Edward A. Schmidt
Edward Arthuer Schmidt
85 YOA
506 High Avenue East
Oskaloosa, IA
Mahaska County
January 13, 1972
Edward Arthuer [sic] Schmidt was a reclusive and wealthy eccentric who had lived for over 50 years in the basement of an Oskaloosa property he owned at 1215 7th Avenue East.
A life-long bachelor, Schmidt was a large man — 6 feet and 200 pounds.
After an amputation following a severe foot burn, he wore an artificial leg. He got around his own home with a wheelchair and used a crutch or cane when he went out.
Because Schmidt was solitary, territorial about his property, and not particularly pleasant, he had few friends in the Oskaloosa community.
He practiced law out of a basement office in a sprawling, yellow apartment house which he owned at 506 High Avenue East.
His law clients were few, but Schmidt didn’t really need an income from his practice.
As the years went by, he accumulated a great deal of wealth in other ways; he cut corners, denied himself luxuries, squirreled away his money, and was known for his fierce thrift, if not downright stinginess.
He cooked most of his own food and wore old, tattered clothes.
Not wanting to waste stamps, he stumped on his crutch around Oskaloosa to pay his bills. He argued with creditors about charges and refused to pay if he thought they were too much.
He carried almost no cash; he wrote checks for even the smallest amounts so he could always have proof of payment.
Although he could drive — he owned a 1960 Chevrolet at the time of his death — he long depended on acquaintance and local Firestone store owner Glenn Upton to run his errands and take him to and from his law office each day.
It was not just frugality that accounted for Schmidt’s wealth. Most of his worth came from his wise investments, which he managed like it was a full-time job.
To guide his financial ventures, he read the Wall Street Journal, borrowing a copy from Glenn Upton so he didn’t have to pay.
After his death, Schmidt’s estate reflected the depth and breadth of his investments.
According to the Des Moines Register, courthouse records showed he was worth approximately 1.5 million dollars, including 750,000 in stocks and bonds and more than 300,000 in cash. The Register broke down Schmidt’s estate for its readers:
As usual, Glenn Upton drove Schmidt to his office on Thursday, January 13, 1972 and returned at 3:30 to pick him up to grocery shop.
As Upton descended the outside steps to the office, he saw a note saying, “Gone Home, Ed.” Upton thought Schmidt might have gotten a ride home with a client, as he sometimes did.
The next day, one of Schmidt’s tenants called Upton and asked him to locate Schmidt to fix the furnace because there was no heat.
Schmidt was not at his apartment; phoning him produced only a busy signal, so Upton notified the Oskaloosa Police and Mahaska County Sheriff.
On Sunday, January 16, Sheriff Reese, accompanied by Glenn Upton, found 85-year-old Edward Schmidt dead in his law office. He had been beaten and stabbed.
Schmidt’s clothes were rifled as though the killer was looking for money, although Schmidt typically carried little.
Although a little over $166.00 in un-cashed rent checks was found under papers on his desk, there had been no cash in the office. Schmidt’s antique safe, where he kept over $21,000 and his stock certificates, was on the front porch of his home.
Glenn Upton claimed Schmidt always carried a will in his pocket and Upton believed the killer took that document.
On April 22, an auction was held at Schmidt’s home. The large crowd bid on coin collections (one exclusively of Indian Head pennies), stamp collections, furniture, rings, and watches; the sale earned $5,709. Schmidt’s 1960 Chevrolet sold for $75.
After the sale, there were only a few bits of clothing left and — amongst the clutter — Schmidt’s artificial leg.
Settling the large estate of lifelong bachelor Edward Schmidt proved difficult. All of his immediate family was dead, and he had no children.
And there were questions about his will or wills.
In 1917, Schmidt drew up a will containing only one bequest: $10,000 to the Drake University College of Law — his alma mater — to be used by a Drake student for graduate work at Yale University.
However, Schmidt’s friend Glenn Upton filed an affidavit saying he was a signature witness to a second will drawn up in 1962 that left the bulk of his estate to Drake University’s scholarship program.
A court-appointed administrator for the estate declared that Schmidt died intestate because of the second will, which was believed stolen during the murder.
Drake University filed a “lost will” petition, asking the court to declare the missing 1962 will valid and make Drake the principal beneficiary.
In 1975, the estate was settled through a compromise. Drake University received $250,000 and the rest went to five distant family members: nieces and nephews in rural Keota, Iowa; California; Oklahoma; Boston, Massachusetts; and Missouri.
Glenn Upton was awarded $37,500 after presenting a 46-page account of errands and services he had performed for Schmidt over 28 years — since August of 1934. He originally asked for $150,000.
Almost $500,000 was paid in taxes on the estate, and legal fees totaled $140,000.
Linda Lanphier, a Mahaska County resident and local historian, asked that people who remembered Edward Schmidt’s life and his murder send comments to her for sharing with Iowa Cold Cases.
One person wrote:
“I remember him. Mr. Schmidt was an elderly frail gentleman, but I don’t remember him being small, per se, but I didn’t really know him. I didn’t think he had any family as it seemed there was little pressure to ever solve the murder. He lived by the Congregational Church and was murdered for his coin collection. The murder was never solved and the police questioned many of us who were teens at the time . . . most of us thought it was a Penn [William Penn College] student who left school right after the murder and lived next door.
The Chief of Police refused to retire at the time and the Sheriff had little, if any training. None of [his] rare gold coins were ever seen again as far as I know, which should have made the case solvable, in my opinion. I have always wondered if anyone has ever gone back and checked the evidence for DNA since it was before DNA testing was around.
Unfortunately, the crime scene was trampled by almost everyone remotely connected with law enforcement, so the contamination at the scene would add confusion.”
Another wrote:
“There was a rumor going around at the time that it was someone who was prominent in the community. I don’t remember this person’s name, though. Not sure if there was an obituary or not. Take a look at one of the old newspapers from the time. There may not have been one.”
Still another wrote:
“There was one witness who claimed seeing someone near the house wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, boots and jeans, which matched the description of about half the kids in town at the time, or at least that is what the probation officer was telling everyone.
There was an upstairs party next door that night with about 20 people there who didn’t see anything.
The police rounded up the usual suspects, but never did question the person many thought may have done it.
There should have been a lot of evidence left at the scene; it was described as very violent by the police.
The police were so busy targeting several people that they never seemed to consider anyone else. The questioning of those kids was left up to the probation officer who was not trained in death investigations and [it] amounted to him accusing them repeatedly and making them defend themselves, while being threatened with jail. It was a textbook example of how not to investigate a crime.”
Edward Arthuer [sic] Schmidt was born September 12, 1886 in Nira, Washington County, Iowa, to Henrietta Malin and Henry D. Schmidt, who came to the United States from Germany in 1855. His father was a farmer.
He had two sisters — Julia Schmidt Breeden and Tilla Schmidt — and two brothers, William and Alexander.
He graduated from Oskaloosa High school and Drake University Law School in Des Moines. He practiced law in Oskaloosa his entire life and operated a farm.
He was a veteran of WWI. Military records describe him as tall and slim with brown eyes and black hair.
Courtesy photo Sharon WelchSchmidt was buried with his parents and brother William in a family plot at Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa.
Questions and information about the unsolved 1972 murder of Edward A. Schmidt should be directed to the Oskaloosa Police Department at 641-673-3201, the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office at 641-673-4322, or Iowa Cold Cases through the Contact form.
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