The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-04-24
WIDOW TELLS A STORY
RIVALlNG FICTION IN PLOT AND
STRONG SITUATlONS-MA
RIED MAN WHO MUIR.
DERED HUSBAND.
Special to The Bulletin.

murdered her first husband, afterwarJ
married her, and how he, one night
when his crime was weighing heavily
on his mind, arose from their bed and
in his sleep, acted out the tragedy be-
fore her
1t was the first she had known, on
wen suspected, of her second hus
bands guilt The next morning
when, fearing that her life was not
safe, she told Rocker what he had
done in the night, he threatened TO
murder her if she ever told the story
rhen he confessed to her that it was
rue and also that he had been mar
led before and had wife and four
children living in Minnesota.
Mr.. and Mrs. Schroeder lived near
Doom, Iowa, where Schroeder was
ouni hanging to strap in his barn
lead on June 30, 1900. The affair had
been a mystery until now, On that
lay Schroeder. his wife and Rocker
Who was a neigAbor, had been attend.
ng a picnic, After they come home
Schroeder went to do his work i'll the
,arn ana some hours later was found
ranging there dead,
Mrs. Schroeder, about two years
ater, married Rocker. They went tc
i've in Elkton. S. d., and child was
,orn to them She testified in the
fial to;lay that Rocker wanted to XII
ne baby "ie wanted to throw II
the well" she said was horror
tricken From that time on he was
ruel to me lie was inhuman.
Last September, while he was
hreshing, he became angry at my
title boy and struck him on the head
With monkey wrench, breaking
zones of the skull and all but killing
i'm. We Quarreled about this, Then
le went to town. lie came homo At
. O'Clock in the morning and went to
ed, but his sleep was not quiet tlc
nuttered and moaned AMI occasional
y turned over
Suddenly he sat up, struck ME IN
he face and made my nose bleed
With his hand on me he said these
sords in a heartless voice;
August, you --, have got you
low.'
Then he went on ravirg, some
lines incoherently, sometimes as
lainly as ] am telling it now, part Ol
he time with his eyes closed, again
tith them open in the CLASSY, staring
'xpressioniess way of sleep walker
ie addres ed himself to me part OF
he time. but he seemed to be talking
10 the man he had murdered ana Gu
.cting the tragedy again
Il was in an agony and fear, for |
vas sure he woIld end it by strang
ing me and hanging me as he had
lled Schroeder Next morning |
,sked him what he meant when he
aid in his sleep, August, have go,
}ou now
"He turned pale and told me tO
.eep my mouth shut or it would b9
dangerous.
Later in the day asked him again
or | was determined that it was as
afe TO have it out as to stay with
i'm. Then IL was that he told mt
thout il.
The witness paused, shu1dered and
vas silent for a moment to collect
lerself for the revolving story
He told me that on the day Of the
boon picnic he went to a drugstore
nd bought chloroform and morphine
Ie put this in whisky and gave it t.
august When they got home he left
ne. and August put up the horses
nd he stayed outside When August
,ame out Rocker said he 'paralyzed
i'm He said he put him on barrel
art and took him TO the barn and
,ulled his body up over ioist
when he told me this he took q
oyolver from his pocket. pressed Il
my head and made me get on my
nees Then he said Now. If you
ever tell this | will kill you surely
Mrs Schroeder's story was admit
ed as evidence by Judge Wakefield
other witnesses for the state testified
tbout the family Rocker had in Min
lesota at the time he married Mrs
Schroeder after her first husband's
Gudden death
People who viewed the remains u
Schroeder soon after they we're cut
duwn, testified that the surroundings
we're such as TO bear ont Mrs
Schroeder's story, and there was eyi-
dence that Schroeder could not have
hanged himself in the position in
which his body was found
The purchase of the poison at the
drug store at Doom was also verified
by the clerk who sold IL. 'fhe case
~ a