The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-11-03
A CURIOUS CRIME.
A Real Yankee Notion.
How Fond Brother Got Rid Of His Sis
ter-in-IaW.

SAN FRACIsCo, October 22-Geo. Wheel
er, aged about thirty-four, gave himself int
custody on Wednesday night on charge OF
murder and proceeded to narrate the shock
ing story with unparalleled GOODNESS. Wheel
ers wife is a year older than himself, and
they were married in Boston eleven year:
ago. His father is a Second Advent minis
ter in Gorham, Maine.
| His wife's sister, Della Wilson, twenty
one years old, went with Wheeler and his
| wife from Boston to New York three year:
ago, and lived in the same room with them,
| though Mrs. Wheeler discovered illicit re-
lations between Wheeler and Della, who haC
| then become a mother. Since that time an
other child was the fruit of the guilty rela.
tionship, though the children died or were
killed by Wheeler.
All continued to live together and came
to San Francisco six months ago, but Wheel
| er did not procure remunerative employ
ment, and went to San Francisco to run an
engine. While there, Della received atten-
| tions from Geo. Hickman.
| This aroused the jealousy of Wheeler, who
| arranged that Della should accompany him
| to San Francisco, where Mrs. Wheeler joined
| them after receiving a remittance. Hick-
| man visited Della in San Francisco and
| paid her attentions, taking her to ride and
| to places of amusement, staying out pretty
late and according to Wheeler's statemen
succeeded in establishing improper relation s
with her and she agreed to go away with him.
Incensed by jealousy, Wheeler formed the
| desperate resolve to take her life rather than
| have her live with the man he called a gam
| bier and blackleg.
In his own words, "She seemed to feel her
disgrace very keenly, and begged me to cut
| her throat. She did not want to go with
| Hickman, but such was his influence over
her that she must go with him, and she said
she would rather die than do it.
''Then she again asked me to cut her
throat. l told her that l could not do that
as l could not bear to see her blood, but /
| told her that could choke her. She said
very well and sat in my lap.
81 placed one hand on her mouth and with
| the other grasped her throat, and she, throw
| ing her head back on my shoulder, died like
child. She struggled but little at first.
| She looked into my eyes and l kissing them,
| told her to close them, which she did, and
| thus she passed away.
"When found that she was dead / opened
her trunk, and taking cut her clothes, placed
her in 1t. She was a slight, delicate little
girl and 1 doubled up her legs and got her
in without any trouble"
"Why did you place her in the trunk
Did you intend escaping"
ooh, no, never desired to escape. put
her into the trunk so that she would be out
of the way If Hickman came into the room.
/ did not want that man to see her. then
in the evening gathered up my papers and a
little sack of hers, and came to the city pris-
on"
"Do you not feel any remorse?'
Eyes, 1 do. l am sorry now that did it,
but could not have her go with that man. /
loved her better than my life. She was al
ways true to me while my wife was not"
"Why did you not take your sister and
leave the cityT'
tShe did not want to do that; she said
that we had not money enough she said she
preferred to die; she had repeatedly asked
me to kill her within the last three weeks;
| knew that it would cost me my life to kill
Della, but had rather kill her than to see
her with that man."
81 was willing to die for it. 1t is hard
thing for man as young and as healthy as
| am to throw his life away. It is terrible,
but could not see my sister ruined, and
willingly lay down my life for her. / want
to be hanged as quickly as possible.
IF | had known as much about poisons as /
do now would have taken my own life my
self besides my darling's yesterday, but that
man is to blame for It all. l had to do it
and / am willing to suffer for il"