Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-17
THOUGHT OF BABE
CHANGES PURPOSE
IMPRISONED FORcER SAVES
HIS OWN LIFE
Meant TO Hang Himself, but Loyal
Wife and Child Nerve Him to
Live, Plead Guilty and
Il Hope

| In a last desperate effort TO wipe out
the stain against his wife and baby
boy, Henry Schwerin, a young Los
Angeles man, attempted suicide early
yesterday morning In his cell in the
county Jail, but was discovered hang
| Ing from the bars before IL was too
late.
The story Of the young mans down
fall Is as pitiful as any in the his
tory Of the southwest
| He came to Los Angeles from Dem
yer about a year ago and brought with
him his fair young wife and pretty
baby boy.
But Schwerin had been used to the
luxuries of the wealthy, and was not
prepared for q life of hard work to
keep the wolf from the door.
Back in Denver his people were of
the best, and when he was married
to a pretty woman from New York
the match was considered an ideal one.
Then the baby boy was born and the
young people were very happy.
His Health Fails
About a year ago Schwerin was or
dered to leave Denver because of his
health and he came to Los Angeles.
Life was not as easy here as it had
been at home and the young man was
too proud to ask aid from his relatives.
Inc couple ana Lne little DOY lived
in cottage on East Twenty-third
street. while Schwerin tried to make
living in the insurance business.
Later, according to allegations
against him, he passed a number Of
worthless checks on local stores and
was finally apprehended only by
chance.
Monday he was to have appeared in
court with his attorney, Paul Ussher,
and there plead guilty to the only two
charges brought against him and
throw himself on the mercy Of the
court.
The strain Of anxiety, however.
proved too much for the young man,
and yesterday morning he attempted
to end all by hanging himself to the
bars of his CELL
TRUSTEES Rescue Him
But 1t was the same thought Of the
loo4 of want in the eyes of his baby
that had probably caused him to COM
init the first crime that proved a foil
against the attempted self-murder. and
he clutched the bars Just in time to
save his life and the TRUSTEES rescued
him.
And all the time the youngster is
waiting for his papa. Out on South
Olive street the wife had arranged two
small rooms, and there she lives, hop
! ing against hope, for the baby's sake.
that her husband will be released ON
probation.
Since the time Of the young mans
arrest on June the little woman has
been working day and night to save
him.
She has visited the officials OF both
city and county, and from all has re-
ceived sympathy except from Detec-
tive Hawley, who arrested the man.
The men who cashed the checks viii
&C xrrffh I,n - \. -.
money. which the woman has managed
to secure. The district attorneys Of
flee, in view of the fact that Schwern
would be unable to survive six months
of penitentiary life, is in favor of hav-
ing him released on probation Of the
court.
viii Plead Guilty
The man will plead guilty on Mon
day morning, and it was probably the
thought of those great baby eyes that
caused him to try and leave 1t ALL
There is plenty of good in Harry
said the young wife loyalty yesterday.
''He had been reared very we'll and
he had pleasing manner and we were
very happy. Then his health failed
and he came to Los Angeles, He tried
to keep us in plenty and he worked
hard every day. but he did not seem
to get as much as we needed. And all
the time he never said anything to me
ABOUT MS trouble, but Went anead ana
passed the worthless checks, SO that
we might have what we needed.
''It looked hard to him that the baby
should want anything, and so he would
| go to place and give a. check and re-
ceive some article of value and the
change.
He did that number Of times, and.
as he was never caught, he kept it up.
Blow to Young Wife
1.-THE first knew of it was on the
day of his arrest.
He told me good-by and said he
would be back and go to the beach
with me. But he never came back.
1 waited all that day and he never
came, and all that night was nearly
| crazy with uncertainty.
''The next morning read of the
case in the newspapers, and hurried to
my husband. He said that the Of
ficers had promised to telephone to me
and had failed to do so.
HE will admit that he did wrong
and he is penitent, so that have hopes
that he may be released on probation.
He has never done anything wrong be-
fore in his life, and we hope he may be
| allowed to go on probation.
''It would mean his death If he was
sent to the penitentiary, for he Is In
a critical condition now
-AO