Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-20
Schid|ofska Tries to Hang
Himself in Cell.
Found With Suspenders About
Neck Gasping for Breath.
Confesses 10 Additional Details Of Brutal
Murder Of His Wife.

La Junta, Colo, July 19.-With 3
moose made of his suspenders. Johr
Schidlofska, held in the Otero county
Jail here, charged with the murder OF
his wife on the Arlington golf links ir
Belmont, Mass, made a desperate eff
tort 20 commit suicide by strangulatior
about o'clock, Tuesday afternoon.
His attempt followed a conversation
held with his captor, Sheriff George
Barr, In the Jail corridor. Tuesday
morning.
During this conversation the prison
er begged that it be arranged to send
him back to Russia to be tried.
The sheriff explained that a mar
could not be tried in Russia for crime
committed in the state of Massachu-
sets. The prisoner seemed to be great
ly affected by the sheriff's declaration
and grew very excited. "They will xii!
ne, they will kill me-" he said.
What can l do. l can't make them
understand me, l can't talk the Ian
guage good enough to tell them how ii
happened. / killed her, but l can't tell
why"
Sheriff Barr told the man that he
would have an interpreter. but despite
the fact that he used the simplest
terms in defining the word, he could
not make the Lithuanian understand.
The prisoners spirits had evidently
undergone a severe shock, as he had
completely lost his self-control and be-
gan weeping bitterly. He was taken to
his cell by the sheriff, who had to go to
ROCKFORD, II miles away, to serve
some papers in civil suit.
Jailer Frank Nixon was the only one
at the Jail during the afternoon, and
with his wife he spent most of the time
on the lawn in the rear of the Jail.
At 5 o'clock. he entered the corridor
to give Schidlofska his evening meal
and heard him kicking about his cell
lie ran 90 the entrance of the stee
cage in which the Russian is confined
He was startled by the sight which
met his eyes. Schidlofska had tied one
end of his suspenders to crossbar ~
the door and the other end about his
neck. Falling forward, he put his whole
weight on the moose and was rolling
and kicking about in his efforts to
choke himself. The prisoner was gasp
ing for breath.
The jailer had arrived just in time
Had the suspender moose slipped more
easily there is little doubt that the
wife murderer would have succeeded
in cheating the law.
The sheriff and jailer both refuse to
talk of the attempted suicide and say
that it was a bluff" Since the attempt
however, the sheriff has refused to adj
nit anyone to the Jail.
Schidlofska seemed in good spirits
Tuesday morning. and talked more
freely of himself and his crime than
at any time since he has been in the
Jail He added many details, however
to his former confession and still
seemed Indifferent to any feature of his
cage excepting his possible punishment
He speaks English poorly and resorts
often to profanity and slang. On his
right arm are discolored finger prints
which he claims were made by his wife
before he had made any attempt to kill
her.
"She was fighting me-" he said. land
she tried to choke me. See where she
squeezed my arm
There is little doubt but that the
finger prints on his arm are mute tes-
timony of the vain though terrific
struggles of the woman against the at
tack of the brute who has confessed
her murder.