Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-11-11
TWELVE YEARS IN PRISON.
Tragic Story OF n Present Citizen OF Glove
land, Ohio.

years from twenty-five 20 thirty-four, II
prison for n crime OF which you were
guilty would be perhaps all one mar
would care 10 endure. TO pass through
such an ordeal at iirst with the narrowing
thought that In students row YOU
might have committed crime 1t wa:
not In your heart to have done. then t
become satisfied that IL was q physica
imposs'blllty TO have done so. even hac
you wished. and TO have suffered such 9
penalty, knowing you were innocent
might be taken for the synopsis of q
modern melodrama. That all these thing!
should have happened 10 an ordinary
everyday Cleveland Businessman. whose
reputation for peacefulness and honesty
is unsurpassed, seems almost beyond com
prehension.
Yet such Is the strange story OF thu
life OF John Schaber Of the firm of Scha
Der, Reinthal Co. dealers In moldine
and picture frames at los Spring street.
The Plain Dealer on Saturday contained
a cable message from Stuttgart, announc.
ing the conviction OF the editors of The
Schwaebische Tagewacht newspaper fol
publishing libel against ex-Judgt
Butcher. whom they accused OF having
wrongfully secured the conviction Of
Schaber for murder.
MILD AND FORGIVING.
Mr.. Schaber was found in his counting
room yesterday afternoon. lie is gray
haired, blue-eyed man, with q typical
German countenance. brinful of good ma
ture. and. in spite Of his strange history
Of injustice and wrong. mild and forgiv'
ing In his tone and words.
Eyes, II is q strange story" he said
In somewhat broken English. as he turned
over a package Of German newspapers
and unfolded two cablegrams recently
received. in relation TO the trial of the
two editors. land I had expected a some
what different result of this trial from
that which l read this morning; but do
not feel that the verdict in a way affects
the standing of my petition for restora-
ton Of rights in the German courts.
IL received a cable message on Friday
from Eichon. the editor of The Schwae-
bische Tagewacht. at Stuttgart. as fol-
lows:
Favorable judicial success. Complete
moral success. "EICHOFF."
To-day l received another message. as
follows:
"SrUTTGART. November 9Th.
Judgment purifes Bucher. Great in
dignation. "EICHOFF."
Il suppose the first message was based
on the charge OF the President OF the
court. but the verdict. It seems. did not
Justify it."
"How did II happen that your case was
revived now. after so many years. Mr..
Schaber?" was asked.
"Well. you see. long after I came to
America, ] prepared a book telling the
story OF my Imprisonment. and then pre-
scented a petition asking for such repara-
ton as a government can give man who
has suffered at it's hands. The editors of
this paper took UP the fight and were
probably indiscreet In their charges. for
their paper was confiscated. and then they
were arrested for libel The court, In the
first place. told them that If they would
cease agltatinG the matter they would be
released pending the action Of the author
tiles on my petition. If my petition was
granted they would then stand purged.
The editors refused TO do this. and con-
tinued to denounce the court with this
result"
What was the story Of the crime for
which you were arrested?"
"The crime was committed in the little
town OF Heilbron, in Germany, in 1853. j
was young man of %. working for a
living, although my father was man
above the ordinary level and thoroughly
well-respected householder :, the village.
As was always the case in towns near
which were near schools, there were quar-
rels among the young men, and melees
were of constant occurrence, and fire.
quently resulted in bloody heads and
black eyes. We were strong and lusty
fellows. however, and drinking was our
custom and quarrelling n pleasure. i lived
q little way from town. and came in IRE
quently to see my sweetheart and to drink
ba Inn G.nrpa N,rkgfain was another
young man who also had a girl In town
To whom he was paying attention, and
we frequently came together.
FELL DEAD.
'There had been frequent scrimmages
between our party and the other, ana on
the night of the murder the opposition
crowd evidently intended to waylay me
on the way home. j started out, having
been drinking more or less with some
friends. and Eckstein had gone on ahead,
when he met the crowd and got into a
row. l came up and a general scrim-
mage followed The boys in those days
used TO carry a short knife, which they
iuclosed in their hands as one would i
dagger. and cut and slash right ana LETT.
In the row | was myself badly cut abou,
the head A young man named FREQ
Fell. who was in the opposition party
was struck In the head with such knife
and the blade penetrated his skull. and
he fell dead in the road.
"As soon as the fight was over. OF
course every one fed. | went back to
the inn where my sweetheart lived ana
sat down at a table. where she took some
water and cloths and began bathlng my
head. l had, as / said, been drinking
heavily, and. with the excitement ana an,
t,t.l u. he
was working. Meanwhile Eckstein failed
IN shoy mn. I supposed he had gone back
IN see his own girl. too. but j found he
had not been there. After several hours
he came In. but would not say where he
had been.
"a day or so after this the body or
voung Fell was found in the woods, where
IL had been dragged off during the night
and. every one knowing that l had peeh
in the quarrel, i was accused or the muir
der scarcely knew Fell at all, ana
bore him no gru0ge, but at flrst the
Thought came over mo that In the roN
I had killed him. Then the question came
TO my mind as TO how his body got IN
the woods, and / knew l had not TAKEN
II there. Then the trial came. ana people
testified to having seen Eckstein carr
the body away. Then l recalled the fact
OF IckSttln NlSs.pIN al oii~S
fight. and | became convinced that he was
guilty. We were both tried and convicted
and I was sentenced to death. For
month I was kept IN suspense, expecting
10 be executed, but finally the sentence
was committed TO twelve years inpfisoh-
ment for each Of us.
WELCOMED DEATH.
.I would have gone TO my execution ike
n soldier. for had been treated so exc.
crably all through the trial that l would
have welcomed death gladly. Bnt tue
experience Of that twelve years In prison
was worse. / think. by far. than death
was an age when / was much IN love
with a young lady. and the fact that
while 1 was in prison she married was
a torture that well nigh drove me crazy,
"At tho end Of eleven years was asked
% 7 aid not want a pardon. i was 700
Stubborn 10 accept II. for l thought
would die quicker where / was, put Ech,
stein did. and received II. AT the ena
81 twelve years i was pardoned, ana
ca,no 10 America. / learned good trace
in prlson. and have prospered at 1t since
am far better of as an American Gu.
zen than / could be as an uneducateo
hov in Germany. Yet the desire ior
comnlete yindlcation, OF course. Is strohs
IN me. and 1 wrote my book lot 'ha'
,urnose. and hope yet to secure IL
.xybat became OF EcksteinT
..rhat Is the strangest part or all: are,
? haa heen In Ohio q short time heara
As'~ 49, mama I'm BuCyruS, auus