Amador ledger., 1901-03-22
COMMUNICATION.
PLYMOUTH, March 9, 10

If you will kindly give me
small space in your paper l will try and
state few facts.
In the first place will say God bless
our noble Assemblyman, Fred L.
Stewart, in his noble act of killing the
Zimmerman bill in the House. Had
] known that such thing was being
enacted in the Assembly 1, Ed. Neff's
wife,, would have been there to fight it,
and in regards to the so-called death
bed confession of my former husband,
Edward Neff, it is fat falsehood.
Ny husband, Ed. Neff, never made any
such confession to any one, and I defy
any one, don't care who it is, to prove
that he ever made such confession.
L was with my husband night and day
during his illness, as were his brothers
and sisters, also sister of mine, and
no stranger was allowed to stay alone
with him, and he was not allowed to
talk and for days before his death
could not utter word, scarcely, owing
to the condition of his throat. He
could not even swallow the nourish-
ment given him and as death came un-
expected to him he could not have
made any such confession. 1 stood by
his death-bed for hours before he died
and he never uttered word but one as
he way dying he reached out one hand
took hold of my arm and said "Mary"
and that was all. I've lately heard
that Zimmerman was pardoned on
that so-called confession. Now should
like to know how he could procure
pardon without petition being signed
by those at that death-bed or being
circulated in this county from where
he was sent from. l don't see how
that lie was ever started. It's the
most dibolic falsehood ever told by
human lips. l do blame my husband
for not making a confession and clear
ing his name of the crime all together
for he could have done so if he chose.
Zimmerman knows full well he was
rightly punished, but 1 will say here
that there were others who should have
been punished with him, and here 1 will
say my husband was innocent of any
part in the crime and why he died with
stain of dishonor on his name to save
others, is more than any one living will
ever know. He died with his secret
and so will those who still live and
know it. Zimmerman got out of
Prison and should have thought that
was enough without trying to get
money out of the government. 1
should like to ask Senator Landers why,
before presenting that bill, he did not
come into this county and look up the
history of August Zimmerman. Some
of our best citizens were witnesses
against him. 1 heartily thank Fred L.
Stewart for beating them out of the
money they hoped to get. If we had a
few more such men as he in our
Assembly our State would not have to
pay SO many unnecessary bills.
1 write this and fatty deny that
Edward Neff ever made any confession
of any kind whatever. 1 could write a
great deal more on this subject but will
drop this for the present. But for the
sake of myself, my children and the
dead, / think the public at large should
know that no ''death-bed confession"
of any kind whatever was made by Ed.
Neff, and think Governor Markham
did wrong to pardon August thinner
mann on such plea without positive
proof, and such proof could come only
from those around that death-bed and
no such proof ever came from any one
of US. Hoping this will find room in
your valuable paper, remain,
Respectfully,
MRS. KINMAN FRENCH,
Formerly Mrs. Edward Neff.)
Plymouth, Amador County, Cal.
P. 81 will go into any Court in
this land and swear that no such con-
fession was ever made by Edward Neff.
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