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WAUWATOSA MURDER MYSTERY: Who killed Buddy Schumacher?

‘Hermit endures scrutiny of slain boy’s friends’ in 1925

Photo Courtesy of Brian and Keith Egloff This Sept. 17, 1925, Milwaukee Sentinel article describes how a group of boys identified
Arthur “Buddy” Schumacher Jr.’s gravestone can be seen at the Wauwatosa Cemetery on Edward Vreeland as the suspect, while another group said he was not the one who killed
Wauwatosa Avenue. buddy. The boys who fingered him later changed their stories.

Vagrant accused and two ‘morons’ confess, but no charges filed

By PAUL HOFFMAN
Special to Wauwatosa NOW
The limitations of crime-fighting technology at the
time pretty much left police with nothing more to go
MORE ONLINE
WauwatosaNOW.com/Buddy
@
Edward Vreeland, in the Wauwatosa jail for vagran- on regarding Vreeland. With the only compelling Read all the stories in our series, check out old newspaper
cy, had been camping out earlier in the summer near evidence against Vreeland in the case of Buddy’s mur- articles from the time and view a photo gallery of Buddy and
where Buddy Schumacher’s body was found. Vreeland der dried up, police were forced to let him go. his family.
also had been identified as someone who had given
local boys trouble. Convicted child killer confesses
Shortly after the body was found, police brought In the middle of October, the warden at a prison in
Vreeland in front of the boys who had ridden the train Stillwater, Minn., summoned Milwaukee police detec-
with Buddy the day he disappeared. Two of tive Adolph Kraemer to question a man who
Part 3: Mystery remains …
the boys identified Vreeland as the man who had just been convicted of killing an 11-year- This summer marks the 85th anniversary of one
chased them from the train. old boy in St. Paul. William Brandt, a 21-year- of the most infamous crimes ever committed in
Vreeland, who was said to be deeply reli- old former Milwaukee newspaper delivery boy, Wauwatosa, the murder of 8-year-old Arthur
gious and slept with a Bible under his pillow, had just been given a life sentence for the “Buddy” Schumacher Jr.
admitted that since he had been kicked in the murder of Francis Pioletti. To mark the anniversary, Wauwatosa NOW
head by a horse long ago, he sometimes suf- The warden had noticed some similarities published a three-part series on the boy’s disap-
fered from memory lapses, which meant he between the Pioletti and Schumacher murders, pearance and the mystery that remains over who
sometimes had no recollection of what he’d but Brandt denied any knowledge of Buddy’s killed the youth.
done. Buddy murder to Kraemer. This seemed to be another This final installment of the series looks at
Meanwhile, the handkerchief that had been dead end in the search for Buddy’s killer. But why nobody was ever charged in the case — and
stuffed down Buddy’s throat was identified from pho- about five weeks later, Brandt confessed to the killing. raises key questions that remain unanswered to
tographs as a handkerchief that Wauwatosa’s Mrs. “I guess I killed that boy in Milwaukee,” Brandt was this day.
George Abel had washed for Vreeland some time ago. quoted in a United Press story. “I do not remember
If any case seemed to be a slam dunk, this was it. killing him. But I remember being with him, and I
But soon, the case against Edward Vreeland fell apart, remember hiding the body.”
one piece at a time. There you go. Case solved.
Witnesses change stories Confessions at odds with facts
… but you can help solve it
Author Paul Hoffman is still gathering informa-
First, the handkerchief and Buddy’s clothing came Not so fast.
tion on this case and the people involved in it for
up missing for a few days. They were found in District Additional questioning by Milwaukee police
WNT

Attorney Eugene Wengert’s safe, where they had been
placed “unknown to officials.” When the handkerchief,
●
a book he is writing.
showed that some details in Brandt’s story didn’t
If you heard anything about this case, espe-
match up with the facts of the case. And when shown
cially what people around town or the police

which had the letter “A” embroidered on it, was shown a photograph of Brandt, Buddy’s companions were
thought may have happened, or if you know
to Mrs. Abel, she did not identify it as the one she’d unable to identify him.
August 5, 2010

what became of the people involved in it, contact

washed for Vreeland.
Meanwhile, Buddy’s companions changed their
minds after talking with Vreeland at the jail. No, he
wasn’t the man they saw chase them from the train.
Another twist in the tale came in early December
Hoffman at P.O. Box 2611, Columbus, IN 47203,
as another man confessed to murdering Buddy.
or via phof63@sbcglobal.net.
Please see VAGRANT, Page 11

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