The daily sentinel., 1908-03-14

notist, necromancer, dispenser of
charms and potions, reputed among
his countrymen to be the possessor of
an "evil eye" and convicted by the
courts as one of the most heartless
arch-assassins of the age, will be
hanged by the neck until dead, un-
less
Unless the confession of 1S-year-
old Jaroslav Vzral, who escaped the
tragic fate of nearly all the other
members of the Vzral family and
whose testimony was the main factor
in convicting Bilek, now serves to
save the Bohemian from the hang
man. In an affidavit, young Vzral
not only admits that his testimony
was pure perjury, but declares that
two of his relatives also lied.
The supreme court has affirmed
the verdict of death, but 1T is likely
that Governor Deneen will intervene
to prevent. at least, the immediate
execution of the sentence.
In his cell, Bilek, chuckles glee-
fully, declaring that he is innocent
and that he is now certain that he
will be acquitted and set free.
That Bilek is apparently to be
saved from his impending doom is
due mainly to the work of a Catholic
sister and a priest. That the beady-
eyed, unkempt, repulsive fortune
teller should have been able To
arouse the interest and compassion
of the gentle sister of charity and
the learned priest and caused them
to work unremittedly to save him
| from the gallows, is in itself one OF
the most remarkable phases of the
remarkable influence eXerted by
Bilek.
Young Vzral's confession was OBJ
tanned mainly through the instru-
mentality of the Rev. Father O'Calli-
CHAN, head of the Paulist Fathers in
Chicago. and Sister Rose, of the Ital-
ian Order of the Missionary Sisters
of the Sacred Heart.
In explaining his interest in Bilek
Father O'Callaghan said:
''The beginning of my interest
dates from last spring. In one OF
my frequent visits to the county jai
met Sister Rose, who asked me to
interest myself in a prisoner named
Bilek. She said that he was there
on the charge of murder. but she
knew he was an innocent man. | said
had so many calls upon my time
and sympathy that | did not fee
that l could do anything for the man
AT any rate, / said, he was for
|
answered.: but he should not hang
for being such
81 told her l thought the judge
and jury would do him justice. TIC
my astonishment he was convicted
and | felt that | had neglected the
cause of an innocent man. Behind
all the accidentals of this case were
the prayers of a devoted nun who
first assured me of Bilek's inno-
cence and the prayers of the sisters
who are called the Poor Clares."
The immediate criIhe for which
Bilek was sentenced to death WAS
the murder of Mary Vzral, the %
year-old daughter of Martin and Rose
Vzral, Bohemians who lived on Wes!
Nineteenth street He was charged
also with the murder of Martin
Vzral, the father; of Tillie. agen IS;
Rose, aged IA, and Ella, aged 70.
While the evidence that he murdered
Mrs. Rose Vzral the mother, is not
complete, 1t seems certain that IL he
did not himself administer the pois-
on that caused her death he COM
PEELED her, through the hypnotic in
fluence he exercised over her, to
take her own life. These five crimes
were committed by Bilek within a
period of one year and nine months
and in that time he had mulcted the
family. through the medium of Mrs
Vzral. of $4,000 in property and life
insurance carried by his victims
which he obtained. All the remain
ing members of the Vzral family got
out of the estate of their father and
the insurance of their sisters was 6
< bare living and the funeral expense.
of the victims. Bilek got the rest
Previous to the death of Martin
Vzral Bilek had obtained in loans
from him another $4,000, making
the total netted from the killing o.
J five people. $4,000. trifle over 81.
900 a life But that was not the
lowest price for which Bilek woule
commit murder. The life of little