Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-12-18

| is the Cod truth De I mother send a letter
| directly to Germany if you get word that N y
! father is la urope then | am cleare please doc
So Dear Mother that would cleare me Mother
| help me for God sake Or [ will perish some
with heart AXE am most crazy now help me
! if you can God will pay you for it for | am
| inisent in this case, one of my lawyers come
TO sea me last saturday we talked the case over
and he said that they gust they could cleare me
that's Williams and Milberger and gnss 7 viii
| git Smith to asyst from ma hson three best
lawyers in the state OConers said that he saw
some bid fire in the night you know that was
not out of the house no night sence Father left
home nor tllchthe fire from tie time bilt it
Mother Theresa 6 Mary can ssweare that's the
truth only fixt at law rite some 7e saF4 Ea,
81 5sE g=.as J J Schnepf'
The foregoing letter was written in
pencil, and is almost illegible ). the fol-
lowing with ink: s ..s ~. :. 49,. -.
.s s--5 ss--. jefferson the oath, 81.
Dear mother sisters and Johnny received your
said Letter, when | herde that Mother was sick
the tears came in mr. eys and ! cried for A half
hour go sad that thought it would brake my
hart Derl Mother hope that you will some get
better God help you all if he ever forgets me,
but God knows that [ am insint and not gi}ty
more than child A week old and you know
it. told YOU that after Father went away
| toat split twosticks of wood and then drove
the hogs Of from the meadow and they run up
/ CConersses woods and then | fxt the fence
along the hill between us and OConers north
and south line cleare threat to Martin Moons
land, then you cald me home About eleaven
| 0 clock sboutzthe COW and scheape that were
comm in first, / helped the COW and after dinner
we went. out in the mellow to drive home the
scheap, got home the sick one that was gon
! to lam helped her which took over to hours
| which God knows and you know that's the
| Gods truth. then / went down to the barn and
gave the cows some hay and the sheap and
coalts and then / harvest up the team and
| hitched them up on the wagon then | and
johnny nv brother and Mars my sister rode
over in the clearing and drawed to loGs of old
| brush and old trash on three fresh heps and
loaded the balance of both loads on the north
! pile of clearing then we loaded up a load of
stove wood and drawed it home and then put
up my team aud got some fyere and sat three
| brush heaps afyire two burned and one
| wouldant burn thensI went directly home and
! don myichofes same as usalaaRa then we took
our supper and after that | smoaked my pipe
| and in a short time | went to bed and you all
| know that I wasant out of the house no mite
until Tcame down here. and you all know
1 that was not mere the flyers no night or day
4 until the third day Iwall1ed across the cIere-
] ings withsthe men when we hunted for Father
| perhaps you will all have to sware to that
which. on easily can before God which is the
! Gods truth but Deare Mother hope that Dear
Father will soon return And get as all out Oh
trubel which will stop there, lying mouths /
! hope to God he will Dear Sisters write some
/ and come and sea me as soon as .poas6l Dear
| MptI haf Nv fNvIac al r,f h,
bali and chain it is killing me come all some
| forget me- not .. a.,r..f .,5s ~ .....-. L..
T Enet assessed .-- ~ Joseph Schpepf
|. Another letter was here produced,
which the witness identified as one given
him by the prisoner to be, mailed but
which he, sent to Giles (the sheriff., OF
which the following is a ecDpy.., 1t was
read In evidence: is aisz al 80 81.
| 8" e"1yaa @rf"s Jefferson ,the-lst 67.
! "Dear Johny Noon b. ad y a~a = -,..-.
| 81 ana well And | hope you are all so and
my folks to, my sleter WAC here to see me last
saturday and some more of our neighbor
friends which l hope TO sea you all to if it is
! posaba for you to come Dear Friends are
! here well taken care of good fode and clean
bedsfto Is on ald usedwell by every body here
/ hut still Dere Friends its hard to be i con-
/ finment but God knows that | am here inisent
and the people knowes it to and there con-
| sciens will make them own it yet hope Dear
Friends that my Deare Father will soon return
which will satisfy rs all And leave takers no
whers hope that my Dear. Father s all rite
anu come back all safe and then we will make
them hunt their hole. God wilt punish them
if we cant. Deare JOHNNY and Mn Martin
Noon Inow ask the truth from You if YOU
wasant1drawi sone things from Titles place
that same day that my Father went away John
was driveing the team he went up and down
the Ian that same day that my Father went
away about every half hour or so and he spoke
serve times to me good morning TO- and hello
10 how COWS it said bully, he said bad roads
&c now deare johnny | ask the truth from you
and your Father study it over and tell the
truth Which you always did tell and / kno
| you will this time and rember it till Septem-
Der next. And would like to have your father
here September next to tell what he thought of
me But hope that my Deare Father viii
come back before that time and get us poor
creatures out of trubDle my hart is frea and
| lite becau: e god knows that I am nisent and
cleare and that keeps c1lrrage up every. time
Deare Friend last Sunday sent to the prest
here in Jefferson he said that he only comes in
sickness Affairs please tell. my mother that she
shall come and sea me as soon rs p0slable and
sea the preast for me in Jefferson to have him
come to me-. My love to you all and your
uncles folks excus poor riting J.Joseph Schnepf
address to ID h Zimmerman please rite
some j
"Please sea my Mother some Ny extrY love
and compliment to Sarah and Elem. Fore Oct
me not Deare Friends Make Some arrangement
young folks and sea me all forget 10 not +
Il 4 z..t-..'. :: "a s....l., 81. ~ Schnepf'
I. Joseph Fuller, 7seco,rn, for the state-I
knew Charles schnepf. 10 years was
there April 1l;aI had conversation
with Joe that day at the house, before we
found the bones; he had been talking
with Germans, and hesaid to me-. "They
all talk pretty damned hard about me
they accuse me of killing my father - he