The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-12
STEIGER SELF ACCUSED.
HIS CONFESSION OF THE MURDER
OF POLICEMAN SMITH LET IN.

shet Smith as Soon aa the Ofncsr Chal-
lenEed Him in the Church nc HAD Entered
10 hoh-Prosocution Trying to shew That
re Broke Into tho Church nc . BurEiar.
Assistant District Attorney Carpenter, who
Is conducting the prosecution in the trial of
Constantine Steiger, alias Fritz Meyer, for tho
murder OF Policeman Frederick Smith, sue
oeeded yesterday in getting in evidence In the
supreme Court the confession mado by Steiger
In the Coroner's Office several days after the
shooting. The defence fought the admission Of
this testimony desperately.
Otto Dengler, who was on the stand on
wednesday, when tho argument over the ad.
mission of tho confession began, was recalled
and asked by Mr.. Carpenter to tell what took
place in the Coroner's office.
Il was sitting in front of steiger," said Deng-
Ter, land ho told me that he entered the Re-
domptorist church in Third street at z o'clock
and sat In the last scat until he got q chance to
get up In the gallery, where he remained until
q quarter of IL at night. At that time, no said.
he crept quietly downstairs and walked over to
the poor box on the Avenue A side of the
church. The nrst intimntion he had that his
presence in tho church was known, he said, was
when he heard tho iron bolts in the door be-
tween the church and the roctory clink back.
Then he ran down. the Avenue A aisle as
fast as he could 60. and, opening the door beside
thV eAboit I'LL thiOueh tho opoNo NV bip
hide. Finding that he was hotiy pursued, he
street side, aud there to his amazcment found
Policeman Smith standing at the head of the
stairs. Smith said to him: What are you do.
Ing heref He made no reply but just levolled
his revolver and fired. He, told me that he
would have shot any man who tried to prevent
man Smith fall, he jumped through the win
steiger looked hcrcely at Densler during the
frat part If hta ufnrty hut Qannnl m Npllo ma n
Mr.. o'Hare tried to make Dengler say that
sisted in his questions after Dengler had denied
tbs r he belonged a n o to . either 5i% so To the a cSsFt came to
Conrad Kirchkof. known in the church as
Brother, William, testified that he had been
In the street and whistled for the police. When
Policeman Smith arrived he told Smith that
there were thieves, in tho church, and Smith
and Policeman Conklin proceeded to search the
church. Brother Williams tale Of the search
of the way Policeman Smith met his death. and
was the same rs that told on Wednesday by
Policeman Conklin, Dengler, and other wit
nesses.
He said, however, that a story of the murder
which appeared in one of the yellow journal,
with his name attached to II was not writer
by him and that the use of his name was unau
thorized. He had written u statement. of tn,
affair for the District Attorney, he said. H,
denied that he had afterward gone over II,
statement and made changes in II 30 as to max
It agree with the story told by the witness
DenRler.
Frederick Kraemer. sacristan of the church
testified that he had locked up the church OF
the night of the murder and was sure he hat
locked every door. Miss Annie HANNA, Gus
todian Of the parochial school, swore that sh,
had securely locked every door aud window II
the schoolroom; This testimony was produced
to show that Steiger was committing . folon!
whom he shot Smith-breaking and entering thu
building. The medical testimony showed tina
there wero two bullet wounds in Smiths body
One was in the left side Of the mouth and til,
other in the back q few inches below tho necl
and to tho right OF the spinal column. tn,
prosecution expects to finish to-day.