CFW and his brother, O. H.--both pastors--kidnapped their niece and nephew from the parsonage of their father.
CFW's attorneys, Marbach and Vehse, cooperated by hiding the children from the police, so they were guilty of obstruction of justice, a felony.
CFW's future mother-in-law hid the children from the police, another felony.
Fleeing an arrest is called willful resistance, which is also a crime. Walther left on the first ship out rather than the Amalia, because arrest warrants were already issued to grab him as soon as possible.
The Amalia sank on the trip to New Orleans, with all lives lost, a fact hailed as a miracle of God's providence by the Missouri historians, since Walther's life was spared.
Soon after arriving in America, Walther violated the seal of the confessional, using craft and deceit to organize a mob, rob, threaten, and kidnap Martin Stephan. Once again he used his future mother-in-law, Buenger, to help carry out his crimes in secret.
Let us reclaim the real Walther.