The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-06-11
FORTUNE TELLER
FACES GALLOWS
Wholesale Assassin Under Sen
tence to Expiate Crime at
End Of Rope.
A LONG RECORD Of CRIME
Condemned Man Is Accused Of Slay
ing Nearly an Entire Family.
Three Children Escaped
From Murderer.

Chicago, June 11.-Herman Bilek,
Bohemian fortune teller, hypnotist
and wholesale assassin, is again face
to face with the gallows. Convicted
of Staying Mary Vrzal here in 1905.
and accused of causing the death by
poison of five other members of the
Vrzal family, Bilek is under sentence
to expiate his crimes on the gallows
tomorrow, when the reprieve grant
ed by Governor Deneen will expire
Confident that he will be given ano-
ther lease of life and that he will
finally be released the Bohemian,
who is declared by his countrymen
to be possessed of "the evil eye' and
to have made compact with satan,
is not alarmed at his impending fate,
Among the Bohemians OF Chicago
there is a widespread fear that Bill
elk will be given his freedom and
afforded another opportunity to
work his alleged devilish black arts
among them. 1t was probably due to
head Of the Paulist Order in this city
who has attempted to secure a par
don for the fortune teller, was re-
Gently warned to desist from his ef-
forts on penalty of death. The warn
| ing to the priest was written in blood
and signed with skull and cross
bones, and threatened not only the
death of the Clergyman, but also
that his church would be blown up
by dynamite.
That Bilek, convicted of the most
horrible crimes and admittedly a IA
kir and charlatan, should have
been able to arouse the interest ana
compassion of clergymen, sisters of
charity and influential lawyers, is a
tribute to his hypnotic powers which
his jailers cannot understand.
Bilek is 40 and stout. His mother
is also fortune teller and is known
among Bohemians as witch" His
complexion is dark. After fashion
he is good looking He speaks Bo-
hemian, German and English, the
last brokenly. His eyes are small and
dark and bespeak cunning There is
strong vein of vanity in the man
as indicated by his manner of dress
and speech. The police say he is a
foxy prisoner. Inspector Shippy
has caught him lying a time or two,
but that he has not been caught Of
tener is tribute to his skill in evas-
ion and mendacity. More than any
other type Bilek resembles one of
the French Macquereaux as they are
found in San Francisco-men who
demand all of woman's sin-earned
money and her life when she quits
producing money for him. His habit
ual attitude toward women is that
of the superior being to the inferior.
Perhaps this has had something to
do with the wonderful control he
has exercised over women.
Martin Vrzal owned a milk depot
and was making money. He was a
hardworking man and had accumu-
lated several thousand dollars by
strict attention to his little business
and by economy. He had seven chill
dren, all girls but one. Mrs. Vrzal
helped him in the milk business, and
the family was prosperous. Bilek
moved into house few doors from
the Vrzals and became customer
at the milk depot. From that day the
Vrzal home was turned into a house
OF tragedy and death. Now there is
| no Vrzal home, only three of the
family are alive and Bilek Is facing
the gailows.
Nowhere in crime history is there
any record of spell more complete
than that cast by Bilek over the
Vrzal family. Part of it may have
Teen due to their belief In the for
tune teIer's occult powers, strength
ened at intervals by displays of sill
ly mummery by Bilek And yet this
family was no more superstitious
than thousands of others. 1t is
doubtful IL they would have believed
the same things from the lips OF any