Americus times-recorder., 1904-04-19
GAR BARN BANDIT
ATTEMPTS SUICIDE
Condemned Man Tries to Cheat
the Gallows.
OPENED ARTERY IN HIS ARM

Peter Neidermeir, One of the Chicago
Car Barn. Bandits. Sentenced tc
Hang, Makes Attempt on His Life
Ate Heads of Matches.
Chicago, April 18-Peter Neidermeir
one OF the car barn bandits, attempt
ed to commit suicide in his cell early
today, and not until he was uncon
clous from the effects of loss of blood
was his condition noticed. He was
taken at once to the jail hospital
but the physicians say his attempt will
not prnve fatal
The heads OF matches were eaten as
one method by which the bandit at
tempted to cheat the gallows. The
other method was by opening an ar
terry in his left arm. This was done
by means Of lead pencil, with which
he tore jagged wound in his wrist
A letter written by Neidermeir pri
or to the attempt at suicide was found
concealed in his clothes 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 NOR.
bid glorification Of the writer's cour.
age and his loyalty to his kind in
contrast with Neidermeir's associate,
Gustav Marx The letter says:
There are four reasons why /
should take my life:
First, because of the public boast
that I cannot commit suicide while
1 am so clsely guarded.
Second, and that | cannot cheat
the scaffold.
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:
ut seems very pleasant to have
this everlasting enjoyment Of rest.
l am an atheist, and do not believe
in any religion. (Signed) Peter Nei.
dermeir."
His second attempt came af.
ter the wound had been dressed and
closed by the county physician. Neider-
meir 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 discernable motion, he slipped the
bandages off his left arm and with
his sharp finger nails tore away the
threads in the wound and inserting
his forefinger into the ragged hole,
he worked again at the veins and
sought to reach an artery. He un-
consciously uttered groan and madd
a conVulsive movement which attract
ed the attention of the physicians.
nurses and the guard, and on throwing
back the coverIids, the attendants
saw, with horror that Neidermeir had
torn away the bandages and reopen
ed the wound. Neidermeir opened his
eyes, and a Ieering, wan smile, ex.
claimed:
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 Iife?"
Neidermeir lost large quantity of
blood and was almost pulseIess for
a time. The most danger, however,
is that the poisonous phosphorus has
burned him SO severely that his life
cannot be saved for its final snufing
out on the gallows.
Neidermeir says he gat his idea of
swallowing phosphorus when a pris.
oner in the Jail committed suicide in
that manner, while Neidermeir was
awaiting trial. For the last two
weeks Nedermeir has been saving
the mathches he was able to tilch and
beg. He even 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 long
gashes. Then he pushed the sharp
end of the pencil into one so it would
pass under the veins. He twisted the
pencil around and around until the
veins were twisted and burst In do
ing this the pencil was broken into
several pieces.