ALPINE MURDER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 13 November 1907, Page 4

ALPINE MURDER.

A Swiss shepherd whose ambition i; was to murder a wealthy tourist ant! set himself up in lift 011 the proceeds, lias just confessed to at. atrocious crime. Jtobert Munziger, a young man employed at some works at Olten (Soleure), left Martigny ou August loth for CliauiouniX; by way of Col de Balme. He never returned; and for a week guides searched for him- Finally they made upon a newly made grave, l'hey exhumed the body, which wa-i covered with knife weunds. The poliw were informed, and Miehaud «as ar rested, as it was known that he had sold a knapsack and other Alpine equipments a few days before. He ww; taken to Martignv. wheie on Monday August 2f.th, he made a full confes sion Miehaud, who described the crime in detail, declared with great callousness that he lay in wait on the Col de Balme for days, intending to waylay and jiK-rdfr the first unaccompanied tourist who came along. He especially wanted to murder a rich Englishman, in order to leave the. country with his booty and start a business in America. "Many Englishmen passed," he added plaintively, "but all were accompanied by guides or friends." Finally Munziger appeared. He had left Martigny accompanied by Jean Wermelinger, a friend, to cross tht Col de Balme, and to descend to Chamounix, whence ho intended to climb Mont Blanc. On arriving at the village of Trient. however. Wermelinger became ill, air] remained.,3t the hotel. Munziger went on, and when he reached the' summit, "f the Col de Balme, where the path skirts some precipitins rocks, he was (-attacked by Miehaud, who was armed : with a large knife. i After killing and robbing his victim, Miehaud dragged the body to a lonely spot and buried it, forgetting, however, to remove the traces of the i crime.