Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-05-12

| oAoA'0et ~ tlie leVelaLlOllS T0lallVe TO Ine
murder of John Dem. Mrs. Holmes
was impelled by the remarks of Mrs.
Schwabe to make known all she knew.
The text of her statement is as follows:
Gas God is my judge what am about
to tell you is truth and truth only, and I
now make statement which | will re-
peat in any court Or on my dying bed"
TIE CONFESSION.
"About 2 o'clock on the morning of the
twenty fourth day before Mrs. Eckert
died, she called me to her bedside and
told me she had terrible confession to
make. Her words frightened me. She
told me to come near the bed. 1t was
dark in the room and sat down on the
bedside. Promise me that you will never
as long as l am alive give away what l
am about to tell you.' please don't tell
me anything, Mrs. Eckert,' | said, 4 don't
want to hear it, If you care for me or
love me you will listen to me- have suf-
fered the tortures Of hell too long; can
not sleep and | can not die without tell
ing it. Mrs. Holmes, do you know who
killed John Denn?'
81 said | thought man named Will
liams did it. M...
"'You are away off, she said. Listen.
Shober has been blamed have tried to
| blame him. I have tried to bring myself
to accuse him, and have told the officers
| hat I.oJ 4 Il ~. |, Al.
swear it was not Shober that killed John
Dem. | will tell you. 1t is weighing
me DOWNS killing me. Some hideous
power holds me to this damned snot
| You won't repeat what | tell if I live?
| Come now, listen. Put your ear to nv
| lips
"'Oh, l can not, Mrs. E Eckert,' 1, said.
| please don't tell me-
BOUND TO TELL IT.
"She paid no attention to me, but rails
ing her hand she pulled my bead down
and said: Il killed John Denn. Yes. yes,'
she said, MADAM Eckert killed John
DEM with hatchet-with hatchet-
with hatchet If Lou knew what that
hatchet had done she would never touch
it. | went in the night to Denn, called
him up, took a bottle, pretended to want
some liquor and went in the cellar with
him. AS he leaned over to draw the
liquor | hit him lick on the head with
the hatchet. l swear to this. Twenty
years hard labor all gone. There are no
papers. What there were | destroyed.'
Mrs. Eckert then went to sleep, and after
short nap awoke and murmured, what
relief"
This is Mrs. Holmes story boiled down.
She said that Mrs. Eekert afterwards told
her that while she was in Germany she
thought she had been shadowed by detec-
tives. Mrs. Holmes said she would take
a solemn oath to the statements, and that
the only reason she had not told it before
was on account of Mrs. Schwabe and her
children. She believed that the hatchet
around the house was the one with which !
Dem was killed.
ANOTHER GHOST STORY.
Mrs. Eckert's confession does not clear
up the mystery in the judgement of many |
people. Her daughter, Mrs. Schwabe,
asserts that she (Mrs. Eckert) was in Vir- !
glnia City at the time of the murder,
HarWood, who was policeman, corrobor-
ates her. The police say they know a
man who will testify that he heard two
persons planning the murder, and that
after it had been committed he heard one
Of the persons raving over it in his dreams.
People express doubts that Mrs. Eckert
made the above confession at all, and 9TH
ers hint that she did it to screen some one
else. A lawyer tells how soon after the
murder he received mysterious visit from
a person whose name he wthholds. He
|
IN his eyes, and he seemed suffering from
some heavy mental burden.
SWELL" remarked, "what can do for
you?'
"Much," he replied. "You can do ev-
erything. l know who murdered John
Dem. tried to keep the secret, for the
murderer is my friend. But can keep ST
lence no longer. The burden is too heavy.
At night see the glazed eyes of the muir 6
lered man, continually. If asleep hear i
him gasping and begging for mercy. Yes S
,erday worked doubly hard, retired to
oed late and thoroughly exhausted, soon J
ell into heavy slumber. How long I |
slept / cannot say, but was suddenly S
by an icy breath that chilled me
through and through; starting up who
houd see, standing there as natural as
ife, with the great holes in his forehead, y
)ut John Dem. HOrrtied beyond eX
preston l knew not what to do. A mo-
nent later the spirit in a piteous, plead
ng tone exclaimed, you know the mur-
lerer. Hand him over to justice that | Il
nay sleep in peace. Slowly the phantom
AIDED. Now | must confess to you that
know my friend - - to be guilty 4
f the crime. l have sought you as al
onorable man and leave future action in
our hands,"
"Without another word," continued the Il
ttorney, ''the man arose, unlocked the
oor and departed. I notified the proper
uthorities, but only to learn that the bird d
ad flown. My visitor afterwards proved D
, be insane, and was sent to an asylum,
ut am entirely satisfied in my own mind
lat that confession revealed the name of
le true criminal. Strange incident,
asn't it?' o,