St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-15
WAS UNDER A SPELL.
HOizhay, the GOgebic Robber.
Makes n Con ff,ssiOp.

BDSSEMER, Mich, Nov. l4.-kelmund
HOlzhay-"Blaek Barton trial for the
murder of Banker Fleischbein, OF Belle
Vile, ILL.,, and the robbery of the
Gogebic stage, took the stand in his
own defense to-day and made a confess
sion.
II was twenty-three years old the second
of last month" he began. Il was born in
Germany. in the southern part. and nay pa
rents still live there. All the schooling 1
ever received WAS in the old country. i never
attended school i'll America. l came to the
United states seven years ago, and not hay-
Ing any trade. went TO work in my uncle
planning mill In Green Bay, Wis. / worked
there about two years, and then went to work
on the Oc0nto river, where stayed about
three years. Becoming tired OF this life and
desiring change, went out West. / stopped
in Portland. Or, for short time, and then
went up to the Puget sound country, where
worked in a mill about five months. spent
month riding around the country on horse
back, and was in the West about eight months
altogether. l then came back and went TO
work again on the Oconte river, and worked
there about a year and half"
In answer to questions put by his
attorney, Hoizhay stated that while In
Washington territory he was injured by
his horse; that he lay unconscious for
some time afterwards, and that. while
his health previous to this accident had
been good, since then it had been bad.
He could not describe just how it
affected him. but it Affected his whole
system, and particularly his head.
Ordinarily he felt quite good, but these
bad
SPELLS WOULD COME OVER HIM
and would last probably day, some
times more He said that during these
spells he felt strange, but could not de-
scribe the feeling. During such spells
his actions and any incidents or occur
repces taking place at such time were
all blank afterwards. Nearly all last
winter was spent in the woods working,
but he came out one time to see DIR.
Williams. in Chicago, who is connected
with DIR. Lucas institute tor the treat
ment of nervous diseases. About year
and a half ago he went to see DIR.
Palmer in Green Bay. who treated him
for nervous troubles. The spells cane
OH him som times quite unexpectedly,
and he always had to look out for him
self; and at times he feels an almost IT.
resistibie impulse to do something bad
or desperate. He had several of these
spells since his capture, and probably
had dozen or more since he was in
jured. Holzhay said he remembered
the day he was arrested and who arrest
ed him. He could not tell why he held
up the stage. He held it up, and that
was all he knew about it. A fellow
prisoner of HolZhay'S, named Burns, mas
been engaged the past month or two in
writing life of the roober. and has In
corporated into the narrative
SEVERAL DEEDS OF DARING
claimed to have been committed by
Holiday while in the Western country.
In the REORGANIZATION Prosecuting
Attorney Howell mentioned several of
these instances where Holzhay was al
legged to have held up several men and
asked him as to the truth or falsity of
the stories, HolZhay said they were all
untrue and originated in the brain of
Novelist Burns. In regard to the hold
ing up of the Wisconsin Central and
Milwaukee IL Northern trains HOLIDAY
said he felt the spell about the same as
at the time of the Gogebic stage robbery,
and did not remember any of the incl
dents connected with the affair. He
stated that in all these instances, where
shooting was commenced, it appeared to
clear his brain and brought him to
realization of what he was doing, and
he took to the woods afterward to avoid
being captured. Helzhay did not re-
member who was i'm the Gogebic stage;
did not remember seeing either FleiSch-
bein or the driver and failed to identify
the watch and pocketbook said to have
belonged to FleiSchbeIn. He claimed
that he had never seen Fleisehbein's
name on the pocketb0ok until his atten-
ton was directed to it by Mr.. Howell.
Attorney Flanagan frustrated the priS-
Oner somewhat when he said:
"Holzhay, why did you cary two guns,
knowing that you were liable 10 have one of
those spells at any lime and shoot somebody!
When you felt one of those spells coming On
you, why didn't you leave those guns some
where until after you recoyeredr'
HolZhay appeared somewhat staggered by
the direciness Of the question and hesitat-
ingly replied:
II carried the revolyers to protect myself
from wild animals In the woods. and did not
like to leave them anywhere, as might not
find them again.
as il necessary for a man to carry two re-
yolvers TO protect himself In the woods Of
this country"
.sYes, sir" said Holzhay, 81 think it isl
This reply seemed to satisfy the pros
ecutiOn, as HolZ ,ay was removed from
the stand and shortly after returned to
jail. Hozhay's examination lasted
about two hours. Holzhay was the only
witness called for the defense. and when
no had concluded the defense rested.