The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-12-24
THE MARTYR CRANKS.
Singular Doings of Lunatics In the
CIuycriu 81 Madison Murder Case.

CluCc Wv. LcC . icius"i w P"i"""
or commute the sentence of Murderer
Cluverius the number of cranks who
claim to have killed Fanny Lillian
Madison or to have found new evil
dcnce is increasing daily. A New York
crank started the bail rolling week
ago by writing TO Superintendent
Murray that he was the guilty man,
and cranks all over the country are
now making the Cluverius case a me-
dunn through which to vent their in
sane notions. Here is samp letter:
"Deccmber 8, 1SS6.-Superintendent
Murray Dear Sir: | am sorry that
the authorities Of Richmond are max
ing great mistake about the Culver
ius case. lie is the wrong man. Sorry
he could not prove an abb. had
hoped he could, and now there is moth
ing left for me but to surrender my
self as the murderer Of Lillian Madi-
son. will surrender on the morning
of Cluverius' execution at your head
quarters, 1t is unnecessary to give
you further particulars, as my case
viii snow Clearly about the murder at
my trial. ! cannot wait any longer of
confessing my crime, as my conscience
has troubled me enough. | will prove
all when | surrender, and there is
nothing left for me tut to surrender,
get trial and probably hang.
GILLIAN MADIsoN's MURDERER"
Last Wednesday a venerable old
man came to the office of the chief of
police and gravely announced that he
had strangled Lillian Madison and
thrown her into the reservoir. He
was calm and apparently sane, and de-
tailed minutcly all the circumstances
attending the crime. lie said he was
Miss Madison's uncle, and the Lord
revealed to him one night that the girl
was ruined and would lead a miser-
able life, terminating in a tragic death;
so he determined to spare her a long
period of suffering. He had not made
know II his guilt before, he said, be-
couse he wished the girls betrayer to
suffer the agonies of trial and con-
demnation. He could not allow Gu
veiius TO die on the scaffold, however
so he had come to give himself up aud
expiate the murder. The old fellow
even cried, when, after telling his
story, he dwclt on the beauty and win
ming qualit es OF his murdered niece.
The chief of police, although suspect
iny'fhe man was q crank, made an in
vestigation. lie found that the self
confessed murderer was bankrupt
grocer in Raleigh, n g.. and that the
man was not within 200 miles of Rich
mond at the time Of the murder.
Another crank turned up yesterday.
He was young man and bore every
evidence of insanity. He. declared
that he had murdered the .irl whom
Cluverius was convicted of killing,
and begged that he might be allowed
to suffer right away for the crime. lie
was detained. and before an hour had
passed the chief Of police received a
telegram from Stanton, Va, asEin
him to look out for an escaped lunatic.
From the description it was at once
concluded that The Young m&n who
was anxious to be hanged was the lu-
natic in question. The conclusion was
found to be correct, and the young
man was returned to the Siaunton
Asylum.
After two or three more adventures
of this kind, the chief of police refuses
TO see any more alleged murderers of
Miss Madison. Lie cannot escape the in
flictions through the mail, however.
Among the lett, RS received by him
during the past week arr the follow
ing:
WASHINGTON, Dec %. - To the
Chief of Police: ! am the murderer of
Fannie Lillian Madison, and Thos. j.
Cluverius shall not die for numbering
that girl. would come to Richmond
at once and give myselfup, only have
to keep constant watch on the
Washington monument and must sup
port il from falling down. If | must
hang, will; but. o, the fate of my no.
bic monument if no longer hold il
up! Ifyou want me you must come
here and get me, and try ne in the
White Lot aud lot me die in the shad-
ow of the monument. When the drop
falls the monument falls, too, and we
perish together. Yours in agony,
EDGAR ATWOOD"
A Fredericksburg. Va, man writes:
ii am the man what killed lily medi-
son hated Cluvers and araigncd sos
he appeared like he done it but he
didcnt. will give myself up for 800
cash must have the money first. If
, on will agree to the bargen let Inc no
and will tel you WHARF to leve' the
muny for me-"
I he following is from Hiram Wood,
of Nashville, Tenn: If have worked
in the Cluverius case ever since Lillian