Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-11
THE DEARING MURDER.
Confession of Antoine PrObst-He was
the Sole CrfminaI-HOrrible Details
of the Slaughter.

/ LHASA INC AhAAadotPAta EAN5ss may
The Rev. Anthony NJ. Grundtner, the
priest Of ST. Alphonsus Church and cleri-
cal attendant on Antoine Probst, called
upon Mayor McMichael yesterday morn
ing, and stated that the prisoner mad made
full confession of the murder of the
Dearing family. This confession was
made in the prison on Sunday afternoon,
and as it was voluntary, withort any
threats having been made or inducements
held out, and not simply as an act of re-
| igious penitence, as understood in the
Catholic Church, the reverend gentleman
said that he would have to make it known
TO the civil authorities, and through this
source to the public.
The prisoner assented to this, and YES
terday morning,as we learn, tho keeper of
the prison, the medical staff, and one or
two other officials visited the cell, and the
confession that was made TO the priest was
again recited by the convict. As soon as
the revelation was thus announced the
priest proceeded to the Mayors office,
where he made known the fact of the con-
fession.
Probst said that he had already made a
confession to-his counsel, who said they
were not going to publish it until after his
execution.
The Chief spoke very kindly to the
prisoner, and showed him a copy of an
afternoon paper, containing a full epitome
of the confession, and then said ~You
see it is already published, and no harm
can reach you by any further publication" |
The prisoner seems still to have a hor-
ror of the multitude; he seems afraid they
will yet get him and tear him to pieces. |
He said had he not feared the people he |
would have made full confession when |
arraigned before the court, at the time of |
his trial, but he was afraid if he did so |
then that the police officers could not save
him from the exasperated populace.
The Chief eomforted him on this point |
by Kindness assuring him that all he now |
said would satisfy the people much better |
than if he withhold a confession. The |
prisoner seemed to be in a very good hu- |
NOR, laughing and talking in jocular
manner, and finally he said he would |
havo no objection to making the confess
sion over again.
The questions were propounded by |
Chief Franklin. They were of that char
acter calculated to elucidate the material |
points without unnecessary verbiage. In |
the following brief though comprehensive
narrative we have incorporated the ques-
tions and orders.
We may say that when the doomed
man came to that part Of the narrative |
respecting the murder, he hung his head
down and seemed TO check the cheerful |
ness he had evinced during the recital of
how he came to this country. After tell
ing how he killed the lad Cornelius Carey,
then~he related all the remainder more |
freely, and laughed quite heartily at the
method he had adopted to get the victims
into the stable, as though he considered it
a cunning trick or evidence of his shrewd-
ness.
He declares most emphaticslly that he
did not see any money in Miss Dolan's
and that horror came over
him that he could not describe, at his dis
in not obtaining the amount
of money he expected-at least one thous-
and dollars. He appears to be resigned to
his fate, and admits that he ought TO be
hung.