The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-17
FATHERS SLAYER SET FREE
No DOUBT ABOUT JURf'S FEEL
INGS. BUT a QUEER VERDICT.

Near Gtrfe St0ry -P1tnetic court
scenes -Dsdn't sheot &C Fathcr. but
wanted Help 40 she Held Dying Mothcr.
1t took a Coroner's jury one minute and
a half yesterday afternoon to decide the
guilt or innocence Of Mrs. Madeline Wsss-
ner Lsnglotz.
We find. the jury reported, that Mrs.
Gustav Washer came TO her death from
bullet wounds inflicted by a pistol in the
hands Of Gustav Washer. and we find that
Gustav Washer came to his death from u
bullet wound from a pistol in the hands
Of an unknown person.
THAT means. gentlemen" said Coroner
hamburger. that thisp prisoner Iis dischar GET.
Young woman, you may 60" N
The young woman staggered TO her
feet and through her tears murmured.
Il thank you"
The foreman Of the jury asked the
Coroner not to adjourn court Immediately.
as the jury had another matter to attend
to before Mrs. Lanslotz left, II was ar
ranged swiftly. The jurors took up .
collection and a good sized sum was handed
to the young widow.
The discharge Of Mrs. Langlots. who
had killed her father after he had shot her
mother in their home at cOSs Third avenue
on Thursday, followed dramatic scenes
in the Coroner's court. After the young
woman had told her story on the stand
every member Of the jury wept.
IL 80. x, - 1. Ratha.sa k..a.ltk.
and a family's misery for years, as it could
be told only by one who had suffered. A
twelve-year-old girl. Annie Wsssner. had
told on the stand how her father had
wronged her when she was 0 years old.
The girl didn't have to tell the shocking
details Of the story, thanks to Coroner
Hamburger, Assistant District Attorney
Symonds and other men in the court
room. Alexander Michaelson, who had
appeared voluntarily as counsel for Mrs
Langiotz, meant we'll undoubtedly when
he said to Annie:
Just tell the jury what your father did
to you three years ago?'
Instantly there was a murmur OF disap-
proval from the men in the court room.
Coroner Hamburger and Coroner Acritelli.
who also sat on the bench, said that the
jury understood. and that IL wasn't neces-
sary for the girl to tell the story. Assistant
District Attorney Symonds expressed the
same opinion.
In taking the stand to tell Of the shooting.
Mrs. Langlotz said that in, ths excitement
Of the day before she had been unable 20
tell all hat had happened. She never in
tended to shoot her father. she said.
4 .lshatak h. 1aaa~uad IL faR thu -aU h.
had treated his family.
W kept a revolver In the front ROOM
she said. The police told US to keep II.
for we could fire out the window when
father came around to hurt us, and in this
way, the police said, we could attract help
better than any other.
was the first one up yesterday morning
and / awakened mamma and little Annie. I
only take coffee in the morning, but I stirred
up batter TO make pancakes for Annie. she
is so fond Of them. Mamma and Annie
enjoyed the pancakes so much that I went
out and baked more. We were having
such fun over those pancakes that we
laughed more than we had for some time.
While l was making a trip TO the kitchen
and returning with two cups OF cofee In
my hands l heard mamma and little Annie
scream.
Il rushed in and there was my father.
He had a revolver in his Tar and was
chasing mamma into a bedroom. Annie
had run into the hallway TO call the neigh
bors. I rushed into the front room, whore
we had an employment agency. l picked
up the telephone and said 10 central For
Gods sake send us helpl Send the polioel'
AS 1 was ~telephoning 1 heard a shot.
then another. / grabbed up the revolver
which the police had told us TO keep and
ran back to the room. There I found
mamma on the floor. with father standing
some distance away and shooting at her. ,
l grabbed mother in my left arm and lifted
her up as high as I could. There was fire
sizzling down the front Of her dress. l
snuffed it out with my fingers. All this
time father was shooting at the two OF us.
mo help had come and l remembered
what the police had told me. Levelling
the revolver with my right hand I fired
toward the open window. Papa was stand
ing, bracing himself against the wall and
swapping the revolver. / didn't shoot him.
II / did I dida't mean to. ] just shot out
the window to attract the police. Perhaps
my hand wasn't steady and he got in the
way Of the bullet
She told her story in a straightforward
way. 30 thorough was her expianatscn
that Assistant District Attorney Symonds
didn't cross-examine her. She described
how she and her mother and sister had
moved from place to place every non in
order to get away from the wrath OF her
father. She told Of how Washer had beat
her and her mother and tied them with q
rope and locked them in the cellar Of their
home in Germany years age. Mrs. Wass-
ner almost died in a hospital at ono time
because Washer had kicked her after an
operation for a tumor.
Mrs. Langlotz showed remarkable nerve
during her ordeal on the stand, but M
broke dow completely when she told Of
how Washer had wronged her sister Asye
three years g On one occasion. Mrs.
Langlotz told the jury. 1t was necessary TO
dress her mother In mans clothing ami
carry her over the roof Of their home IN
Eighty-ssventh street to escape Wassner.
who had sworn TO kill his wife. The family