Norwich bulletin., 1911-11-29
Four to Pay
Death Penalty
TWO BOYS SENTENCED TO LIFE
IMPRISONMENT.
GANG OF SIX CONVICTED
Murdered ard Robbed Truck Farmer
tended with Extreme Brutality.

Chicago, Nov. 2S.-F'our youths were
found guilty of murder in the first de-
sree and sentenced to death and two
boys were sentenced to life imprison-
ment by a jury tonight for the murder
of truck farmer on the outskirts of
the city month ago.
The Boys Confessed.
The four sentenced to death were
Ewald and Frank Shiblawski. A. Philip
Sommerlins and Thomas Schultz The
two sentenced ito life imprisonment
We're Frank Kita and Leo SuchOmsli.
both 16 years old The gang robbed
and slew Fred w. GrueIzow in spite of
his supplication for life because he had
a wife and baby to support. The boys
all confessed.
Pleaded for Death Penalties.
In his final plea for death penalties,
Assistant State Attorney Day made an
unusual closing argument for the pros
ecution. 1t consisted solely of excerpts
from admissions by the boys TO the
police and on the witness stand without
comment.
Farmer Pleaded for His Life.
The story he patched together was
in effect follows:
Gruelzow nearly had reached the city
with a load OF garden produce when
the SIX set upon him armed with two
revolvers, two butcher knives, a club
and hammer Ee a1ighted from his
wagon and was struck down with the
club He pleaded for his life on his
knees. offering the boys all his pos
Eaby a month old at home. The an
swer of the youths was to beat him
into Inconsistencies with the club and
the hammer.
RrutalIy Treated While Unconscious.
After the man was unconscious he
was stabbed four times in the neck
with the butcher knives. the body was
dragged into a nearby thicl1et club
was jammed down his throat and sew
eral bullets were fired into the body
The youths were arrested while trying
TO sell some of the booty.
Only One Ballot Taken.
F,wald Shiblawski is "a years old:
his brother in 81; Sonlmerling, a
brother in law of Frank Shiblawski is
"A years old; nd Schultz 10. The jury
was out only two hours and only one
ballot in each case was taken. The
youth of the two 16-year- old boys is
en that sayed them fl opl hanging,
said the jt trors-
Hon19s of Judge and Jurors Guarded.
5 Tht verdict calls down death upon
more persons than any other one YER
dict in Cook county, save that follow
ing the Haymarket riot, years ago.
when the four anarchists convicted of
throwing bombs into the police ranks
were hanged fIom a, single scaffold. A
heavy guard stands tonight about the
prosecutor, that of Judge Petit, in
whose court the verdict was returned
and a policeman is detailed to guard
the home of each of the jurors.
Threats Made. to JsiIer.
Just before the men were taken in
70 the courtroom to hear the verdict
they told the Jailer that should the
death penalty be voted q band of their
comrades was prepared to invade the
courtroom o. follow to their homes
those responsible for the sentence and
revenge the verdict. No disturbance
save the hysterical shrfeks of rela-
tives of the doomed men interrupted
the proceedings, however.
Collapsed on Hearing Sentences.
When the verdicts were read, one
by one, the men. as they were named
in the messages of death, collapsed,
and had to be assisted to their cells in
the jail by guards. The life impris-
onment sentences were the last read
and the reaction which followed the
unexpected order that life imprison-
ment should be the price OF their crime
threw Rita into convulsions while his
companion became hysterical
The widow of the murdered man sat
in court, holding her baby, and heard
the men sentenced. She nodded her
head, approvingly, then broke down
and wept, crying that the verdict
would not restore her husband.