The Edmund Kayser Murder
Welcome to my newest series — Gary, Indiana: Murders and Mysteries.
I love a good murder story.
That may sound crazy to some. However, I indulge in these sorts of stories on a near-daily basis. It fascinates me that we live in a strange world with many unanswered questions and breathtaking mysteries. There are many secrets, and humans, with limited brains and thinking capabilities, stand frightened whenever something unexplained or morbid occurs.
Tolleston
Tolleston, named after 1856 pioneer George Tolle, was populated mainly by immigrant farmers, who were Lutheran Germans. According to the US-German War Archives, Tolleston was initially inhabited by “English, Irish, and French extractions, but by 1860, a large group of German families supplanted the original settlers.”
These new German plants were mainly grunt workers employed with the Michigan Central Railroad, which came through the area. Their European roots comprised farming and agriculture. As a result, modernism and rustic living found a way to co-exist.
St. John’s Lutheran Church was erected in 1868. Yet, there was another St. John’s Lutheran in Gary. It was St. John’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Rev. Edmund Kayser
Edmund Albert Heinrich Kayser was born in Bavaria, Germany, on June 4, 1874. Growing to be a leader, Edmund pastored his first church in Marlette at a young age. He immigrated to the United States at 16, studying at American colleges. However, he was well known in Northwest Indiana, especially in Chesterton, Michigan City, and Port Huron, MI.
He married Theodora Koch in Marine City, MI, the ceremony performed by Theodora’s father. For three years, Rev. Kayser was St. John’s German Evangelical Church pastor at Marine City, MI. The Marine City church was his first state pastorate before moving to Chesterton, IN, and pastoring St. John’s Evangelical Church there. It was an independent church not governed by the Lutheran body.
In October 1908, Tolleston selected Ed to pastor St. John’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Tolleston. The church got redesigned. It experienced growth due to the construction of Gary Works and the City of Gary. In 1910, he started a weekly publication, the Teutonia Weekly.
The Kayser family routinely took trips abroad, spending time in Bavaria and Switzerland. In addition, Ed was involved in many religious events in the States, especially those dedicated to ethnic German interests. Unfortunately, he was so pro-German that he caused much friction between St. John’s Church and himself and his family.
Edmund was a short, heavyset, bearded man when he reached Tolleston. His personality was belligerent, and he was known to love to argue. He didn’t care about who — politicians, steelworkers, or his parishioners.
Despite the problems, Rev. Kayser did a lot of good. He was instrumental in populating South Tolleston. In addition, Ed personally called on other German-Americans around the country and Europe, encouraging them to uproot and move to Gary.
Many did just that, bringing their families and monies to Gary. The city, though full of anti-German aggregates (we’ll touch on this later), was grateful to Rev. Kayser for his efforts. Kayser did not seek riches. He was essentially poor, but with his social status, he could do great things for his community.
South Tolleston, 1915.
South Tolleston, in 1915 was considered a desolate, quiet neighborhood. Annexed by the City of Gary in 1911, the original town experienced changes in its government and street names. The area south and east of the principal subdivisions was called South Tolleston.
At this time, this area of South Tolleston was a lonely location. There were homes around, but they were, on average, half a block apart.
St. John’s and its rectory were near 20th & Lincoln Street. The rectory sat on a small sand mound (or bluff) on the other side of the church. According to the Times, it was a two-story bungalow. It was beautiful and sat adjacent to the church.
According to real estate transfer information in the Times, St. John’s sat in the Gary Park 2nd Addition subdivision, block 4, lots 20 & 21. It is now a parking lot owned by a baptist church at 1281 W. 20th Place.
Not far from the church and house is an old cemetery. Today it is called by locals the Tolleston Cemetary. It sits at 20th Avenue & Grant Street, on the northeast corner. Many early Tolleston settlers were laid to rest there, which was true back in 1915.
Yet there is a second cemetery east of Tolleston Cemetary. This is the Waldheim Cemetary or Forest Hill Cemetery. It sits on the northwest corner of 20th Avenue & Pierce Street. Both are half a block north of the site of St. John’s.
That February, unusually warm weather led to flooding events across the state. South Tolleston was inundated with water from melting snow and the Little Calumet River. Even for a place used to flooding, the event was nerve-racking and led to repairs that lasted well into the summer months.
What didn’t flood was Rev. Kayser’s church and home. Also, what stayed the same was Kayser’s eccentricity.
German Sentiment
Back in the early 1910s, Germans were not as beloved socially in the United States as they are today. While not entirely outcast, Americans of German descent were under attack. Fueled by superpatriotism and xenophobia, open hostility towards Germans was quite normal.
Germans were the largest non-English-speaking immigrant group in the country. The largest cities in the Midwest all had substantial German populations. They had churches, schools, and community programs that were ethnically geared to support Germans.
Yet, European events leading up to World War I convinced many short-sighted Americans that Germans could no longer assimilate with American society.
When the United States began siding with the Allies against the Central Powers, anti-German sentiment exploded. German-Americans were considered dangerous and anti-American. President Theodore Roosevelt warned of the dangers associated with hyphenated identities, advocating for people to drop their ethnicity from their American moniker.
Some thought that ridding the nation of German culture altogether was the answer. As a result, citizens, political groups, and philanthropists went on campaigns to change the names of German-based cities and towns. There was even a push to ban German music, mainly works by Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart.
Yet, out of all of the things under attack, the most attacked institutions were German churches.
German churches were seen as hubs for the advocation of German imperialism. So Americans banned German public assemblies. Worse yet, the fear of German espionage permeated everything. No German of any power was trusted, including clergy members. They got accused of being spies, even with no proof. Moreover, American propaganda convinced many that German spies were everywhere, reporting everything in the States to Germany.
Mobs gathered, snatched German-Americans out of their homes at night, and forced them to kiss the American flag in front of everyone. Sometimes they were forced to sing the national anthem and were persecuted further if they couldn’t speak English.
In Gary, there was no doubt that spies were amiss. They represented both sides of the war, pushing secret agendas and financing propaganda. What needs to get discovered is how many were operating at once. I assert that the numbers were less than people got made to believe. Still, European espionage was an issue made out to be of paramount concern.
Under this umbrella, Rev. Kayser openly and unapologetically advocated for German Americans and their political interests. In short order, he became the premiere German advocate in the city. His star was aided by being allied with the German-American Alliance and local Austro-Hungarian groups. Kayser also aligned himself with well-known Chicago financiers and Regional provocateurs, not for personal financial gain, but to further his advocation.
Unfortunately, he made many enemies as a result.
The Good Reverend: Suspects 1
Newspaper reports of the time detail Kayser’s obsessive preoccupation with German politics. Locals called him a German “colonizer,” a “pro-German propagandist,” and a “supplier of information” to German interests regarding steel-related activities.
Allegedly, letters gathered by the police detailed how Kayser sent munitions manufacturing information from Gary Works to officials at the German embassy in Washington, D.C. One alleged contact was Count Von Bernstoff, the German ambassador.
However, no evidence ever showed Kayser was a spy for Germany. Instead, his love for the Germany of his era and his ethnicity led him to do certain things that made others suspicious of his loyalty.
For example, Rev. Kayser constantly wrote pro-German letters. He sent them to Gary’s newspapers, such as the Gary Daily Tribune. These writeups led other Garyites and Region citizens to pen angry responses.
The Times printed an excerpt of one of Kayser’s letters. I will not write the full quote.
“No, we do not appeal for sympathy in the least. Sympathy, like the grace of God, is a free gift. It can not be forced. If you do not want to give it, keep it. What we German-Americans want, what we demand, not beg for, what we demand is justice and fair play. And we are going to fight for it…We are going to present our side. We demand this privilege in the name of the 25,000,000 in the United States who have Teutonic blood in their veins, in the name of fair play and justice.” — Edmund Kayser.
Rumors detailed in the press spoke of “certain well-known Gary men are in the pay of agents of European powers.” Pro-ally and pro-German forces, including secret Balkan quarter societies, abounded inside the city.
These people worked in the shadows making melee weapons from the industrial materials found at their jobs.
“17,000 men in the Gary-Calumet district [are] engaged in making everything from gun cotton to shrapnel bar steel and from benzol to chlorine gas and military acids.” — The Times.
These unregulated weapons could easily get trafficked across state lines, hidden in bottles, packages, barrels, etc.
Under the shiny veneer of a brand-new industrial mecca was a thriving shadowy war-time economy fueled by dark money. As a result, outspoken individuals opposing mainstream sentiments were constantly in danger.
Fire in the Flock: Suspects 2
Kayser also made enemies at St. John’s. The friction details inside his congregation could be more precise, but they were suggested to be true in newspaper accounts. All indications point toward certain people being upset by his political activities and how they affected the running of the church.
In early August 1915, Rev. Kayser met with Attorney Paul J. Tomanoczy and Lilian Freese. Tomanoczy wanted to organize a protest “against shipments of war munitions” and enlisted Kayser to help. Kayser agreed but allegedly would not put his name behind the embargo unless it was directed directly against President Woodrow Wilson. While it is unknown if Tomanoczy agreed to this, Kayser was to attend a pro-German convention with him in Ft. Wayne later that month.
Once word got out to the St. John’s congregation, they were not happy. Instead, several parishioners openly condemned Kayser and left the church.
The majority of St. John’s were steelworkers, pro-war or not. Any anti-American sentiment or munitions embargo could have placed them in danger of losing their jobs or, worse, being subjected to the violence of anti-German forces in the Region.
Some of them allegedly threatened to Kill Kayser — yes, his congregation members! Those who were his “note singers” had difficulty defending the planned embargo.
The preacher was also involved in a land deal with six other people who were all congregants. The properties in question surrounded St. John’s Church. By August 1915, the property interest still needed to be paid, angering several signees. Nevertheless, many were required to make payments, including Kayser. Those angry with Kayser accused him of intending to buy the properties himself, cutting out the others to use St. John’s.
Unfortunately, his perceived suspicious work led to him asking the Gary Police Department for personal protection at his home. With help from the congregation, Kayser got his defense, guarding the Kayser’s lives. Even still, Ed petitioned the police chief for a special star so he could be allowed to walk around with a gun. While the chief supported the idea, the city ultimately denied the request.
Death Threats: Suspects 3
The Times explains that several letters allegedly threatened Kayser’s and his family’s lives. The family lived inside a parsonage near the church. From his home, Ed conducted pro-German activities. These actions radiated from his house like a furnace.
One Englishman named Elmer LeRoy was alleged to arrive at St. John’s in July 1915. Angered after listening to Rev. Kayser’s pro-German exhortations, he stood up and openly denounced the pastor in front of the entire congregation. As a result, the diocese condemned Kayser and scolded him for being too “independent.”
The GPD had a list of people known to threaten Kayser and St. John’s Church in letters. The letters came back to back for months before suddenly stopping near the end of the spring of 1915.
One of the final spring letters was mailed to someone other than Ed. Instead, it got sent to Rev. Conrad Held of Louisville, Ky. He received a correspondence written in German that threatened Kayser. It was written by a member of the Saxon Verein and mailed from Gary. The letter alleged mismanagement of church funds and its affairs, unfairness, social persecution, and alleged “overfriendliness” with female members of St. John’s.
While secretary of the Indiana District of the Lutheran church, Rev. Held was not in charge of the Gary chapter. Instead, the Michigan District, managed by Michigan City Reverend Paul Irion, governed the Gary chapter. Held subsequently mailed the threatening letter to Kayser.
“He [Kayser] never acknowledged its receipt nor in any way referred to it.”—Conrad Held.
Then by August, the letters started up again.
One letter threatened, “move or dynamite will move you.” Yet another said, “Before the leaves turn, you will be stretched.” In other letters, Kayser got called a “pig,” had vile and racist cartoons drawn of him, and got accused of cheating on his wife.
We’ll get to the accusations of infidelity later.
What’s interesting is near all the letters were written in the German language. For example, the Times reported that he received a letter allegedly saying his wife would “be a widow before the leaves fall.”
Mrs. Theodora Kayser expressed her concerns, pondering a move out of Gary for the protection of their family. Ed seemed unconcerned about his wife’s worry about the family, though he feared getting harmed.
The Mystery Woman: Suspects 4
A rumor described an alleged affair between Rev. Kayser and a woman. The Gary postmaster was said to be behind the tale. However, the identity of the postmaster behind the story is surprising.
In February 1915, John W. Call was the Gary postmaster. According to the Times, he was replaced by congress by H. B. Snyder, editor of the Gary Post. He is the brother of Ralph Snyder, the first city clerk and newspaper chief during Gary’s earliest days. According to the Times, Snyder essentially paid to get the job. Aligned with Gary’s first mayor, Thomas Knotts, Snyder quickly got the job through Knotts’ political connections.
H. B. Snyder being postmaster is interesting because he is a newspaperman. In this capacity, he would have access to information most people wouldn’t. For example, Snyder could notice unusual letters and track who was sending what to whom. He also could combine his press skills and act as a private investigator. He could then anonymously report stories to his brother, Ralph.
If there was an affair, and Snyder knew about correspondence between Kayser and this mystery woman, it would be safe to assume that Snyder was the one to start the rumor.
Also, with Ed Kayser being a pro-German propagandist, the juicy detail could sell a lot of papers and make the Gary Post and the Snyders piles of money.
Officials dismissed the infidelity theory, and as far as I can find, no other mention of the woman was made in the press a week after the murder. It is also unknown if denying the affair was done to protect the dignity of Mrs. Kayser. Her husband having an affair would have been highly embarrassing for her and the family.
Postmaster Snyder also let it leak to the press that Kayser and the mystery woman had been receiving threatening letters.
“[Rev. Kayser] was very frank about coming here and turning them [letters] over to us. They were written in German. He was annoyed by their receipt. Later, the young woman in question also made complaint.” — H. B. Snyder, Gary Postmaster. The Times, August 25, 1915.
The woman’s identification was never officially revealed. Very few details of who she was were published.
However, unnamed federal inspectors told the press that the woman was Mrs. Mary Krause. Furthermore, it got reported that she was a St. John’s congregation member. If so, this wouldn’t be abnormal. We all know of religious leaders who have picked particular sheep out of their flock to engage in selfish carnal desires.
In the previous section, I explained that some threatening letters accused him of having a “friendship for a local young woman,” according to The Times. If this is the case, then this relationship was known to more than one, not only by Snyder.
Also, as previously stated, there were claims of multiple women — not just one. There is no way to know who these other women were or if the claims were valid. Allegedly, one of these women was Mary Krause.
She was well known in Gary, a socialite of sorts. However, when questioned about having an affair with Kayser, she denied it. But, of course, she would.
I’m not saying that the affair happened. Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. However, we can’t entirely discount the theory because it is a chance that infidelity could have occurred and subsequently covered up to allow Mrs. Kayser to save face.
The Last Hours — Tuesday, August 24, 1915.
Mrs. Kayser wanted a family vacation to Grand Rapids, Michigan. She wanted to see her father, Rev. Koch. Edmund decided not to go, to Mrs. Kayser’s trepidation. Perhaps she wanted an excuse to pull her husband away from Gary for a time. Whatever the motivation, Ed was staying.
Theodora did not want to go out of worry about her husband. Yet he convinced her to head to Grand Rapids anyway. It is unknown precisely when Theodora and their three kids departed Gary, but they probably left early in the day by train. Ed Kayser stayed home.
It is unknown whom he may have met throughout the day. Witnesses stated they saw him managing his garden alone at home. There would have been few witnesses, for this part of Tolleston was sparsely populated and surrounded by marshland stretching for miles.
Kayser’s attorney, George Cummerow, details that Kayser spent his last hours working on the Paul Tomanoczy embargo on munitions to Europe.
Tomanoczy joined Kayser around dusk. Together with Lilian Freese, they worked on the proposal as agreed in his study. The meeting was productive, with both consulting and building the plan from the ground up. Next, they sent for Kayser’s attorney, Cummerow. Cummerow was hesitant to endorse the project because of the hostilities against Kayser as of late. The rumor of affiliation with Count von Bernstroff ran rampant and was accepted as fact by the public though there was no proof.
Tomanoczy and Freese left, leaving Cummerow with Rev. Kayser. The two men discussed the activities of Colonial Trust and Savings Bank of Chicago, which were involved with their real estate deals. Unpaid interest was causing issues with the other signees.
Rev. Kayser and six others bought fourteen lots around St. John’s Church from Harry Barker. The other six partners were John Fink, Henry Gartner, Michael Kraus, John Schneider, Android Kartman, and Michael Shieb.
Once the principal payment got made, it was nearly a year before anything got paid to the bank. This surprised some of the six partners, angering them. Some had even openly threatened Kayser and Commerow. However, it is unknown which of the beforementioned men threatened Kayser and Commerow.
The two discussed selling the lots for the church’s profit. They also wanted to get rid of the partners they worked with. While they tried to sell, there were no buyers. After discussing these events, Commerow made his exit.
Kayser sat in his study, researching and writing. He paced back and forth between standing on his feet and sitting. Eventually, Ed retired to his living room, cracked open a German newspaper, and settled in for a quiet evening.
It is unknown if someone was supposed to be on guard duty this night. Unfortunately, no one was guarding the parsonage.
Kayser’s Demise. August 24, 1915, 8 pm.
The following account is paraphrased from the Times and other archived newspaper publications. Some artistic liberties have been taken to tell the story.
The sun was gone, and the night it replaced was calm and quiet. A soft breeze ran through the brush outside the home, slightly damp with condensation. The summer had been unusually cool, and tonight was no different. It was chilly enough to light a fireplace.
From the outside, the home of Edmund Kayser looked quaint. The soft, auburn glow of lights blazed softly through the living room windows. Alone in the house, Edmund sat stoically, reading a German newspaper. His dog, usually known as “ferocious,” lay silent. So was his canary, an import from Germany.
Yet, because of the breeze, he did not hear the approach of footsteps. He did not hear the sound of revolvers cocking. He did not attend the whispers of conspirators slipping orders.
POP!
A missile crashed through his living room window. The bullet tore through a curtain, embedding itself into a nearby door. Startled, Ed’s head snapped to the window, newspaper dropping onto his lap. As he rose to his feet, the front door to the house burst open. Entering the residence were masked assailants.
“Get on the floor,” someone barked. Edmund did not comply. The invaders rushed him instantly, and a vicious fight ensued. The good reverend’s humble abode was filled with the sounds of men fighting, at least one for his life.
Glass ornaments broke, and ceramic decorations crashed to the floor. Tables and chairs were overturned all over the house. More cursing and yelling flooded the living room. Soon the fight left the living room and into the kitchen. Items in a nearby pantry got used as weapons. Food got thrown about, cans and bottles flying into the air.
At some point, a man tore the curtains off of a window. While Edmund was whipped, grappling with his enemies, someone wrapped a wire around his wrists. Another looped a curtain cord tightly around his neck and pulled tight. No longer focused on fighting, Edmund now struggled to breathe.
The men tumbled over the overturned furniture, causing further damage. While being choked, Edmond was kicked and punched repeatedly. Blood flew out of his mouth, and his eyes and tongue swelled. Still, even though he was literally getting killed, the German man tried to fight back.
What was supposed to be a quick hit took much longer than planned.
In the middle of the melee, another shot got fired. This time, the bullet hit its mark, tearing through Edmond’s neck and embedding in a piano. Blood flew out of the wound, onto his clothes, and presumably onto some of the attackers. As Ed fell to the floor, choking on his blood, the masked assailants lifted him and carried him back to the living room. Scared, shot, and beaten, Edmund still fought back.
His valiant effort earned him another revolver shot. This one hit him in the torso. Edmund was bleeding to death from his neck and chest with a slug lodged deep in a lung. With the last shot, the masked toughs dashed to the front door and disappeared into the night.
Somehow Ed managed to find the strength to stand up. Then, mortally wounded and severely beaten, he exited the home, stumbling and bleeding profusely. He didn’t make it 30 feet.
Reverend Edmund Albert Heinrich Kayser collapsed and breathed his last on the side of his home in a vacant lot.
The dog was nowhere to be seen during the battle because Kayser happened to have it chained in the basement this night. Miss Freese was afraid of it. One of the suspects also killed the canary.
Body Discovered
The dead minister’s body lay in the empty lot for an hour undisturbed. Then, at about 9:30 pm, the neighbors from the closest house approached the church on their way home. The couple was Mr. & Mrs. August Schultz. The Schultz were members of St. John’s and good friends with the Kaysers.
They saw a man lying alone on the ground as they passed the empty lot. They crossed the lot and walked to Edmund’s home, thinking the man on the earth was a drunkard. Yet, as they entered the house, they saw it in utter disarray. Mr. Shultz smelled gunpowder in the air.
The two neighbors ran back outside to the man on the ground. But, unfortunately, instead of a drunkard, they discovered the dead body of Edmund. Terrified, they ran to the home of another neighbor, John Nicholaus, of 20th Place. Together they informed authorities of the gruesome scene.
Mrs. Schultz recalled Ed confiding in them about his enemies. “He spoke of having four enemies,” Mrs. Schultz told the press. However, it is unclear who these enemies were or which category they belonged to. Were they congregation members? Steelworkers? Business partners? Anti-German factions?
Edmund’s body was moved to William’s & Marshall’s morgue under police guard. Once the body was secured, a telegram was quickly sent to Grand Rapids for Mrs. Kayser.
News of the shocking murder spread across the Region fast. Former Mayor Thomas E. Knotts released a statement.
“This is the most dastardly crime ever committed in Gary,” Knotts said. “Rev. Kayser was very liberal. It is true he was pro-German and had no friendliness for President Wilson. However, he was strictly honest and upright — in fact, too honest for some people.”—Thomas E. Knotts.
The Lake County Coroner listed the witnesses that attended the viewing of the body of Edmund Kayser. They were:
- Theodora Kayser
- August Shultz
- Dr. T. B. Templin
- Frank W. Smith
- Nelle Smith
- Paul Tomanoczy
Initial Investigation
Gary officials discovered footprints around the house. They determined that there was more than one assailant, and, at some point, they hid in some shrubbery near the home for some time. Finally, bloodhounds got summoned to track the suspects’ movements. Yet, this task was difficult due to the number of people trampling over the grounds. Then the house was roped off in a 200-yard circle.
Gary Police Chief Pontus Heintz already suspected that Edmund’s pro-German rhetoric was the cause of his demise. Kayser’s anti-Wilson views caused many arguments with Gary’s townsfolk. They immediately fanned out into Gary’s immigrant community, invading taverns, lodges, and community centers. They spent several days questioning every known enemy of the German cause.
Both state and federal agents worked the case. As they did, they coalesced around the theory that anti-German factions snuffed out the pastor in cold blood. Any ideas about a robbery, bad business deals, or infidelity were soon set aside. Though they had suspicions, ultimately, no motive was officially presented.
On August 27, the police made an arrest. The identity of the suspect was not released at first. However, it was determined to be George Schneider, a steelworker. The man admitted to writing threatening letters but vehemently denied killing the reverend.
His innocence was questioned when Schneider was seen with cuts and bruises all over his face and upper body. It was determined that he got into a fight the same night Kayser was killed and was not involved. There was no evidence to prove his guilt, so he was let go.
Another man, John Gimmel, was arrested as well. He, too, was subsequently released.
The investigation went nowhere. No suspects were arrested. The German-American Alliance posted a $10,000 reward for capturing Rev. Kayser’s assailants. A few weeks later, in September, another pastor was threatened by letters. Rev. George Bendik, a close friend of Edmund, was also outspoken and pro-German — yet not to the same extreme.
The Funeral
Interment services occurred just two days later. The funeral was held at St. John’s church, just across the lot from the crime scene. Hundreds of well-wishers arrived to pay their respects and sympathize with Mrs. Kayser, now a widow. A letter predicted this would occur. So many came that officials organized a ticketing system to stem the flow of people.
Numerous German groups came as well. The Stadtverband was one of the largest German-American organizations in Indiana at the time. They came in large numbers, bringing beautiful floral arrangements. Rev. Edmund Kayser was eventually buried in Chesterton.
After all events, Theodora moved her family out of Indiana for good. Mrs. Kayser accused the Saxon Verein of being behind her husband’s death. Perhaps there’s something to this, as she knew about Edmund’s enemies and the seriousness of the situation.
The Schultz’ were ridiculed in the press in the weeks following the murder. First, the Gary Post accused August Schultz of knowing about Kayser’s affairs with other women. Next, they claimed the story of how it happened changed every time it was retold. August claimed later that when they found Edmund, he was moaning and not, in fact, dead.
The coroner asserted that the Schultzs could have been close enough to hear the gunfire if Edmund was still alive when found. The rumor mill fired up again, questioning if Schultz was the killer. If not, they claimed that he must have seen the assassins.
Sometime in November of 1915, the Schultz home burned to the ground. The Schultzs had moved away from Tolleston and replanted roots in Rensselaer.
The Confession
Michael Schramm, better known as Michael Lowe, was arrested in Bridgeport in February 1918. He ran his mouth and admitted to witnesses that he and another man, who was now dead, murdered Rev. Kayser during a robbery.
Former police chief William A. Forbis worked on the case for years, even after stepping down as chief. Finally, his work paid off and led to the confession. Gary sent Chief R. G. Rambo to Connecticut immediately.
After everything that occurred, out of all the theories — it was simple robbery.
The police chief of Bridgeport, John Redgate, sent a letter to Chief Rambo. Reports came into his department that the man who killed a priest in Gary was in his city. Afraid of scaring the man off, Redgate ordered Schramm to be under surveillance. As soon as the police could find something to charge him for, they arrested the talkative criminal and held him for the Gary Police Department.
Wanting proof, Forbis mailed Redgate a package containing evidence collected at the crime scene, photos, and diagrams of the Kayser house. Once Redgate received the package, Bridgeport detectives interrogated Schramm, who confessed. Everything was done secretly and completed before the news leaked to the press.
Everyone assumed the murder was premeditated, planned, and plotted. But, instead, the murder was impulsive.
Schrimm and the unidentified man passed by the Kayser homestead on that fateful night. Somehow, they knew that Mrs. Kayser and the children were away. They might have been staking the home for a while and saw the family leave. The decision was made to rob the reverend while he was alone.
However, when they executed their foolish plan, Edmund fought better than they thought. Afraid of what would happen if they spent more time subduing the more muscular man, they shot the preacher. But they got frightened and left the property without stealing anything.
Reverend Kayser got murdered for nothing.
Or was he?
Authorities later determined that Michael Schramm was delusional. His confession was a lie. This determination got upheld by a grand jury that June. As a result, Michael Schramm got freed.
This is where the story ends.
