Evening journal., 1906-09-15
CONFESSES CRIME
AT BIG RALLY
Prayer at Prohibition Con-
VentiOn is interrupted By
Cries of Repentant Slayer
ARRESTED BY MINISTERS

NEW YORK. Sept. 15.-Into the midst
OF the Richmond County Prohibition
Convention. at Mariners Harbor, there
dashed an excited man whose face was
contorted and who waved his hands and
screamed.
The $50 members Of the convention were
listening with bowed heads to the open
ing prayer by the Rev. James II Howard.
pastor Of the summerheld Methodist
Church, but all ieaped 20 their feet as the
man threw himself at the feet OF the
praWng minister. crying out:
''Oh, my God, forgive me for my sins. |
am a murderer. 1 have broken uD my
home beaten my wife and children. /
have shot my mother-in-iaw and the Of
ficers Of the law. and I have killed an In
nocent man. Unless / am forgiven / have
nothing to live for. God forgive me or
strike me dead now
When the man finished his prayer and
fell over against the platform. several
delegates sprang forward. thinking him
intoxicated or demerted, but the Rev.
Mr. Howard recognized him as Henry
Dean. a man whom he knew 20 be wanted
by the police and he stepped down from
the platform. raised the man 10 his feet
and with the aid Of anothsr minister,
carmea him to drug store across the
way There. while a policeman was being
summoned, Mr Howard soothed the man
and asked him to confess his sins in all
details.
And between sobs and cries Dean CON
fossed that it was he who one stormy
night last March murdered the maa
whose body WAS found upon tile Fresh
Kills trcstle. The body had never been
I idcntihed Dean had not even been su e
pectcd IN connection with the crimc. am,
( the murder had long since gone dow
among the mysteries unfathomable.
you know" he told ihe minister. "hoa
happy I was ten Years ago. when I ha.
"a Job ANA saved enough to marry Esthc
Cozinc. and how happy ] was when IN
children camt. You remember too, hol
started TO go to the bad. got 10 drink
ing. beat my wife ard ,he little kids un
al they went away from me 20 I've will
i my mother-in-law. Airs. Cozine The polio
know the rest How ] went away Unit
February Of last year and then came blcl
one night and sho, my moiher-in-iaw u
tne breast whom she refused 10 iet me "a
To see my wife. how / fired ai my vile
too. trying TO XIII her when I krew
I wasn't worthy to live with her at an.
'Wcl. after the shooting I hid MA
my home untn the next day. whoa
heard that nay mother-in-law had be-
taken 10 the hospital and was likely Il
die. That frightened me. for ] knew th
police would try me for murder. and
ned. For nearly year half crnzed am
always drinking TO drown my remorsc.
travelled ih other statos-ip PennsylNan' a
where I worked in the mines; in Detawai
away down South and through tire Wcsi
But one day in March the longing 10 50
my wife and the children again overcam
my fear and returned on train.
Il did not know whether my mothor-in
law was dead or not. SO I got OF "a
train in Jersey and hid among the ares
until night. when I climbed up The FIRES
Kills trcstle and started tosvatllo ovcr &
staten land Ia the dark and on the mid
die OF the iresle. I met this man walk
ing the other way. ! guess nay mind mus
have given way from fear. or ! though
him an officer waiting to arrest me- for
leaped upoa him. He pushed me away an
began TO abuse me. Hardly knowing wha
did. I raised the club that / held ii m
hand and struck him on the head. He fcl
and that Is how I am q murderer"
As Dean finished his startling confess'o
Policeman Decker. Of the Wsst Brlghto
police station arrived. Whrn he sa'
Deans face be refused 10 arrest hin
"'rhat man shot Policeman Matthias.
cried the policeman, "IIe shall not sho'
me. too" Tho ministers pleaded wit
Decker 70 arrest the man IN vain. Deck'
started away ANA just then Dean. su.
denly resolving TO regain his libcft
struck the three men who We're holdin
him. and breaking free from the other
dnshcd from the store and ran IN Centti
avenue
The minister and forty delegates 10 u
! convention pursued him ana one ~ then
, Henry Redloud. caught and held him 2
( the Ti,ndtickson Hotel. There he w
kent until Decker finally consented to h
: rest him if the Prohibition desgAt
would accompany him With the prisen'
{ 10 th. police station. They agreed an
? Dean was finally locked up. charged vii
3 the ATTEMPTED murder.
The police are not positive whether Il
man : confession Is true. or whether
hns become insane. lie says that he RI
turned home hast night again because
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