The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-10-03
AWFUL DREAM
OF a Man Leads to His ConvIc=
ton of Murder.
FUNG MJERDERE D MAN
Iu His Own Barn to Mske 1t Appear
That He Had Committed Suicide
and Then Acted 0ut the
Whole Thing In His
Sleep

Whole Thing Ia His
Sleep
The trial ani conviction Of Charlie
& cke: st Sib'cy, lows, recently 10
the murder CT August Schroeder ha7
revealed q stor. as strange and drsn
ATTIC as any that can be discovered L
the psg.s Of fc>ion.
l5is O strar se and dramatic tina
1t parallels clio ;ely, sDd in many re
spe.ts surpssses in interest, the IS
NOUS sgory OF Eugene Arsn, whio'
has beccne classic n literature, an
fascinated the ,2inos of men for msn,
&c srations. The history OF EageH
Aran was ia tie fsst instance an &C
currsnce OF re.l Life, Ike that Q
Charles & ECKER. It vas MADE the Au
jscs CT novel by Bnl~eI Lyaton ant
OF & poem by I lom Hcoc, which COZ
tsins me Of the most fsnlhaf am
thr:litpc lines ever quoted.
Like Eugene Ara1n, Charles .Hccke
wa. cony.c:sd y his own involun5srj
snsotnens OF L, crime. Like E2gen'
Arsn, g wv ugAg 3 murder N
dream" The s7erts in both case
wouid. In tae sw OF s person OF pos
ticsl inagtoatt; q, SeeM to point tt
the existence II al ave: g.og spil'
which pursues {. nu7oersr and forces
him to give ev!te ence Of lis ovn guilt
august Schrt ,dsr Tss a rich, lusei
i,ee Mt sro jndu :trious Gurmsn farm
er, asgipg q js ge fsln Lear doom
iowa. BE hao: young sno handsome
wits, l;ois Semester. His Affairs
were In sxceEsr COZ ditien. Rs hae
every rsason sc oe pissed with life.
o. the night OF Ju 80. 1900, hi:
w1l., not knosi@g why 30 Pad not re
tus: ed to the hc use, Eent to 6oe csrE
to look for him, and there, to Ter un'
spes skab!e horro3, she fuu0d MIN bang
ing by 8 rope nom beam. He wa
suone eesd.
sae shrieked cor help, and inmedi
steiy there cane to her asslsSaf cs
Charles Rocker. principal 1ain neno
and Adtloh Sc: roeGer, 8 brother 0:
tbs dead man. They carried her hai:
uucuns eious bscg T., the house anc
then they cut dc IN the bcoy.
Toere were csrtsin Circumstance
connected with The des5:. tnst nlgEt
have aroused sus picion, but there was
appsrersls 20 ore who could nave nae
2 1ovivs for committing the czicoe
On both sides Of tie deac MACS WIND
,yoe and under bis chip there were
bruises Of 8 teri; ole chSIacver, which,
It might have been argued, were no'
caused bs rne rope with which IL was
supposed st:e dscs&sed hs. sai LIN
self. IL tie absence cf other eVloeics
than this and O; any suspicion agsls s;
any persol, tie theory Ct suicide Was
generally Lu: Lot universally, accept
ed SIS the true explanation OF tne
tragedy.
Mrs. Sc -roe6er vas embarrassed
when she found herself left alone T.
manage the big farm. Rocker was 8
very capable farmer and be vas a!se
handsome and OF powerful pbys.qae
He courteo her with great ardor sno
in q few months becs me her husband
This prcce ecipg excited severe c1l5i
cism amo: & the ne.ghbcls, those VIC
Lad entertained suspicious OF Rccsel
st tie time OF Sahroeoe1's des1E
now expressed them openly |. conse
ouercs Of this Rocker sold tie farm
and took lis wife away to SouSh Da
kosa.
Soon after the marriage Che wife
discovered that be was Selfish, brutal
and OF an e1cse dinghy violent te emper
She be gan to lock continually 1oi
new revelations OF dis bad character
At last one night tie strange oc
curence, that is The key note OF tnA
history, happened. Between two ant
three O'Clock in the morning Mrs
Becker was Awakened from 8 oeeI
sleep By the savage shouts and Violen'
actions Of her husband.
At fzst she thought that be was GO
ing to attack her, bua then she reaEz
ed thai he wss ensct!rg sc5ne &
fearful violence IN dream. Sne Is,
saill, fascinated with horror, unaol
to speak CT move. a.,
"a. j. August" be yelled. "Now
have dors for ecu. Ytu won't worr
me any more with your bullying an
mesness, y u misery cur"
All the while he uttered this ian
euaqe be was utchiDg the pillow VIZ
terrible fury, SIS II he were ergagea Il
choking a I; t man to death by crush
Ing bis neck.
again. ~,
be cried. Don't look at ne. l won
do you any good. III kill you If I nav
to twist your head of T"
AS he spoke these wcrds bis st!ug
giles with the pillow Increased IN fur
for some moments, and he grew Qule'
or again.
Nog he seemed to be very bus
thrustipg bis hands into inaginsr
places, IS il he we're enptyiEg 3 man
pcckots. =,
Then be lifted the pillow as II
were 8 great we!ght, fell out OF be
aud found himself awake.
MIS-. Rocker slept 70 more tha
night. She guessed that Rocker mus
have been taking CT her first husband
murder. In the nor! ing Rocksr NJ
ti;e6 her ter fed look and asked b
what was she matter. She told hl'
that sne mad heard him talk in b
sleep about choking August.
PFC baby E ycker thought that il I
lett her In this state OF u2eertains
she might salk to pc; pla. He ther'
fore confessed 20 ger and tcld her tbs
II she brsathsd a word Of what he Sal
ne 20 lid xiii ner as surely as ne ia
S