The New York herald., 1877-02-18
AFTER THE TRAGEDY.
New Developments in the Ryan.
Oschwald Case.
SUICIDE. BUT NOT MURDER.
Both Men Reiterate Their Claims
OF Innocence.
THE FUNERALS AND INQUEST

Prior TO the terrible attending the suicide OF
| Ryan and the execution OF Oschwald In the Newark
Jail on Thursday, during tho time the wretched pair
were undergoing trial and awaiting the eliminating
act under The Jail gbDet their case was especially
noticeable for It's frequent surprises II is the same
| subsequent to their death.
! Now, when poison and the hangman's moose have
done their work efectually, and when the grave has
closed both victims OF Jersey justice, the sus
prises about this altogethcr extraordinary affair
tinue Following quickly upon the mysterious anony
nous letter. published In fac-simile by the HERALD
Friday, comes still another Startling sensational
SURPRISE the discovery that there has been lying for
several days In the Ja warden's safe pair OF papers
penned by the unfortunate which impart fresh
interest to the postmortem part OF tho entire Ryan
and Oschwald story These papers are not as was at
first rumored confession Of the murder, but con-
fession OF, first,
4 DESPERATE xrFoRr TO ESCAPE ALIVE,
and falling that, deliberate intent to deprive tho
gaows OF its work, On Wednesday afternoon, when
Deputy Warden George Johnson, son OF the Warden,
removed Oscnwald and Ryan from the upper to the
floor cells he discovered Oschwald he AYERS trying
TO grab papers in the He made him
drop them. After the removal he dis
covered the papers and other things
and supposlng the papers were confessions,
placed them in the safe, not thnSing II proper TO
examine them until alter the execution. One rs let
ter addressed the Warden by both Ryan and Osch-
wad, aud the other TO his parents by Ryan. Both
in tho handwriting OF Ryan, aud run as iollows-
THE LETTERS
Colonel A. j. Johnson Dear and Respected Sir We leave
you these few lines asking to pardon tor what
have done in this cell rysd to get through the wall and
without doing body injury but
remedy aestroy longs
lives viii not hsys the satisfaction Of creating sensa
innocent Of the crime Of which we ars doomed to die All
to ssDf r. THAI We the .F % You Us may be ss
done @ ss and
warden ever siuce we have been under yonr
public die lived innocent young Of The
TO s D e Mr. an
harvey and all inquring friends we die trusting in the
Sind Col. do any one for doing.
minds made up that the worst came they would never
ss @ @ Ike it 70
oss h. ana Sld y Soc hs n PSsHs' % die be-
Bwe beg Of you to forgive US ana also ask our kind
Ny Dear father mo.her please forgive for the
as
w nt s % s soul s "w a r ds ear an mn ssss
%s Wiz M sum- NH
wicked world tell my brother, 70 beware OF s"d company
End. / die innocent young man Mamma remember
Josie saa ad s ,s 70 ssr 5 Ss4 IA ss st @ s il my
my parting regards to my sisters Brothers ana Katie
nsl fiss dc III w
my 's'Srs
the little gir Ms. '.so Sssep' Ny k,nd and
forgetting my lady friends Mrs Ross Mr;
We s %oaa % ps %
Jesus christ good night and may God bless you all that is
B seii my brothers for God Sake and for sake
walking bad that the wish of their dying
~ Good niaht forever
| in this world Of Sorrow
God bes, and protect
| Mamma die an innocent although die by my
hand God forgive me for the rash act
| wHITE POWDER FOUND
Besides the letters there found under the spit
| toon bit of newspaper in which was rolled up q
white POWDER supposed to be arsenic The Jail author
tiles give 1t as their belief that both men agreed to
take poison and cheat the gaows, but that Oschwad
"weakened" and left Ryan alone to die by poison It
is also thought by The people that Oschwaid
AFRAID that Tommy would "peach''-presumng that
he really had any hing to dscloseand was glad when
| he heard Of his companon's death Yesterday took
| place
The not buried together, nor were the
funerals ut ali aike That OF Oschwald, which took
place from the comfortable, well appointed residence
| OF the Oschwalds. much more imposing than
| Ryan,s The body OF the iormer neatly dressed In
black. was sed in a splendid rosewood casxet,
| richly mounted with heavy silver handles, &c. On
tho lid wss plate inscribed as iollows:--
| CHARLES OsCHWALD,
Aged u years and months !
Died February 10, 1877. :
THE coiln was almost hid with rare ana costly
flowers in wreaths bouquets banks broken pillars and
the Ike over sixty carriages followed the hearsc &c
Woodlawn Cemetery, where the intcrment TOOK place.
Among those in attendance were many well known
Newark people, who have great respect for the iahcr
of Oschwald Ryans funeral was largely attended also.
Flowers were contributed by Mrs. Oschwald. The
Ryans are poor people. Ryan inferred Fairmouni
cemetery. Rev. A. Kent oiiciated at Oschwald's and
passed III and viewed Oschwad's corpse was young
woman named Minnie Ryan, no relation OF 'Tommy's,' y
mourning yesterday. Great crowds watched the fu-
ncras they moved TO the respective places OF inter
ncnL
At four O'Clock the inquest on tho body OF Ryan was
begun n the Grand Jury rsom OF the Court House by
Coroner Osborne. The following compose the jury
William Robotham, NJ. 7. Dwyer. W. II. Sturges W.
H. Knauss H. NJ. Burnett Paul Bucbanah, D.
O'Connor, Richard Harris, $ NJ. Mofet, Josiah John.
son, Henry Ferris J. Mason.
Colonel g. N. Abeel, Prosecutor Of the Pleas, was
present. aiding the Coroner in cross-qucsIoning wit
nesscs. County Physician Ward AMI other officials
The nrst witness called was Colonel a. J. Johnson,
warden OF the Essex County Jail He testified that he
had been warden of the jail for ten years past and
had had charge Of o.a Thomas Ryan for the The
O'Clock the morning OF Wednesday,
the day preceding the execution Of oschwald he was
informed that Ryan was ILL., and upon going TO his cell
found him lying on his back on tho floor with his ice,
toward the door; oschwald was With hun: Ryan
attacks before Oschwald said Ryan was
taken III about TOUR A. N. and vomted
onsderably; supposing tho latter the result 0
bilious attack witness gave orders TO have Ryan wei
cared Tor; The prisoner grew worse and al twelve
O'Clock Dr. Kornemann. the Jail physician, was sent
for witness said that tLcn he conceived a slight
picon that Ryans illness might be the re-
suit OF poison; this suspicion he communicated ,e
the Doctor but the latter promptly expressed the be
ei that the prisoner had not taken poison. but that
his illness was The resu. Of physical pros.ra.on aud
, fright The Doctor remained during Wednesday even
ing and made repeated Tests to hnd poison had been
taken by Ryan. The result was opinion from DR..
kornemann. similar to that already gwen, tina,
there was no poison in the mans stomach Al the
time OF Ryan's death the Doctor not present
Colonel johnson proceeded 70 state that the sheriff
took charge OF the prisoners at five o'clock VI. on
Wednesday, and had charge OF them when Ryan died
at three min utes past eight A. n. on Thursday
morning The Colonel sald further that Oh Tues