The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-19
TRIED TO CHEAT
THE HANGMAN
Car Barn Murderer Makes Two
Attempts at Suicide.
HIS CONDITION PRECARIOUS
NEXT FRIDAY THE DATE OF HIS
EXECUTION.

Chicago, April 1S.-Peter Neidermei-
er' the leader of the car barn bandits
condemned to die on the gallows Fri
day, made two desperate attempts at
suicide today. His condition as a re-
suit Is so precarious that it is feared
he will not survive. Should he still
be alive next Friday ne will be car
ried to the gallOws and executed.
Nedermeier planned his attempted
suicide carefully. First he masticated
and swallowed the heads Of seventy
five or 100 sulphur matches. While the
phosphorus was burning his stomach
ne sawed at the 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 10 the larger vein
on the outer side of his left forearm
and with jabs and n see-saw motion
ne lacerated the flesh and muscles Of
the arm and tore open the veins leaV-
ing large jagged wound exposed,
through which the blood gushed in
streams. dyeing his bed clothing and
running down over the cell floor in
pools.
Slipped the Bandages.
His second attempt came after the
wound had been closed and dressed by
the police physician. Neidermeier 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
dlScernible motion he slipped the ban
dages off his left arm and with his
sharp finger nails tore away the
threads in the wounds and, inserting
his fOretinger into the ragged hole.
he worked again at the veins and
sought TO reach the artery. He uncon-
SciOusly uttered a groan and made a
conVulsive movement which attract
ed the attention of the physicians.
nurses and the guard. and OH throwing
back the cOverlids the attendants saw
with horror that Neidermeier had torn
away the bandages and reopened the
wound. Neidermeier opened his eyes
and with a leering smile exclaimed:
Let me die, doc, go away and let me
die. You were almost too late the first
time. Now, why do you try to save
my life?" Neidermeier lost a great
quantity Of blood and was almost
pulseless for a time. The most danger,
however. is that the poisonous phos-
phOruS has burned him so severely
that his life cannot be saved for its
final snufiug on the gallows.
Neidermeier got his idea of swallow
ing phosphorus when a prisoner in the
Jail committed suicide i'm that manner
while NeideTmeieT was awaiting trial.
For the last two weeks Neidermeier
has been saving the matches he was
able to beg. He gave up smoking to
some extent so he could hoard them.
In getting at the veins and arteries in
his arm he first sawed three gashes.
Then he pushed the sharp end of a
pencil into one so il would pass under
the other veins. Then he twisted the
pencil around and around until the
veins We're twisted and burst. In do
ing this the pencil was broken into
several pieces.
Neidermeier's first attempt at sui
eide was nearly successful.
a letter written by Neidermeier prior
to the attempt at suicide was found
concealed in his cot. In the letter the
writer incidentally expressed repent
ance of his career and regrets leaving
the few who have loved him, but chief
" the letter is a morbid gIOrificatiOn
of the writer's courage and his loyalty
to his kind in contrast with Neider-
meier's associate, Gustav Marx. The
letter says:
His Four Reasons.
There are four reasons why should
take my own life:
"F'irst-Because Of the public boast
that I cannot suicide while 1 am so
closely guarded.
"SecOnd--That I cannot cheat the
sCaffOId.
"Third-That they cannot say they
executed me and made me pay for a
crime.
"Fourth-To have another mystery
for the ignorant police to solve"
The letter concludes as follows:
1T seems very pleasant to have the
everlasting enjoyment of rest. I am an
atheist and do not believe in any re-
ligiOn.
(Signed PETER NEIDERMEIER."