The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-04-02
A HUMAN FIEND.

How Ortwein Destroyed Whole Family
One of the Most MOnstrous and Horrible
Crimes Heard of.
Ernest rtwein, who was hung at
Pittsburgh, last week, for the murder of
the Hamnett family in April last, made
a full confession of his crime and ac-
knowledeed the Justice of his sentence.
The story of the murder, which was
made in German, of which the following
is q translation, is almost too horrible for
belief
I left Hamnett's house Just after sup
per on the evening of the murder, and
went directly to Homestead; called at
O saloon and drank two glasses of beer;
that was all had that night; after 1eav-
ing the saloon / went to a grocery-store
kept by German and purchased some
cigars and five cents worth of candy for
the children; I don't know the name of
the storekeeper, but had been there
several times; think [ was in the store
about 9 o'clock In the evening; just as I
was about leaving, it came into my head
that I must have Hamnett's money; /
thought he had great deal of it in the
house, and, as I felt queer all at once in
my head, / thought must get it; went
directly to the house, but don't know
how I got there; / suppose L must have
been out of my mind; after getting into
the house I found that Mr.. and Mrs
Hamnett had not come home. 1toccUrred
to me that, to get the money, [ must kill
the children; found the ak in the kitch-
en-, and, taking that with me, I went up
into the room above the kitchen, where
Robert Smith and myself slept; the bed
was in the corner of the room, and l
saw that Robert was sleeping soundly,
with his face to me; took a position at
the front of the bed, and with one blow
killed the boy; he never moved; can
say how it was that the boys throat was
cut; I may have struck him twice, buthe
never groaned; after the boy was dead,
I went into an adjoining room, where
Ida and little Emma were sleeping-one
in the corner and the other in the bed
occupied by the children, near the CEN
ter; both of the little girls were sleeping;
I struck Ida first, and she never moved;
I then raised the ak and struck at
Emma; she uttered cry, and I hit her
second time. She did not groan again.
After this went down stairs, and took a
position Just inside of the door of the
room adjoining the kitchen, and waited
for Mr.. and Mrs. Hamnett to come
home. They came between 10 and IL
o'clock. Mr.. Hamnett came into the
room first 1 was standing so that he
could not see me, and I struck him from
behind, using the same ak he fell to
the floor. Mrs. Hamnett came rushing
into the room, and, as she passed me, I
struck her, but did not kill. She
shrieked once or twice, ss o God, John ~
and then struck her second blow,
which killed her instantly. Mrs. Ham
nett and the baby were the only ones I
hit twice the others were killed with
one blow. / used the ak all the time. 1
committed the deed to get Mr.. Ham
nett's money. I searched Mr.. Ham
nett's pockets and obtained his pocket
book. It contained only $15 in paper
money. found Mrs. Hamnett's pock-
et-book ON the sewing machine there
was only SO cents in it. I looked over
the house, but all the money [ got was
$15. The silver money 1 spent yes
terday 1 brought with me from Ger
many. I did not get it from the house.
Ny only motive for doing this deed
was to get the MY. I never had any
ll-feeling toward any of the Hamnetts !;
I always liked the little children, and al
ways bought them candy when I went to
Homestead. The boy Smith and I We're
good friends, and 1 always liked Mr..
and Mrs. Hamnett. I did not fire the
house, and it was not a part of the plan
to cover up the murder. When search
ing the house I put an oil-lamp in the
sitting groom, and, when rushing away
from the builning, it was overturned. l
thought it would go out !; I did not think
the house would burn. As soon as left
the building proceeded at once to the
railroad, aed walked direct to Pitts
burgh stopped at several places, but
don't know the names came over to
Pittsburgh, and went to see my friend
Baier, on Penn avenue. After leaving
Baier's, I crossed over the river to Allie
gheny, and went to several breweries to
get work purchased new suit of
clothes.