The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-05
CRAEMER TALKS At list.
Mu~Iier and Child, bMt Conhdene
That His Innocence viii Yet BE
Proved auA He VIII he Free.

talked TO fOSs-lHaesaA ehSNf ASf>A-' -
had never been interviewed by news
paper man. II IS over three years since
the Mueller woman and her child were
murdered In South Seattle. and ever since
the day following that tragedy Cr2erner
has been behind the bars. FIRST charged
and later convicted Of the crime He
talked freely about the trial and the oe-
currences Of the momentous days In his
career following the discovery Of the aw-
ful butchery.
Craemer was closely shaver and had On
q clean linen shirt and trousers. which
bore evidence OF extreme care and neat
ness. There was a thrifty look about his
cell in contrast TO the appearance Of most
OF the others In the north corridor Of the
county jail.
With the galIows looming ominously
over his head. and buoyed up with the
hope Of liberty ever present In his
thoughts. Henry Craemer passes the days
and months OF his life. lie expects to be
Free and instead Of counting the time that
may pasa before he meets the penalty i'm
posed upon him, he counts the months
that he has been incarcerated-
His lawyers long ago had told him not
20 talk to a reporter. and he had never
been released from that admonItion. But
the Henry Craemer OF today Is not the
Henry Craemer OF three years ago. He
has learned many things while in jail that
he never knew before. and one Of these Is
the Use Of the English language.
What Craemer Says.
II have been here nearly forty months"
said Craemer to the post-Inteliigencer re-
porter yesterday. ut viii be forty the
middle Of this month. In all this time
have seen so many men who have been
through the courts that Ii has taught me
q great deal. ! can see the mistakes /
made when was arrested. and IL had 1t
to do over again, coa!d certainly free
myself.
In the first place, I had a wrong idea
OF the way that justice Is administered
here. ] believed that the police here would
try to slit the case to the bottom like
they do In Germany. There the police
work az much for the accused as they do
to fasten guilt upon him. / gave the
police every fact could to enable them to
get at the bottom of the case. let them
photograph me in the hope that someone
who was on the Flyer on that fatal day
would see the picture and recognize me
and come and prove my alibi They told
me afterwards that my picture was taken
to put In the rogue's gallery. instead of
to help me find a witness. With the police
anxious 20 convict me or any one of the
crime. and my own unfamiliarity with
the ways or the courts, together with the
unfortunate selection of lawyer for me.
j was convicted.
THAT man Guyer. who said he saw me
At the scene Of the murder on the fatal
evening have learned since the trial. was
out at Lesehi park with friend that night.
and when no came home he went TO bed.
This fact was not brought out In rebuttai
on the trial az II should have heen. And
more than that. Guyer did not cosne here
until three weeks after was thrown into
iail 10 Identify me: why was the long de-
iayF II was. In my opinion. simply be-
cause the story had not yet been coached
inlo him. He was a ridieuiously contra
dgtory witness and gave me and others
tho impression that he was insane
II The police had gotten that bartender
where | got the beer after / came from
Tacoma ! could have proven my where
abcnss. Even the one witness, outside OF
my own family who would have testified
fny me was not put on the stand. because
he was n few minutes late and my lawyer
did not know how or At any rate did not
enforce the taking of his testimony.
IF @. l.. Wegner. the friend who came
to me afterwards. had been with me at
first. my troubles would have soon ended,
believe. lie has not only done everything
he eoud for me. but has taken care of my
family as we'll / never knew him until
after the trial.
mo. have no theory as to who commit
ted the crime. know of no circumstance
OF my own knowledge that would lead me
to suspect any one. / did not know the
murdered woman.
"A year after the trial. witness. the
nsau who was with Cudahy and Wells
the night they came 20 look for Rn;er,
whom they suspected 20 ne the man came
to my friends and told them the truth. II
he could have been put on the stand at
the trial II would have proved that tho
officers were swearing falsely. and Of
course helped the case.
Craemcr's Cell.
Craemers cell is like glimpse into a
fancy goods bazaar. Pictures cut from
the pages 0f magazines adorn the walls
aad several house plants are carefully
nnrsed by the condemned man. Put ,he
most notice HE ornaments Of the cell are
the picture frames and the fancy hanging
baskets whiCa Craemer makes with his
own hands 20 pass the time and make a
few dollars for his family. The frames are
made of thick pulp board cut out in fancy
Designs. ara krdhafFr says ne ms made
seeenty-nin OF them. all different In de-
sign. On the face ne arranges iinlrutive
pieces % paper. curicd into the share q,
carnucorias. but 50 small that 1--WE 81 them
only cover :he space OF a silver dime.
How the big hands Of the former brew,
cry workman can shape these little niecey
OF psrer IS wonder When the naper or,
nausnts are all glued 20 the frame 10
paints or gilds part ono color and nart an.
other. and the result IS really very arts.
tic ard tasteful Craemer's other branch
Of industry is made 81 pieces az cambria
Of different color. lie tears the cambria
into strips an inch wide or SO and fhref
feet lone. These he ravess out the sho~,
way. leaving three or four strands in ~.
center running through the entire length
The short pieces he then twists tareshc q,
Tn little lunches. making the strings iaaa
Ike aiminuttve hoss A wtra frame I.
thea made sn8 these fluffy delicate strtssy,
ARE stretched over the frame TaSsais \ ~
roSettss. also made ot thu cambria. ar.
uscd To- ornament the baskets ard ,nne
cords. made IN ths sane way ara nr,.
vsdei 20 hang them TT. Cr4annss as,n,ef
the work from that which he saw a fsI
low prisoner doing Some two wears aro
The family which CrSenser hopas s,,,,
asy IN Re free 90 .oiu consists ~ a Ne.
an9 three children. two girls ara = h,v
The eldest girl T. IL years ard tha vonrv
est Z white the Roy "a - wears - -
They come 10 see him scvera. times ever,
week.