The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-03-01

Abraham Wanger. of the West Ches-
ter bar, who was district attorney
when Winfield 11udderzook was
Without under,.., enlarge
upon this prisoners ms 1ee; 'tion
his countenance itself ous. <ca/
sufficient to interfere with the "a
penalty" Mr.. Wanger writes, ''ar,>
l am impressed from my observations
that to execute this man is not only
inhuman but barbarous. l do not
mean to infer that the conviction of
murder in the first degree was not
proper, but do mean that 1t is a case
Where the proper channel should be
imprisonment as a correct fulfillment
Of the law. This letter is written from
a sense Of duty"
His Pitiful Cry.
'"Too late! Too late"
This was Lewis's reply to his wife
yesterday afternoon when, with her
face pressed close against the bars of
his cell in the West Chester prison.
she told him of her deep regret that
she had not testified Internationally
for him at his trial. She wept bitter
ly as she related again the reasons
why she acted as she did. and said she
felt that she was responsible for his
fate. The condemned mans eyes filled
with tears as he looked at his wife,
but his only reply was: "Too latet
Too late!"
Lewis made a statement in the pres
ence OF his wife, parents, counsel and
a few others, in which he declared
that he had no knowledge Of having
committed the crime Of which he is
convicted. He was urged to tell the
truth and not to go into eternity with
q lie upon his lips. He then faced
those about his cell and satd:
II did not do 1t. I have no recol-
lection of anything about it, and I
have always said in my prayers to
God. Thou alone knowest whether I
have done this deed; don't"
Not Responsible for Statements.
When reminded Of the conflicting
statements he made Immediately af-
ter his arrest, he said;
"At that time I was completely run
down. I suffered with buzzing noises
In my head and pains around my
heart. I went through the depths Of
hell in the awful torture to which
was subjected in the sweating process
at the hands of the district attorney.
No man should be held responsible
for what he might say under those
conditions. I seemed to be compelled
in some way to account for the fact
that the child was found back of my
barn. My last words are, l did not
do 1t. God alone knows II this Is
true, for I can recall nothing about
it."
Brief History Of the Crime.
The crime for which Lewis today
paid the penalty with his life, was q
revolving one. He was q prosperous
young Chester county farmer and,
against the. wishes of his parents
welded q young woman with q past,
which included 5-year old daughter.
He took a most effective interest in
this little one up until year after
his marriage and the time when his
wife was about to present him with
offspring of his own.
Then he grew cold and hard toward
the innocent pledge of his wife's pre-
vious love. One day she mysteriously
disappeared and Lewis attempted to
lead the authorities on many false
trails. Finally the bruised and batter
ed body of the little step-daughter
with marks Of strangling fingers on
the throat, was found buried in a
manure pile back Of the Lewis barn.
1t was also proven that the murder
had actually been committed in the
hay loft Of the barn. Lewis was ar
rested and after making. many con-
ficting statements, finally practically
confessed the crime, at the same time
claiming that he was insane at the
time and did not know how or why
he did It.