Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-01-28
B|LLIK WILL
NOT Be HUNG
DEATH SENTENCE OF ALLEGED
PoISoNER COMMITTED TO
LIFE IMPRISONMENT.
JERRY VZRAL SWORE FALSELY
At Billiks Trial-As Conviction Was
Based on His Testimony, Par
don Board Recon-
mends Action.

Springfield, Ill.-Gov. Charles S.
Deneen on Friday night commuted
to life Imprisonment the sentence
of death which had been pro-
nounced on Herman Billik of Chicago,
condemned to be hanged for the muir
der of Mary VrZal, whom he poisoned
with other members of the family, it
was charged. The commutation is
made on recommendation of the state
board of pardons, after the supreme
court had refused to interfere, saying
that the record showed no reversible
error and affirming the judgment Of
the criminal court of Cook county.
The state board of pardons in making
the recommendations to Gov. Deneen
for Communication of sentence, says
that, after the final action of the SUI
preme court, Jerry VrZal brother of
Mary VrZal, and one of the principal
witnesses for the state at the trial Of
Billik appeared before the state board
of pardons at the hearing of the petit
ton for Billik's pardon and swore that
all his testimony at the trial against
Billik was false except in some unim-
portant facts. The state board of par
dons is of the opinion that, owing to
the statement of the jurors that they
We're influenced to infiict the death
penalty by the testimony of Jerry
Vzral as to certain facts, which We're
not testified to by other witnesses, the
jury would not have inflicted the
death penalty if Jerry Vzrals testi-
mony had been eliminated during the
trial, instead of afterwards.
The trial Judge, in a communication
to the state board of pardons, recon-
mends commutation of the sentence,
saying that the enforcement of the
death penalty, under the circum-
stances of Jerry Vrzals recanting his
testimony at the trial, would not, in
his judgment, meet with general ap-
probation.
Gov. Deneen several months ago
granted Billik a reprieve until the SUI
preme court could review the case.
Last month Lieut.. Gov Sherman, in
the absence of Gov. Deneen at Wash
ington. granted Billik another reprieve
until January 30.
Chicago, Ill-The legal battle OF
Herman Billik to escape the sentence
of death first imposed on him on July
IS, 1907, is without parallel in criminal
records of Illinois. Six times Billik
was granted respites or stays of eX
ecutions, the reprieves coming twice
within four days of the dates set for
his execution and once when the death
march to the scaffold was about to
start.
| The crime for which Billik was con-
victed was the poisoning of 22-year-
old Mary Nrzal Indictments accusing
| him of causing the deaths of six mem
bers of the Vr2al family, alleged to get
their life insurance had been returned
and he was convicted on the first OF
| the charges.
| The revelations of the poisoning of
the VrZal family startled Chicago fol-
lowing the arrest of Billik on Dec
| 4, 1906. The suicide of Mrs. Rose
! Vrzal, Billik's alleged co-conspirator,
! preceded his arrest by few hours.
BLK later was accused of inducing
| the woman to commit suicide. The
man was an lIlneTdnl fortune leller
and admitted swindler who lived upon
the credulity of Bohemian residents of
the western section of the city. Billik
came from Bohemia to the United
| States in 1886. Fer several years he
resided in Cleveland o., where his
mother, Barbara Billik, had been q
| fortune teller for years and where she
! died rpcpptlV hrDkGn a. q ri cd