The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-27
THE TROUBLE In CATSKILL.
THE PEOPLE AGIIN GETTING A DE-
CISION FROM 1LBANT.
shall n Murdercr's Corpse be Buried In Cone
sccrntcd Grcundr Was the Monster Walz
Maniac s-Tbc Appeal 90 the Bishop.

shall n Murdercr'- Corpse be Buried In Cone
accrntcd Grcundy Was the Monster WnIz
n Maniac The Appeal TO the Bishop.
Joseph walz Of Caislsill was hanged on
the LIST II MAY. ls7i. for the murder Of Hermann
lIoicher In Alb NY scissor, grinder. Tue pi,
oncrs violent demel ,st fore the hanging
SO cl sciy resembling insanity that expert alien
Is coull not decide Tia Il Ii was fsignrl. culmi.
mating In the murder Of Charles Ernst, Lis
keeper, so aroused the inhabitants Of Cltsknl
| that they could hardly be restrained from lynch
ing him. They waited. however, nut followed
the corpse with such marks Of detcstltion that
the father, accepting tho advice Of friends,
buried Jo.eph's body on his own farm. Anscn
Walz, the father, IS thereafter pointed ut as a
diseraced man, and. unable longer to dure his
neghbors' scorn. he determined recently to sell
his farm and join another son who Is living Ia
| Tennessee. Daring the extremity Of his son
| Joseph, Anselm Wax was seemingly an unfeel-
| ing parent. Neither sympathy nor sorrow was
| seen on his rugged stolid couutenance. If he
spoke Of his sous doom at all, It was only to re-
eret that he was about to lose the services Of an
efficient labrrer Indeed, he was accused OF
having sold his sons body for the disseciine
! knife. The last calumny Ia answered, and the
unfvortble iniercnces drawn from his de
| netnur are n'w expl ined ty request that WIS
| last week "a nreNraud among the Catholic resi-.
chaser Of hi4 farm might desecrate his sons
grave, h is asked 10 be allowed to reint the re-
| mans IN thee tholic cemetery In jefferson, two
| miles from Chtshin
Father O'Driscoll. who was faithful attend
! ant IN the doomed Inns cell. and who led the
process ion TO the llows. l. the parish priest Of
/ Catskhl. lie WAS so thoroughly convinced ~
! the hanging judicial murder. THUS believing.
| he consented to ne I'M erment OF tue murder
ef's remains IN c0nserrlted ground. hut even
| tue influence of father confe-sor was not eq u
& q liefinr the ohjc tiOns of practitioners. They
could not bro X the thought OF Il wing ther nj
| lowed dead desecratcd ny the burial Of a muir
deier IN tue same cemetery In which they lay
lnE MURDER OF HoLCuER.
The story @ tue murder gles far toward ex.
! pdiuing this popular uctcsfatiOn OF even the
! memory Of the murderer. Hcrrm. N Ho cher.
| scissors grinder.started from Aluuuyin ApdliS3.
lur his senii annual tr de tip through the river
! counties. H. WAS usually gone a m nth. ana
| after he haa been away more than that time, his
family advertised Tor information Of him.
The rel five had Iitlc diffc lty until he arrived
IN ,'atskill There the trail was 81. H. was
last seen m the house o. Anssim Malz. which Is
| three miles from Catskil ON the Athens road.
llocher had stamped there occasion lly before,
ana walz, the father. said tn Il he ha accom-
mOdated the scissors grinder as usual with
! couch uu sofa bed In TIE best room. Anselm
| STA that his guest went away I'm the ni,,nt
and even forgot 10 pay for his entertain.
ment. The house was searched and sew
S %e1e 'nsEiSt!a' aeG Mere tound There here
which the scrub brush had failed to iterate,
aud there were blood stains al 80 on toe sofa bed
found par uf liochcis scissors cril der and
I bits OF hlood-m rked clothing. Anselm and
/ ! lSeph Nalz were arrested. A few DAYS az
t'rwari more pieces Of Ilochel's grinds;pne
! " re- found IN the rnrd toward COXsackie. and
near 10y I singular MINER was 'und iarkcd up
u ateiexfaph p"l". IL was a. letter puroorlng
10 he tie confession u tx men. sisning them
[ selves "piscticAl HIGHWAY robbers" that they
had r'h'ei aud murd red HOlcher. he writ
nsof this letter vas the clue Hilf u It was
I written IN fair running hand, and tine rest va.
/ uen ptiut d. In Joseph " AIS room simu.r
I writing was found, - well as the blank book %
alet 20 " hi tue tell-i.de leit"r had . ca writ
/ ten Joe Malz, ,tt,r the finding OF this new
J had con 'eaie1 che body.
he corpse was found AS Wall had Indicated
/ II HAD been wrapped IN a blanket and buried
/ h1nht foot deep ony 'ew rods from " .is's
| house. The skull had been crushed win nhaf, H.
! ct. WIZ suni lement TINS evidence Nith "A
written confe sion, into witch crept certain rel
efencr- 10 te.uDtatOn Uy evil spirits that nad
wa, N I after hi. f.tber and mothe, mi Inc
srIsscrs Grinder hnd retired 10 reir rooms. he
VIZ tuen VIA ped his victim IN "A blanket ana
concealed the body under stone wall. and ief.
IL ;here until the second nj ht, when he buried
1t a. 1t was aiterward found. lie nled Hol-
chtrs pockets Of $40 and some silver coin.
INsANrrY, rrIGNED on REAL.
,p1rul the week subsequent TO his arrest
ie.-tun. Inc school nuu es Of the neishhor-
hooi hld been reue !iedly robbed; ana WMz
fes'ed mother murder, nd promised to show
he authorities wDere ms victim y. ihc> tool,
! llaces thar he pointed out, but they found no
| human rem ms.
Walk counsel made the best use possible OF
them as only hungling simulatl1ns OF ms nifty,
and he WIS convicted AMI sentenced to death.
Executive Interference WIS earnestly invoked,
ana Gov. DIX did grant one delay Drs. GRAY
AN OrJrOnauX were commissioned TO examine
the prisoner nd the opinions OF other experts
10 insanity were sought. Pending these ihqui-
Iies ne demeanor u tue prisoner underwent
nufahle en- ince. When he WIS hfst imprisoned
he seemed a nild-mannt red youth who was Just
title sim, le. lie spent mot OF his lime In
SC ibolng rnymes about the inn ience OF spirits,
especially ~ the "Lunariln Queen TO whose
realm ma spirit would take tiisht soon az the
cord released 1t from his body But after the
adverse report OF the commission m his case he
croI ned ny the ho1r In corner II his cell,
ii ring hereby as he could at everything aud
nothing. lie had previously been very well be-
hayed under the ministratiuns OF Father D Dris.
GU, VINO waited on MIN WIN most self denying
became vet more violent. On their last visit the
physicians found HIM laxative at first, but In
nationally at nrst, but soon crouched down on
tho II ior and was stuboornly silent. Drs. Phil
was re ally insane. and they certified tn Gov.
DIX Several other physicilns, however celt-
He'd that he prisoner was not mad. conclu-
sion in which the villagers joined heartily.
KILLING MS KEEPER.
The last DIV previous to the hanging was
day Of excitement u Catskll little snort of
people awaited Gov. Dx's decision respecting
the rcprleve WAS terribly emphasized by tho
oner's lite, and Father O'Drsvoil stood almost
alone in his pity for tho prisoner. OF whose un-
soundness Of mind he had never entertained a
doubt. While they waited, WdlZ forever dis
PEELED any lin ering popular symp thy tn
mi.ht h ave existed by he ting out the brains OF
bis keepcr. Charles Ernst, with iron bar
which he had worked out Of his cell floor.
Ernest was as much liked In the viii ge his
murderer was hated, and the villagers with
PECULIAR mob logic. took his murder as a proof
incOntestbe OF WhiZ's sanity
Wars second murder smut on hia last hope
OF rerrieve. Wthin three aoufs OF its commits
sion the order for the hanging was transmitted
from Albany. Tho culprit kept up his ravings
about the Lunarnn Queen - the last. the well
meant efforts Of Father O'Drisco to arouse
him to sense Of the enOrmity ~ his crimes
were utterly unayaing. The parting interview
OF " alz with his father, mother, and sister
lhelka showed clearly that the prisoner was
either "A brute or m m &c. i've come to see
you for the last time" said the sorrowing
mo her. The prisoner sprlng toward her ana
spat in her lace. HIS sisters exhortatlons fell
unOn unheeding ears, and at length we ried
with the hopeless effort, she Uttered IN broken
voice: . IL Jou have anything to say To
me before | 60 and before you die,
say it to me now" He sprang toward
her with fierce Rrowl, and when re-
STR tined from nearer approach by inc keep
he hlssed Get out you -" His deme N
or under the gallows was marked by pas i've i'm