The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-05-27
HAMILTON'S HOWL.
Billy Who is Sentenced to
Hang, Writes an Implor-
ing Letter to the
Governor.
He Tells His Sister that He is In.
nocent and asks for Money
to Assist Him.

The following letter has been sent to
Governor Criitenden by Billie Hamilton,
under sentence of death for the Wsrrens-
burg murder.
JAIL, SEDALIA, Mo-, MAY 2sTH, 1884.
ernor Of Missouri.
HONORABLE SIR Although sentenced
since the 10th Of May, 1884, 10 meet death
on the 1lth of July, 'S4, for the murder of
one G. Steidle, by the court at Warrens-
burg, Mo-, Johnson county, was as yet,
unable to write because the unexpected
and undeser7ed verdict of guilty, threw me
in an ill state of mind and health. / am
innocent of the crime. have not commit
ted murder, and as / owe to myself and
my folks, to make further efforts to prove
myself innocent, am compelled to appeal
to you for mercy, and TO ask you to give
me q chance and time to do SO.
/ would like to take an appeal to the
supreme court or ask for second trial, &C
cordiDg to my lawyers advice, but to pro-
coed it takes money. and as my folks don't
live in the United States (being a Bar
orisn) can not get answers and pecuniary
help from them back, before the execution
will take place.
Your honor, is he, and the only one who
can and may do something for q young
man. who knows, himself innocent of the
crime and to whose whole future and life
you are holding in your hands. i fully
realize the highness of your office Don't,
please. don't let me appeal for mercy to
you in vain!
1 now take the liberty OF stating my
case in brief:
"On the night of March 3Oih, one Carl
Stiedle, was found dead and murdered in
the railroad cut, near Warrensburg, Mo.
Charles Hamilton and were supposed
to be the murderers and were arrested. Be
| fore the coroner's inquest / made a state
ment and q clear breast of all / knew. l
stated that was a witness when Charles
Hamilton foully murdered and robbed the
man Carl Stiedle, and that i was afterwards
forced to keep silent about it by the muir
derer.
by making this statement according to
truth and right / aroused the revenge of
| the guilty man, Chasles Hamilton. So he
made sort of confession, stating:
al murdered Carl Stiedle by way of
choking and placing him on the railroad
track for the train to run over. Charles
Hamilton admits to having struck
blow with an iron railroad wrench, IAN
instrument two or three feet in length, and
fifteen pounds in weight, according to evil
dence) at the now dead man, Carl Stiedle,
and to have robbed him, Chsrles having
made this false confession to save his life
and TO take revenge on me for having told
on him.
"Messrs. S. NJ. Stephens and Col. A. w.
Rogers, lawyers, at Warrensburg, Mo-, de.
Tended me and will surely be so kind as to
give you all the information in regard to
evidence, ETC., you may desire. My name
il Billie Hamilton, alias Ed. Aultmsn,
% wears of age, Bovarian by nativity, sign
and coach painter by trade, weigh lis
pounds, employed by the K. & T. Railroad
company a. coach painter up to the 9th
of March, 1884.
j am Your Excellency's obedient,
w. III. HAMILTON"
The Hsmiltons, recently con victed of
murder and sentenced to be hung July ii,
and now confined in the county Jail, seem
to be taking matters quite coolly under the
circumstances. Charlie especially so.
Billie is somewhat restless. The latter re-
Gently wrote letter to his sister In Ger
many, asking her to send him 500 marks
(S125) to assist him in procuring a new
trial. He represented that his victim was
killed by the engineer of the train that ran
over him, and that he was entirely inno-
cent of the crime. He is quite an intelli.
gent mans well posted on the leading
topics of the day, writes beautiful hand
both In German and English.