The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1869-12-09
The stinnscks Murder Case.

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teuce Of death at Carlisle, Pa, for the
murder Of Miss S,inueeke. Of Baltimore,
has addressed the following appeal to
Gov. Gssry, and also sent il for publ.
cation to the editor Of the Philadelphia
Day:
CAaLisIs, November %, 1869.
70 He B1esiisAsy, Major Gsasral jobs W..
0sary. Governor 81 FsHasy'vania, Harris-
Sr-Your exceilency viii kindly excuse me
II i dare to address you, am man at the
brink Of the grave aud my soul shall soon meet
with It's Maker. Ii matters, therefore, but lit
lie 20 me what people may think. speak the
truth, the fall truth, when say sm an limo.
cent man. did not kill that woman. But
before leave this world ] feel II my duty to
make some statements yet to your Elcellency.
Mrs. Parker has sworn ssthat Miss Stinnecke
had told her that The Doctor had given her
something 70 make her Sleep" aud that
shook my hands and said, al didn't give her
anything Ia make her slsep."
her Miss Stinneeke had asked me for something
20 put her to sleep, but that refused to give
II to her, saying she was too weak"
Permit me some words in regard to both
statements. here repeat ] did not give Miss
Stinnecke q particular medicine 10 make her
sleep. All she got from me was two grains Of
tartar-emetic and ten. grains Of puivis ipecaeu-
anha- But u 70 a well known fact, not only to
physicians, but also to almost every person
who ever took an emetic, that such combina-
ton Of tartar-emetie with ipeeacuanha has the
efect--after the vomiting 10 over--to make q
person sleep, the ipecacuanha then operating
as an aais.pastieum. When Miss Stinnecke,
therefore, alter she had vomitsd, asked me to
give her something TO make her sleep, may
have said-only In order 10 stop her asking
''the medicine which | have given you will
make you Sleep knowing myself, very well,
that IL 10 the usual consequence Of an emetic
compounded OF tariar. emetio and ipecacuauha
to cause sleep. And Miss Stinnecke, taking
my words just Is they were spoken, and with
out knowing the connection of my thoughts
could then have told Mrs. Parker chat the
Doctor had given her something to make her
Sleep" Your Excellency will know very we'll
that 1t Is sometimes the sad duty of a hysician
not to tell his patients, especially his lady pa
tients, the full truth, in order 10 appease and
calm their imprudent asking and troubling.
distinctly recolleet that when Miss Stinneckc,
IN the evening, asked Inc for something to put
her to sleep, refused TO give 1t to her, as Mrs
Shindel has testified.
In regard 10 the charge made against me
that bad poisoned Miss Stinnecke with prus-
sic acid, here swear before God that Miss
Slinnecke nsrer got one drop Of prussie acid
from me. never bought prussic acid in Har-
risburg. | am q man possessed Of so marked
face-besides this wearing gold spcctactes OF
form not commonly worn here in America
that every person who ever saw me once will
recognize me at once. And In addition TO this
assure your Excellency that It'll to the fa-
neral Of Miss Stinnecke, in Baltimore-not only
never wore hard siik hat, but also had not
even, till 70 that time, In nay possessioH such q
hat. Mr.. Heron, of Harrisburg, therefore, Is
mistaken ifhe thinks that bought prussic acid
from him.
Your Exeelleney will kindly ALLOW me here
to tell how this whole case was brought up
against me. As soon as Il turned out that Miss
Stinneeke had left will making me her sole
heir, people began to talk had poisoned
Miss Stinnecke In order to get her money
Many, very many, persons grudged me this
fortune. Your Excellency can be assured, lad
Il not been for The money I could never haze been
indicted. Already, long before the trial, and
long before there existed an alleged corpus de-
i.ei', 1t was perfectly certain to the mind of
the people here that bad committed muir
der. All the witnesses Of the Commonwealth
who swore against me went upon the Witness
staad with the certain opinion In their mind
that was murderer, and had poisoned this
woman. They did not ask, in the frat place,
Ibid this woman die BY poison 2" They said
so-"Dr. Scheppe has poisoned this woman !;
how can we new 6x this casef"
| was poor foreigner, without influential
friends and powerful connections, whereas the
word Of my public prosecutor was Of great in
Hence with the public opinion. An Immense
prejudice was raised against me. Even intel.
iigent men were not free Of this. So, for in
stance, remarked ex-Judge Watts, long before
the trial, "They should not try DIR. Seheppe
Al All |. h. saxht AL a Il. II n
am convinced your Excellency viii NOT term
such words Justice" for the law says "crime
shall never be presumed"
When the trial came on my prosecutors mn
derstood most skillfully how to operate with
the public opinion. People were stirred up in
order to press the public opinion upon the
jury In 80 doing my prosecutors most per-
fectly succeeded, for the jury, during my trial,
was in continued illegal Communication with
the people, % the statement Of the constable
who attended the Jury on my trial has shown.
A mob was hired and placed under the window
OF the room where the jury had retired to make
up verdict, who yelled up, 'tIiang that did
Dutchman r. $50
Knowing that / was innocent, / was quiet
and calm during the trial, for trusted the law
would protect me. i measured the circum-
stances and natter here with the same measure
was used to apply TO things ia Europe. But
! have been most drcadfuliy disappointed, and
shall now pay with my life for q crime which
has never been committed at all. II was said
jury, ado you think that tina, fellow mel
would have married thatiady r. But this was
this lady die BY poison 70 No man possessed
Of fair and uDprejndiced mind will say that
1t has been proven that Miss Stinnecke died by
poison. The law requires this proof before Il
Is allowed TO take my life.
know, your Exceliency, you are gentle.
man Of an honest character and Of fair and
Jrs, mind, and ! am convinced your Excellency
would never allow that innocent blood be shed.
rspose the highest confidence in you. Yon
are for the present time the father and protecl
tor Of Ill The distressed and oppreased OF this
state, and In sach character | dare TO pray
your EEcellcncy to do me the favor TO al least
examine ny ease, and all the papers respect
fully submitted 10 you, 10 convince yourself
whether ! am q murderer or not.
With great respect,
Your most obedient servant.
r. ScHoEpsE, NJ. ID.
DR.. Z. N. Horsford, formerly Of Har.
ward University, and DR.. R. Ogden
Doremus, Professor Of Chemistry at
Bellevue Hospital Medical College in
New York, have addressed joint let
ter 70 Governor Geary, Of Pennsylva.
MIA, in relation to this case. Alter re-
viewing the medical testimony in the
case, they say:
In the interest Of scientific truth and In the
interest o. q wise administration Of justice, we
have thought II our duty, though personally
unacquaintsd with Dr.. Schoeppe, to express
70 you this our opinion, that The evidence Of
the presence OF prnssie acid, as such, in the
stomach, upon which he was adjadged guilty,
Ia insufficient TO sustain his conviction.
TORPEDO VEssELs.--The successful
use Of a torpedo boat in Washington
carries us back to the experiments Of
Robert Fulton. acting under the French
Directory, in the harbor u Brest, and
before WiIlism PIT, in WuIn,er Roads.