Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-19
A MURDERERS CONFESSION.
Statement of Hutchings, who Strangled
Nettie Sims.
Isan Francisco Bulletin, July lsth.l

Statement of Hutchings, who Strangled
Nettie Sims.
[San Francisco Bulletin. July Isth.I
Detective Robert Hogan, who has been
detailed, more from matter of form than
necessity, to arrange evidence against Frank
f. Hutchings, the brute who strangled Mrs.
Nettie Sims on Wednesday evening, vester-
day afternoon visited the stranger in the
city prison. and obtained from him the fol-
lowing statement of the circumstances of
his life and the details of the crime:
THE CONFESSION.
NY name is Frank E. Hutchings. l wa.
born in Portsmouth N H., on the Sd OF
April, 1855. When but 9 months old my
parents died and was left an orphan, and
at this time | have not a relative in the
world l resided in Washington. D. c..
where | was employed as barkeeper in a
saloon, and while in that business, through
one of the customers at the bar | formed
the acquaintance of Mrs Peck and her
daughter, Phoebe Jeanette Peck. | kept
company with her for five months. but as
was of wild disposition and not agreea-
bic TO Miss Peck, we parted | then went
to sea, going on board of a merchantmen,
and subsequently joined the United States
navy. While in the port of Panama | met
gentleman who was acquainted with the
Peck family, and knew that | had been
keeping company with Nettie. He was on
his way TO Washington, and he agreed to
tell the Peck family when and where he
had seen me. When the vessel was on
reached Mare Island found letter there
for me. 1t was from Mrs. Sims, formerly
Miss Peck, and in this she told me that she
had married man named Sims; that she
was the mother Of two children. boy and
a girl, but that for three years she had been
living apart from Sims. We kept up the
correspondence and in one Of her letters
she suggested coming to me with one OF
the children, leaving the othere with Mrs.
Peck, who was the owner of the house she
lived in in Washington This was agreea-
bic to me, and | wrote on that she might
come.
APPEARANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
When my term of enlistment expired [
left the navy and came 10 this city and got
position as porter in the Central Pacific
Hotel on Fourth street and while | was
there, to my great surprise, | saw Nettie
with her two children and hermother walk
into the hotel An explanation at once
took place, | stating that with my limited
salary could not support the whole family.
Mrs. Peck, who had sold out her house in
Washington, rented rooms on Minna
street, near Third, just in the rear OF the
Morgue, and furnished them There we
all lived together and got along very well
We then moved around on to Third street.
near Howard. During the Conclave week
last year Mrs. Peck married man named
Montague and Nettie ard | kept house by
ourselves, and it was then that trouble com
menced. | soon found out that she was
not the economical housekeeper her mother
., IL =
gave her out OF my wages, SIS 80 a week |
that she not only could not keep house |
but that she was continually running in |
debt, and she refused to give me any &C
count of the debts she contracted This |
went on for a time, and ] determined to |
keep all the money and pay bills as they |
became due but that did not suit her and |
three weeks ago we separated, as | could |
no longer stand her growing and abuse, |
and had told her that | was tired of hav- |
ing her follow me to my employers place |
to ask for money and to otherwise annoy !
me
THE COUPLE SEPARATE.
told her that it had better end. and that |
| should go my way and she hers. She |
SAID " You may 90 your way, but you'll |
have to support the youngest child, the |
baby | then left the hotel and went to |
where L renamed until the 9TH |
instant, when | came down here and took |
a room in the Central Pacific Yesterday |
afternoon, while passing one of the corners |
of Folsom and Third streets, / saw Nettie !
in conversation with fellow who looked |
like hoodlum. She appeared to be cry |
ing. For she was Wiping her eyes with |
her handkerchief. / think she saw me,
but did not recognize me- I walked around |
the block, and when | returned she was
still talking to this fellow. so | walked |
around the block again and when | got to
the starting point again she had disap-
peared. | then called on Montague, her
and asked him if he could tell |
me where Nettie lived. There had been a
;oldness between him and me, and his only
,eply to my question was, Somewhere on
Howard street" | then went to the Brown
House and asked if Mrs Hutchings lived
here. l was directed to room %, and
but did not obtain a reply, so |
got stepadder and looked through the
ransom over the door to satisfy myself
hat Nettie was not there
THE FINAL VISIT.
AT 6:15 | retired to the house and inst
Is got to it saw her and two of the chill
lren on the sidewalk, going toward Fourth