Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-14
CONSCIENCE IS
MANS TORTURE
G0ADS HIM TO THE POINT OF
DESPERATION
Story of BundrIck, the Georgia MUIR
derer, at First DlsbeIIeved, Is
Now Found to Be
True

Closely watched in cell at the
county Jail George w. Bundrick Of
Rains, Ca, self-confes7ed murderer OF
John Schroeder and remarka BILE Grim
inal who gave himself up to Sheriff
Hammel, awaits the time when he will
be taken back to the state from whence
he came to face the death sentence
already pronounced against him.
The mans case, according to the
statements of Sheriff Hammel yester-
day, is not without duplicate. To hear
Bundrick tell of what he suffered in
the three or four years of his liberty
is like going through the experience
of terrible nightmare.
Schroeder was killed from ambush
while returning to his home from
prayer meeting during November of
1901. Bundrick AMI he ha,- been en-
gagged in a long and bitter war for
property that finally developed into a
feud and members of the Schroeder fam
lily promptly took up the cause of their
murdered kinSmen, and as is the way
Of the hills and backwoods, they began
still hunt for the man whom they
believed had fired the fatal shot.
A sheriff's posse in a last desperate
dash saved Bundrick from a short
shrift and he was tried on the murder
charge, convicted and sentenced to be
hanged.
Goaded by His Conscience
Then a private tip came to the Off
GERS that the relatives of the dead man
were still after Bundrick and he was
sent to Americus for safe keeping.
There with the aid of his cellmate
he overpowered the guard and escaped
and became q wanderer. According to
his statement his liberty, so dear to
a
saw an officer in every man he met.
He thought that every mans hand was
against him. He feared to ask for
work even in cities where most of the
inhabitants did not even remember that
Georgia was still on the map, and he
even dared not risk asking help at
farm houses throughout the country.
Haunted by his conscience, even
though no one was looking for him and
his crime had been all but forgotten,
Bundrick wandered through the south
west. In Arizona, where no mans past
is questioned, he hored to lose himself,
but he could not. He woke at night
thinking of his rime His conscience
found him, no matter where he stopped,
and moved him on anC on remorseless-
ly, letting him stop neither day nor
night until at Downey few Gays ago
he asked an officer to take him to the
sheriff and deliver Linn up to pay the
penalty.
Tells of Similar Case
"This mans case har had a precedent
right in the county here" said Sheriff
Hammel yesterday.
Some years ago when was serv-
ing term as sheriff an elderly man
came to me from the mountains and
said he had killed his mother and
father. He appeared so crazy that l
laughed at him, but nevertheless 1 held
him long enough to look into the rec
ord of the long ago, and the mans
statement was correct. He had killed
his parents and .:ved for years without
an officer laying hands on him, until
the constant strain on his mind, the
sleepless nights, the fear that every
step behind him was tat OF an officer
in search for him and the grip of the
conscience at his heart strings drove
him right into tn doorway Of the
county jail.
ut is the same way with this man
He Feels the dread of his
the lash and sting on his
mind have driven him here. He im-
AGNES that his brother, the only per-
son he loved, was being tortured to
death by detectives, Nov it just shows
how the strain will wreck a mans
mind. There h; % been criminals who
have killed and gotten away who We're
never troubled by their conscience, but
every once in Will, we get man
like Bundrick Tho would rather die
than fight his conscience