The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-26


hoped for.
"well, as the story went, I hung
around the farm for couple OF days,
and then the wife began making soft
soap. The lye in the big kettle had
been boiling for Ave hours and mid
night had come when raised win
dow and crept into the house. l found
the guilty parties asleep. tapped
them on the head with a club and
awoke them. Then I sat down by the
bedside and gloated over their fears.
oh, but 1 gloated! They wept and
prayed and shivered and shook, but I
sat there with the look of demon
on my face. l prolonged their misery
for hours, and had my audience so
wrought up that no one breathed.
II could have battered In the skulls
of my victims with the club or cut
off their heads with the ak, but such
a death would have been too merciful.
After tantalizlng them to my hearts
content carried the man out to the
soap kettle and held him in 1t, head
downward, until he ceased to kick.
Then came the turn of her who had
been my wife. Heavens, how she
shrieked and prayed, how she ran
around the room, how she cried out
to me that the man had hypnotized
her! was grim--grIm as the death
that must soon be hers. She looked for
Just one flicker of mercy In my eyes,
but she looked In vain. For an hour
made her taste the bitterness of death.
and then / reached out to seize her
and make soft soap of her, but heart
disease had carried her off. She was
dead.
"'And I'm glad Of itv shouted every
soul in the room as he or she rose up.
Robbed House and Fled.
"well, there wasn't much more to
tell them. l robbed the house and
fled far away and had never even
been suspected of the murders. l
asked them to be so kind as to remem-
Der their oaths. as I had a strange
prejudice against being hung, and then
let the farmer lock me into the barn
for the night. Next day was arrest
ed. Of course. Every one of them had
gone and given me away. Two con-
stables came and loaded me with
chains. and was taken to the county
jail. Warrants for murder were sworn
out and the legal authorities at Pilot
Knob, Mo-, communicated with. That's
where l had laid the scene of the
crime.
"Say, my friend, was In quod six
weeks and during that time 245 peo-
pie were admitted to gaze upon the
blood stained demon. Reporters from
three papers interviewed me, and !
told them six different yarns. re-
ceived and entertained and confessed
to five different ministers. No two
confessions were alike. Seven differ
ent doctors studied and examined me.
/ wasn't going through with all this
and living like tramp. you know.
You bet / wasn't. i had the bridal
chamber Of the jail. and / had dainties
and bouquets to beat the band. 1t
was my harvest, and l made the most
of 1t.
"Of course the Missouri officials
were bound to write back after due
investigation that / was liar, and
OF course the time came when I was
turned out Of jail. There was general
indignation that was not fiendish
murderer instead Of an innocent man,
and some folks hinted at lynching.
The sheriff fairly kicked me out of
the jail, and the only friend had was
the farmer for whom had started
grubbing stumps. He was waiting
for me at his gate, and when l came
along he saluted me with:
"'Come right In and go to work
again, and I'll make your board free
this time
"'But ! thought you'd be down on
me- / said.
Glands, no! A man that can lie
like you can ought to have $50 a
month and board to do nothing else.
Come In. Come in.'"
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