The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-01-26

sci and friends had nothing 10 rely on
for their case but his good character.
This was of no avail, and Paul Kunkel
was convicted Of the murder Of Mrs
Cooper and sentenced to be hanged the
following September, on a day which
proved 10 be the anniversary Of the
murder Executive clemency could
not be obtained, although 'he bishop
of the diocese earnestly interested him
self in the condemned mans behalf, as
did many prominent and influential
persons. among them the late Judge
Jeremiah : Black. All hope was gone
for the unfortunate man, but not until
eight DAYS before the day his sentence
was TO have been executed did he
show that he appreciated or under
stood his awful situation. On that
day KunlzeTs counsel was surprised TO
receive a message from the prisoner
asking for an immediate interview.
The counsel on entering Pauls cell
saw that a remarkable change had
come over him. His mind had cleared.
and for the first time ne seemed TO
realize his peril. For the first time,
also. he was able 10 give his counsel a
connected statement Of his movements
from the time he left Baltimore. He
described Winter minutely, and salts
fed his lawyer al once that he was the
victim of hcarticss scheme of the real
murderer. Detectives were Immediately
set 10 work searching for Winter, but
no trace Of him could be found. res
pite was granted kunkcl, TO give the
officers more time.
Winter. having been unable 10 force
the silver snuff box on kunkel. or his
family, took it with him when he left
his victims house. A week or so after
that a stranger appeared in Ashland
and secured work in "A blacks mlth shop
there. lie gave Winter as his name. IL
happened that another workman in the
shop had only recently removed 20 Ash
land from Buffalo. lie was a sub
scriber 10 Baltimore newspaper, and
when the Kuuzel murder trial came mp
ne was interested in il, and, at Winters
request, read the accounts Of the trial
TO him. Winter being unable 90 read
English When the man read how
Kunl1el had been seen coming away
from the vicinity OF the spot where the
murdered womans body had been
found. and how the tell-tale umbrella
and shoes had been found in kunkels
house, Winter remarked that that was
evidence TO hang any man, and that he
hoped Kunllcl would hang. on the eve
of the hanging, when Winters fellow
workman read him the story that Kun
ltel had finally been able TO tell, al
] though Winter had not changed his APP
pearance from what il was as kunkel
described him, the workman did not
suspect that he and the man kunkel
| described were one and the same. il
was not until three days afterward that
! the truth was flashed upon his mind ia
II 60
| about the strange case, when the Ter
! man took a pinch of snuff from his box,
as he had often done before in the shop,
| and offered his fellow workman a
pinch Then the man noticed that the
| box was a handsome silver one, and
that on the inside of the lid was en-
| crraved the word Cooper That IN
slant he knew the murderer stood be-
fore him and had been with him for
nearly a year. He dropped the box
and the Uaze of horror he turned on
Winter told the latter that he had been
discovered lie made a dash for the
door of the shop, but the workman
| seized him before he could get out and
| shouted for some one TO get an officer.
Winter was secured, and the Maryland
authorities, who had failed 10 get any
trail of him, informed of his capture.
He was taken TO baltimore, where II
came out for the first time thai he was
Conrad Winter, who had been sen
fenced TO the penitentiary seven years
before for horse and sheep stealing
He was tried and convicted and on tho
scaffold he confessed
s'On his trial for sheep stealing
he had insisted that he had beer
forced TO the crime by his mis-
tress. Mrs. Goodwin, whom, he beinf
bound TO her, he supposed he wa
Obliged TO obey in everything. in In
confession TO the Cooper murder h'
said that while he was in the pcnitcn
tiarv he had made "a vow TO have ven
rreance on Mrs Goodwin as soon rs hi'
term was out On being discharged h
went straight for Mrs. Goodwin s. 81
his yvav he overlook Mrs Cooper walk
ing home from the village. lie though
She was Mrs Goodwin. lie sneakcd ~
behind her and smashed her head !
with heavy stone. Dragging her I
the roadside he saw that she was nc
Mrs. Goodwin. lie took the things si
had and covered her with brush. II
slept in the woods near by, and neN
dav. when he saw Kunllel, he conceive
the idea of casting suspicion on him
the murderer, and palmed her propert
off on him with that end in view i
said he always intended TO dispose
the snuff box, but for some rezis'
could never make up his mind 70 do
. after failing to get Kunkel TO take
, The snuff box was used in eviden
! against him in the trial, and the IN;
, who had captured Winter by means
4 it expressing a wish TO retain 1t as
memento of his having been able
save the life of an innocent man al
: bring guilty one 10 justice, the Ia
: band of the murd cred woman present
=. it TO him, and it is his family that
> it to-day. IN. y. sun