Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-02-13
A MURDERER
Kills Him Jelf With a Pocket Knife
in Bed.
He Leaves Letter Declaring the limo
cence of His Wife-The Latter Throws
Herself Upon Her Knees aud Prays
for His Souls Salvation.

New ORLEANS, Feb. 5.-Frederick
Fitzsimmons alias Am brose G. Budd,
and several other names, who was ar
| rested here Tuesday, charged with
murder and theft in Pittsburgh, Pa,
cut his throat with a penknife at Ii
o'clock Thursday morning at the par
ish prison and died at o'clock Friday
morning
Fitzsimmons left a long letter ad.
dressed to G. II. Fitzsimmons, WE. Fitz-
simmons, Chief OF Police Caster, the
Times, Democrat, Picayune and citizens
of New Orleans, in which he says:
''rhe sunny south and the Crescent City carry
uone but the most pleasant recollections in my
memory. have pursued crime, with It's fatal
consequences; my liberty is again jeOpardized,
and as liberty or death is paramount in my
mind prefer the latter to imprisonment, dis.
grace, slow death and dragging further in the
mire the good name of honorable and respected
relatives My beloved wife is the daughter OF
| one Of New Orleans once popular and respected
| citizens My wife, Lucy Rebecca Fitzsmmons,
was improperly convicted at Allegheny county
courthouse Of murder in the second degree,
| through the testimony of a perluring detective,
| and preludced jury and judge, and is still in
| Imprisonment Knowing that | am about to
| hurl myself into eternity, | solemnly swear my
| wife is innocent | effected my escape from
Allegheny county jail because forsaw convic-
ton before the trial began. The bright, sunny
atmosphere surrounding my soul is replaced by
| gloom and sadness Of heart, that only death can
| alleviate
Fitzsimmons, after writing the letter
| Thursday morning, jumped into bed,
threw II blanket over his head and app
parently went to sleep. Half an hour
later one Of the attendants in the Jail
heard him groaning, and on going to
! the bed found that Fiizsimmons had
slashed his throat three times while
under the blanket
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Feb. {, 5,-Thursday
afternoon Mrs. Fitzsimmons was in
formed of her husband S attempt at sui
eide. Warden Wright. the prison mat.
ron and an officer of the institution Wis.
tied her cell, and together performed
the pitiful task. She had not yet re.
covered from the shock of her hus-
bands capture. She sat up in bed, in
her night dress, with pale, nervous
face and manner, to receive her visit.
ors. As gently as possible she was told
to prepare for the worst, and then the
grave tidings were broken to her as she
braced herself, and with an effort said:
81 can be brave if must
For the moment she seemed dazed,
and then slid out of bed and sank upon
her knees upon the floor of her cell.
In that attitude she prayed aloud fer
vently and earnestly for the salvation
of her husband soul. Her face clear
ed as she prayed.
She then recited the story of her hus-
bands crime, his Imprisonment his es-
cape and capture. She told how unfit
he was to meet his Maker,
how careless he had been of
his souls salvation, how she had i'm
plored him to so live that when death
came he would be saved. With loving
tenderness she prayed for her baby girl,
and asked that she be guided Alright
through life. She concluded her sup.
plication with whispered amen.
She was assisted back into her bed,
where she buried her blanched and
wan face in the pillow and cried like a
child as if her heart would break, and
between her spells of sobbing would
again break ont in petitions that her
husband life might be saved, and then
moan with suffering. The prison physi-
clan was called in, and he gave her
something to quiet her nerves and pro-
duce sleep,
, Fitzimmons and wife are charged
with the murder of Detective GillSinson
and the wounding of Detective Murphy,
who wera trying to arrest Fitzsimmons
, for burglary