Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-24
YOUTH ADMITS
ATTEMPTING TO
POISON MOTHER
JOHN HANUSCHEK PLEADS
GUILTY TO CHARGE
TELLS HIS REMARKABLE STORY
TO COURT
He Also Planned the Death of Hired
Man, as He Did Not Like the
Way the Ranch Was
Managed

Eighteen-year-old John Hanuschek'
stolid and Indifferent to the punish
rnent the law held in store for him,
pleaded guilty yesterday in Judge
willis court to an attempt to take the
life of his widowed mother by placing
tormaldehyde in her coffee. Hanu-
schek did not want the services OF a
lawyer. =,
He realized there was no escape by
presenting a plea of insanity. Also he
knew that Police Detectives Aoslck
and Zeiglcr and Captain of Detectives
Flammer and others had talked TO
him. obtaining a voluntary admission
of his attempt to poison his mother'
and William Williamson, an enploye
aft the Hanuschek dairy ranch in the
Colegrove district, had taken precau-
tions to defeat an insanity plea
So he walked into the criminal court
yesterday and pleaded guilty, careless
of the consequences, and giving no IN
dication of an appeal for leniency, nor
caring whether his mother and their
friends would seek his parole. That
Judge Willis had declared against
probation to those who took life was
not known to him, but his demeanor
was that he did not care. His mother
tears and half stifed sobs did not at
tract his attention. Other eyes became
AuOlSI III Sy AA1PdlAlJs bAb hOh AAAS'
Assumes Careless Demeanor
The uncouth youth, hair disheveled
and attired in a soiled suit of oVeralls,
his oval face displaying the beard that
comes at the approach to MANHOOD
entered his plea with the nonchalance
of one who knew what to say and how
TO saw it. He could not disguise the
fact that he had been before the bar
of justice before, and he did not
seek to.
"How do you plead to this charge ?"
asked the Judge, his features giving
evidence of the gravity of the charge.
"Guilty, your honor" was the
youths response.
Appear here Friday for sentence"
said Judge Willis as he motioned to
his bailiff to return the prisoner to the
county Jail.
The Hanuschek case Is one Of the
most remarkable written in the Grim
inal history of Los Angeles county.
The prisoner planned to take two lives
because he was jealous of the man
agement of his widowed mothers
dairy ranch. His father, John Hanu
schek, ST., a cigarmaker and a tobacco
store keeper in ILos Angeles, died seven
months ago. The police questioned
him concerning his fathers death, but
he denied responsibility.
dad had valvular heart disease"
he said, land when the main valve
burst he died"
Hanuschek pere did die as the youth
said, the death certificate substantial
ing his explanation. II loved my dad,
and I wouldn't have hurted him for all
the money in the world,' he mumbled
as he furtively wiped tear from his
eyes with his coat sleeve.
But did try to kill my mother and
Williamson. My mother had me pa
rolled from Whittier, where 1 was
locked up for burglary, grand larceny
and incorrigibility, when my father
was dying. She wanted me to help
with the COWS. Williamson, who had
worked for us when dad was in the
cigar store, wanted to come back to
the ranch, and when my father died
he applied for work. My mother
thought I was shiftless and William
son was employed.
Poisons Mothers Coffee
1--WE quarreled many times, and
when my mother took sides with him
] decided 1 must do something to get
rid of both. I saw the bottle contain
ing the formaldehyde on a shelf It's
red label and the skull and cross-bones
told me 1t was poison. Mother likes
coffee and drinks cup after cup of it
during the day. When l realized that
the poison in the bottle might work
to relieve me of those 1 felt were my
enemies I emptied the contents of the
bottle in the coffee pot and ran from
the house.
II crept back an hour later, thinking
i would find my mother and William
son dead. I overheard men talking,
and learned that my plan had failed.
Mother drank of the coffee, but not the
hired man. She was found by neigh
bors where she had fallen in the pas
ture. 1 realized by this time that
would be punished, and I fled into a