally confessed as follows: “I had been watching this woman, and I thought I would get the money she had for my boy. Thursday night when she went to a toilet-room I watch id her. When she camo back I took her by the throat and choked her. She fell down. I tied her hands and feet and went to search the room. I broke open the trunk in which I thought she kept her money, but I did not find any. She commenced to breathe again, and I went back and choked her again until she was quiet. I went down stairs and told my wife that I thought Mrs. Schrums was dead. I said: “Mrs. Schrums is dead; we had better go up and get all we can." My wife refused to go with me, so I went up again. I took the silk dresses and such things as I found and carried them down to my wife. I could not get all the stuff back into the boxes, and they were all broken open. That would look suspicious, I thought, so 1 thought then I would burn it. I set fire near the bed and threw the lamp, which was burning and I rushed out.

“I did not find any money or any chango except 75 or 80 cents in a, small pocketbook. If I had had the money I would have let the building burn down entirely, but I watched it. I did not want to lose all my furniture and I went out and gave the alarm. But for that I would have let it burn down entirely, so they could only find the bones. I did not find the money. I have been thinking that I have got into ail this trouble and that Dr. Kasten will get the monoy. I think the Doctor will find the money in the dry goods boxes. My wife lots of times asked me to give np the house, but I was always watching for the money. I thought that Mrs. Schrums would die and then I would get the money. I had put in S2O extra every month for running the house. “The way I managed the fire I broke the lamp right where the big hole is for a furnace pipe and the kerosene ran down, and in that way it got afire. The fire started right under the bed and the kerosene ran down below. You sec the firemen that had been twenty years on the force and had never seen fire run downward were foolish. I was laughing about that." Mrs. Schrum. tho victim, was an eccentric character, known to have considerable wealth hidden away, and who refused to live with her relatives because of family troubles. A small tin pail weighted with shot was faund in a vault in the rear of the house of Pescb man’s mother. Thursday. It contained diamonds and jewelry, supposed to be the property of the murdered woman, valued at $3,000.