St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-19

before Judge Kerr. John r. Hparn and
Horace X. Bigelow were appointed To
defend MIN.
On June Wonigkeit, having signified
his intention tn plead guilty. aud having
previously made a full confession, was
taken before Judge Kerr. and asked
leave 10 change his plea to that of guilty
Of murder in the first degree. Judge
Kerr was taken aback by the frankness
of the boy, and questioned him closely
as to his willingness TO so plead, and as
10 whether he fully understood what lie
was doingS Being satisfied that lie was
acting of his own free will and knew the
consequences. the plea was accepted
and the boy remauded 20 Jail for futur
sentence
On June % Ermisch was taken before
Judge Kerr to stand trial. A change of
venue was asked by his attorneys. who
alleged that there was prejudice against
them in the community because OF the
great number of Offenses that had been
committed in the city. The motion was
denied. and jury was ordered i'm
paneled 10 try him. Ga June 81, the
jury. after being out a short time. re-
turned with verdict of guilty as
charged in the Indictment. The tria
had been an exciting one. Wonigkeit
went on the stand ana told the whole
story, besides telling of other hod-upS
and crimes committed by them since
they had been released from the st.
Cloud reformatory few weeks before
the murder.
On June % an application was made
to Judge Kerr TO show mitigating cir
cumstanceS in the case of Wonigkeit
with view of securing lighter SEN
tence than capital punishment. f. E.
Encell. his attorney. presented the
.lffiday,ts OF His Mother,
Alkaline Milhausen. Florence WONG
keit. his fifteen yeai-old sister. and
DIR. Charles +. Miller. DR.. James E.
Markoe and NJ. Shapiro, saIoonkeeper
at the corner OF East Seventh and
Olive streets. with view of showing
that he was of weak mind and not ell
tireiy accountable for his actions. The
mother and sister testified that he Was
subject to epileptic fits and at times
would be vicious and try to Kill his sis
ter, OF whom he was passionateiy fond,
Or to do injury 10 his best friends. The
mother made the additional statement
that his father, uncle, grandfather and
great grandfather had died from de-
lirum irenens. The physicians gave
1t as their opinion. upon hypothetical
statements based On the afiidavits of the
mother and sister, that W0nigkeit was
hereditary dips0maniac and had a
morbid propensity for strong drink.
They also gave evidence to the effect
that an examination of the boy in Jail
showed that he had low order Of
intellect. His heatl-was found TO be i'll
shaped, he had nigh palate, such as is
common in persons of low intellect, aud
was defective liz intellect. NJ. Shapiro
testined that he recognized Wonigkeit
as one who was in his SALOON Oh the day
of the murder, drinking whisky and
playing pool. Judge Kerr took the
testimony under consideration until the
next day, when he announced that he
would pass sentence. All that night
Judge Kerr worked on the case, and
came into court the next morning look
ing restless and concerned. but with
deter minatlon to his duty, however
disagreeabie. Both defendants were
taken before the court. and soon after
10 O'clock Judge Kerr began to read his
opinion on the application for lower
sentence than that involving the death
penalty. He announced that he could
not see that there were mitigating cir
cumstances, and then read to ca CHI.
he stood before the bar, the sen tence as
follows:
The d. afh Sentence.
"Now, therefore, It is considered and
adjudged by the court that you are
guilty of the crime of murder in the first
degree as, charged in said ind ictment.
and it is further considered and al
Judged by the court that, as punish
ment for said crime of murder in the
first degree, of which you have pleaded
and are guilty, you, the SAID Otto Won-
gkeit. be taken hence 10 the common
Jail of said Ramsey county and there
confined: and that thereafter. and after
the lapse Of the period of three calendar
months from this day, aud at time to
be fixed by the governor OF the state of
Minnesota, and designated by his war
rant. you, The said Otto Wonigkeit, be
taken to the place of execution selected
by the sheriff of said coun ty, within the
said county of Ramsey, and there
hanged by the neck until you are
dead. ,"
The court room was crowded when
sentence was pronounced, and every
one present, as every one since has
done, said that the sentence was in ac-
cordance with the law and the facts. and
was just.
The attorneys for the prisoners made
all effort to secure executive clemency
for the men and communication TO life
imprisonment. The sentiment of the
community was against such course.
| and in the midst of the effoits to secure
action on the part of the governor
Ermisch knocked out whatever bottom
| there might have been to the case by
An Attempt TO Break Jan.
At noon. when ont in the corridor to
empty his pail, EImisch. made
| dash at Waterman Horst, and, covering
him with a revolver, demanded that
the door to Wonigkeit's cell be opened
and that they be allowed to escape. The
Waterman ran out OF the corridor and
slammed the cage door to. Ermisch
opened fire, shooting Horst in the right
wrist, then firing second time. An
alarm was given by electricity to the
sheriff's office, and several deputies. as
we'll as Chief Clark aud several police
men, were attracted to the jail in very
few moments and cut off all chance OF
| escape. Erinisch was frightened by the
firing of shots ftom the revolver of
Frank Picha. who was up stairs in the
Jail and flew to the rescue. Ermisch sur
rendered and gave up the re-
volver, which had been given
him the day before by his mother.
He also had box of cartridges his
| mother had given him. Mrs. Schneider
was arrested the next daY and COIL