Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-03
A German Anarchist Com
mits Suicide in the Old
Oak Alley Church.
HIS ANARCHISTIC BIBLE
Open at His Feet When He Is Dis
covered Hanging in His Cell.
HE WAS EDUCATED BUT A CRANK
And Had Been Arrested More Than Fifty
Times by the Police.
WHAT HIS DANGEROUS BOOK TAUGHT

Joseph Speilmeyer, who for ten years has
been known to the Pittsburg police as "the
Dutch Anarchist" committed suicide by
hanging in a cell in the new Central police
station, formerally the Oak alley church,
about o'clock last night.
az will die for liberty and my God" were
the last words sSpeilmeyer was heard
to utter. He made the statement
while he was being forced into
his cell. An hour later the walls that for
years and wears echoed and re-echoed with
religious service and song alone, heard the
suicides strangling means and just before
o'clock Police Sergeants Gray and Metz
found the unfortunate fellow dead. He
had hanged himself with strap which he
had buckled about his waist instead of sus-
penders. The strap had been looped about
the mans neck and one end was then
fastened 10 one of the heavy iron bars and
bv leaning forward he succeeded in strang
ling himself At his feet, living open just
where he had dropped it, was book printed
in German and said to be an Anarchists
Bible.
Some Later Eooks of Moses.
Inc puDllcdIlOn WIS eulltleu Ihc ClAtH
and Seventh Book of Moses" and it con-
tanned collection ofsocialistic savings with
MANY verses from the Bible warped and dis
torted to mislead the reader. The book is
pronounced TO be dangerous to society and
its sale is prohibited.
Speilmeyer was, when clean, rather good
looking man of distinctly German type.
His hair, which he rarely combed, was
blonde and he had a flowing blonde
mustache. He was about 45 wears old and
he has been about Pittsburg for 10 years
No one seems to know just how he lived,
but the police have records showing that
during his stay in the city
he has been arrested about
90 times for disorderly conduct. He had
been sent to Jail, to the workhouse and had
been kept confined in the lookup always
for the same offense, and in each case he
no sooner secured his liberty than he i'm
media:ely threw himself liable to arrest
again by attempting TO preach his dangerous
doctrine on some street corner
Didn't Like Being Arrested.
He could never be persuaded that
he was committing an offense against
the city laws and when ar
rested he always protested against
being locked up. When notified bv
the police to move on, when he would in
sist upon preaching on the street, he would
go off into harangue on the abuse of the
police system and he would talk glibly on
tree Amer lea and the rights of the common
peoLl E. which would invariably conclude by
giving him ride in the patrol wagon.
When arrested Yesterday Speilmeyer was
preaching anarchy of the most violent type
20 a crowd of probably 500 people at
Eleventh and Liberty streets. He was ad-
yocating death and destruction to all
capitalists when Officer Frank Neager az
preached him. The officer ordered him to
move on, but he refused to go.
Instead he raised his voice to
high pitch and said he had been
prosecuted ever since he had been in Pitts
burg, but that now he would rebel against
police interference. Ten minutes later he
was being dragged into the police station.
He was not detained in the officers rooms to
answer the questions usually put to prison.
erS. He was marched directly through to
the cells and his name, age, color, occu-
patton and offense was entered Just as it had
been entered half hundred times before.
Considered a Harmless Crank
Speilmever was always looked upon by
the police as being harmless, but stubborn,
and he was generally accepted as a crank
on religion. He was fluent talker in Ger
man. French and broken English, and he
was supposed to be well educated The po-
lice say he has always been suspiciously
reticent about his early life, and while he
always evidenced a deep-seated grievance
against society, he could never be induced
TO say anything about his early lite or his
parents.
When found by the Police Sergeant
Speilmeyer had been dead fer probably
five minutes. The dead body was removed
10 the morgue. a silver 25-cent piece was
found in his pocket which seemed to CON-
prise all his possessions outside of the An
archist Bible. The remains will be buried
today.
While examining the dead mans Bible at
the Coroner's office last night German
professor, who had been called in to ex-
anime and explain the book, said: 'That
book is dangerous to society. 1t should be
burned. 1t teaches that suicide is the only
way to liberty"