Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-11-21
A TIGHT ROPE ACT.
Another Oh .CagO Wife Murderer
successfully Launched IN
to Eternitv

Chicago, Ill, Nov. 17.-Michael Emil
Rollinger. who murdered his wife last
December and then set tire to the house
in an endeavor TO hide his crime, was
hanged in the county jail today. The
drop fell at 1907 p. ~ Rolllnger's neck
was broken by the fall and he was pro-
nounced dead fifteen minutes later. In
an imprisoned speech from the gallOws
Rolllnger protested his innocence.
He said he had been deceived and
wronged. All his money had been taken
from him to carry the case to the SUI
preme court which was not done. Il say
before my mother and my children" he
concluded, that | am an innocent man"
Governor Would Not Int.r ere.
Fathers O'Brien and Rithmeier tele
phoned 10 Gov Tanner yesterday asking
stay of execution Of thirty days. The
priests did this with the consent of Arch
bishop Feehan. They told Gov. Tanner
that it was the desire of the prisoner and
his friends that the case be taken to
the Supreme court 1t was also urged
that Rollinger had been led to believe
that he would be granted sufficient time
to get the record of his case ready and.
relying upon this, he had not prepared for
death.
Gov. Tanner listened to all the priests
had to say and declined to interfere with
the execution.
Then Attorney William Stanton was
called into the case. He had a long talk
with Rollinger and left at late hour
for Springfield to make a final appeal to
the governor this morning. To pay the
expense of the trip ROllinger borrowed
500 of James Smith. who is in Jail for
being accessory to the murder of Mrs.
Merry.
Played Cards with the Guard.
The condemned man seemed more
cheerful after his new lawyer started for
Springfield and played cards with his
guards and smoked q number of cigars.
Rollinger was taken from his cell to the
death chamber during the day. He sent
for the German consul to arrange to have
some keepsakeS sent to his friends in
Germany. Ee also asked to have his
children looked after.
In the evening Father O'Brien was in
Rollingers cell from s till 9 o'clock
From Q till 10 Rollinger played cards
with the death watch. He frequently
expressed anxiety as to whether his at
torney was accomplishing anything at
Springfield. He went to bed at 10 and
was soon asleep.
The Crime and It's Motive.
Rollinger's crime and its motive were
in many respects similar to those of the
Luetgert and Becker cases. though in
stead of numbering his victim and boiling
the remHins ROllinger adopted the meth
Cd of burning her to death. The discov-
cry Of Rollinger's crime was made by
fremen who were called to extinguish
fire in the dwelling. They found the
partly burned body of Mrs. Rollinger
under pile of barrel staves and butter
boxes in closet, in which the fire had
evidently originated. Rollinger was sus-
pected of killing his wife and setting the
fire to conceal the crime He was sup
posed to be in love with a young woman,
T 7 vv0c oil 1nnv nH hot
he was in financial straits and that his
wife's life was insured. On the day Of
the fire he had taken his children to
neighbor and left them for the night.
He had also taken his wife's insurance
papers. deeds and mortgages to property
in Austria, which she had recently in
herited, and her jewelry and intrusted
them to the safe-keeping Of a saloonkeep-
er friend. Like Luetgert and Becker he
was convicted purely Oh cireumstantia!