The San Francisco call., 1906-08-17
LOVE AND MURDER
TOLD IN NOTES.
Letters of Mrs. Scheck
Reveal the Grim Plot
to Kill Her Husband
CLINCH THE CASE
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL.

r OS ANGELES, Aug. 16.-When
under oath Mrs. Aurelia Scheek
told the horrible story of how
she and Ernest G. Stackpole
planned for months how they could rid
themselves OF the woman's husband in
order that they would be unharnpered
In the continuance of their Illicit love,
stackpole sneered at her from his place
IN the prisoners dock. He knew that
without corToboration her story would
De worthless for the unconfirmed con-
lesslon of an accomplice cannot, ac-
cording to California law, hang any
man.
Today his cheer suddenly disap-
peared, the flush of anger that had APP
peared upon his cheeks gave way to
the palor OF terror. His one fatal
nlGnder IN connection with the murder
OF Joel Scheck. for which he is on trial
Tor his life. had been discovered, and
today the prosecution was able to sup
ply what may reasonably be considered
almost complete confirmation OF what
the miserable woman who assisted him
In killing her own husband had testi-
ned TO. After today's session of court
the gailows loomed more ominously
than ever before the defendant.
The corroborative evidence was con-
tanned in pile of letters, no less than
100 of them, written by the woman to
the man. Mrs. Scheck had burned the
letters she had received. but by what
strange chance Stackpole elected to
keep his bundle of love letters is more
than he himself can tell now, and to-
night in his cell he openly cursed him
self for a fool and told his cell mates
of what had been brought up against
him. Scattered through the letters are
number of allusions to what appears
to have been an explicit understanding
between Stackpole and Mrs. Scheck
that he should murder Joel Scheck.
The letters were found in a safety
deposit box which Stackpole had rent
ed and that fact was established as a
prelude to the reading of the missives
There was not time for the reading OF
all of them. but the general tenor of
all of the fifteen introduced and read
TO the jury was along the same general
lines and all of them contained refer
ence to the crime which the two were
plotting. Here are few samples OF
what she wrote:
yes, dear, ! wish some one would
drop d. and never come up Why
wouldn't that be good idea, dear
1t is cheaper, you know"
After describing certain blue dresses
in one letter, she re1ers to that other
color (mourning) l am going TO wear
for few weeks
Referring to a proposed trip to Ari-
zona she wrote, saying
"Carfare would be too much for he
and to go there and for me TO bring
him back which / would have to do.u
Mrs. Scheck's clumsily yelled refer
ence to the murder they were plan
ming runs through all the letters.
The defense objected to the intro
duction of the letters on the ground
that the seizure of the private prop
erty of a defendant for use against
him as evidence to convict hidm OF
crime is not permissible; that 1t is
violation Of the Federal constitution,
and compels the defendant thus to tes-
tify against himself Decisions of the
United States Supreme Court were
cited along this line. Judge James
however. oyerruled the objection and
the prosecution began the reading OF
the letters.
Deputy District Attorney Fleming
was put upon the stand and denied
that he had told Mrs. Scheck that
.'it would be easier for her IL she
would testify against Stackpole and
tell the truth.
Alongside the great bundle of mis-
sives that teemed with protestations
of Illicit love, betrayal and murder of
husband were two letters of another
kind that formed a pathetic exhibit in
the case. They were letters from the
husband, Joel Scheck, to Ernest Stack
pole, lover of the wife, and they were
the all-confiding. honest, sincere, un-
suspecting messages of one man to an
other man. whom he supposed to be his
true friend.