The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-04-23
NEIDERNEIER
TRIES Suicide
One of the Condemned Chicago Car
Barn Bandits Tries to Cheat
the Hangman.
he ATE THE HEADS OF MATCHES
and OPENED arteries IN arm
While Lying, Under Guard, In the
Hospital, He Made II second At
tempt BY ring awaN the Ban
dages and Reopening the sewed-
Ip wounds.

Chicago. April 1S.-Peter Nieder-
meier, the leader Of the a barn BAN
dts, made 'wo desperate attempts at
suicide. His condition. as a result, is
SO preCarious that 1t is feared he will
not survive. Should he still be alive
next Friday he will be carried to the
gallows and executed.
Was Carefully Planned.
Niedermeier planned his attempted
suicide carefully. First he masticated
and swallowed the heads of IS Oh 100
sulphur matches. While the phospho-
rus was burning his stomach, he sawed
at the radial artery Of his left wrist
with a sharp-pointed lead pencil.
Striking a bone in the wrist, he gave
up trying to sever the artery and
turned his weapon to the large veins
on the outer side of his left forearm,
and with jabs and a see-saw motion,
he lacerated the flesh and muscles OF
the arm and tore open the veins, leav-
ing a large, jagged wound exposed,
VII ON6ll hhlNH t4At blHOh Su1lNA III
streams. dyeing his bed clothing and
running down over the cell floor in
pools. His second attempt came after
the wound had been dressed and closed
by the county physician.
4 Second Attempt.
Niedermeier was lying apparently
unconscious in the hospital under a
guards care, His right arm and hand
were hidden by the bed clothing, and
with hardly a discernible motion he
slipped the b~andages off his left arm,
and with his sharp finger nails tore
away the threads in the wound, and,
inserting his forefnger into the ragged
hole, he worked again at the veins
and sought to reach an artery. He
unconsciously uttered a groan and
made a convulsiVe movement which at
tracted the attention of the physicians,
nurses and the guard, and on throw
ing back the Coverlids, the attendants
saw with horror that Niedermeier had
torn away the bandages and reopened
the wound. Niedermeier opened his
eyes, and with a leering, wan smile
explained: Let me died, Doc, Go away
and let me die. You were almost too
late the first time. Now why do you
try to save my life?"
His Condition Serious.
Niedemeier lost a large quantity of
blood, and was almost pulseless for
a time. The most danger, however, is
that the poisonous phosphorus has
burned him SO severely that his life
can not be saved for its final snufin6
out on the gallows.
Niedermeier says he got his idea OF
swallowing phosphorus when a pris-
oner in the Jail committed suicide in
that manner while Niedermeier was
awaiting trial. For the last two weeks
Niedermeier has been saving the
matches he was able to fitch and beg.
He even gave up smoking to some eX-
tent so he could hoard them. In get
ting at the veins and arteries In his
arm he first sawed three long gashes.
Then he pushed the sharp end of the
pencil into one so it would pass under
the veins. Then he twisted the pencil
around and around until the veins were
twisted and burst. In doing this the
pencil broke into several pieces.
Niedermeier's first attempt at suicide
was nearly successful.
Letter Found in His Cot.
A letter written by Niedermeier
prior to the attempt at suicide was
found concealed in his cot. In the let
ter the writer incidentally expresses
repentance of his career, and he re-
grets leaving the few who have loved
him, but chiefly the letter is a morbid
gl%orifcation of the writer's courage and
his loyalty to his kind in contrast with
Niedermeier's associate, Gustav Marx.
The letter says: There are four rea-
sons why | should take my own life.
First, because of the public boast that
| can not commit suicide while ! am
so closely guarded. Second, and that
| can not cheat the scaffold. Third,
that they car not say they executed me
and made me pay for a crime. Fourth,
to have another mystery for the igno'
ront police to solve"
The letter concludes as follows:
at seems very pleasant to have this
everlasting enjoyment Of rest. | am
atheist and do not believe in any
religion.
tSignedl
mpu,rrp