Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-02
HOEDEL'S TRIAL.
The Assassin Convicted Of the Attack
on the kmperCr William.
isrlin Cor. Of the london Telegraph. !

sell is not a large one for a court
perhaps not more than eighty feet
square, TheI principal object is q
pale, thin, long-haired young man,
badly dressed, and evidently not
over well fed. AS you look at him
you notice that he is laughing with
ghastly grin, as though making a
joke at what is being done by the
rest of the group to which he be-
longs. One policeman is pressing
as hard as he may the elbows of the
grinning wretch, while another
holds his wrists, and a third en-
deavors to tie his hands tight to-
gether with a long, thin piece of
chain. The youth who is being
pinioned is none other than Hoedel,
would-be assassin of Kaiser Will
liam. 1t is almost impossible to
convey an impression of the extreme
simplicity Of the whole scene, UNI
less the idea Of an ordinary court of
justice is given up for that Of a
court-martial. On the raised dias
and round the edge of a semi-circu-
lar green table, in high, straight
backed chairs, and with huge ink
pots before them, sat, attired in
plain evening dress, wearing, how
ever, small black neck-ties, twelve
middle-aged gentlemen, OF whom
those at either end were respective
ly the public prosecutor and the
registrar Of the court, while he who
sat near the middle Of the table was
the president and Judge, Herr Won
Muller. Below the dias IN the CEN
ter Of the room, at a little table
covered with papers, sat the advo.
cate of the prisoner, a nervous
| 6dgetty, anxious man, who evel
and anon jumped up and stepped
to his client, whispered earnestly
for a few moments and then re,
turned. Very much more con.
cerned was he, to all appearances
than the individual in whose Interest
he was acting. Seated on a form, in
front Of which was q small wooden
bannister, unfettered, free to rise
and lean against the barrier, or to
repose on the seat as he pleased
tgenerally, it may be remarked, to
lounge in such a way as to indicate
the supr0mest contempt for all thai
was passing around him, was Hoe.
del, the prisoner. AS my eye fell
on him, and then upon the three OF
four sturdy policemen who sat neal
him, could but note how fragile
a waif of misery this would-bs-as.
Sassin was. LIDO not know whether
he had a more stalwsrt look the
day he was creeping along the Lin.
den, revolver in hand, thinking to
shoot the Emperor. Hard living
and two months residence in
Prussian jail may have had some
thing to do with reducing his flesh
Perhaps, too, had his unbuttoneC
crumpled shirt been clean; his har
which he now and again put OF
while witnesses to his identity wert
being examined-a little less bat
tered; his coat and pantalooni
} mended and brushed; his long
: yellow hair cut and combed, anC
his excessively dirty hands and face
washed, he might have presented 1
more satisfactory appearance. But
as he stood or sat, now rubbing the
end of his nose with the palm o
his hand, now scratching his heaC
and now grinning, there was no
thing very formidable or notable
about him. My first thought was
that the treadmill and sounC
birching would have been the mos
suitable punishment for so forlorI
a wretch as he, Yet he was no
| only intelligent, but almost clever
The work of justice went OF
apaoe. Not q moment was lost
: not an unnecessary question wa
r asked. "Call Herr, master ba
! ker." In stepped the needed per
son and marched to tho foot Of th,
dRis. "Haye you sworn to deposi
S tions before the public prosecutor
\ "a have" "Did you tell the trutl
G without being asked to say a wore
l for one side or the other?" 81 did
r "Then inform us as briefly as pos
0 sible what you know of the case.
D Witness forthwith proceeded Il
e state what he knew, which he usu
ally oOntrived to do in less than fiv
t minutes. He seldom digressod; hi
4 statement was, as q rule, concise
S clear and brief. Now and again
= witness would, struck with apparen
G horror at Hoedeps acts or Hoedel'
Q words, grow eloquent for o mo
# ment; but such a disposition to as
! foo much was always met by
is frown from the president, and W
n soon heard an end of the story
" "Qo you want to ask him any
# thingP" was the question inyariabl
n put by Von Muller TO the advocat
k Tor the crown and to him for tn
Ie prisoner, when the witness had lir
'e ished, and rNo" was almost the il
It variable answer, Nearly forty pc
s sons gave evidence in less tina