The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-17
ON TRIAL FOR LIFE
FOR SORD|DCR|NE
Frank E. Heideman,
Confessed Murderer,
Faces Court To- Day.
A SCHOOL GIRL
WAS HIS VICTIM
Dismissed Once, His Second
Arrest Follows Clever Detcc-
tive Work-A Thousand
Times at Point Of Comics
sion, 1t Finally Was
Forced From Him.

tSpeClSt 10 L ne ines DlSDatCn.l
Freehold. y. j.. April ls.-This
sleepy little Jersey town Will be placed
on the map tomorrow. when Frank
E. Hcideman the youthful German
gardener and self-confcssed murderer
OF ten-year- old Marie Smith. OF Asbury
Park. n. j.. will be placed On trial for
his life.
The sordid nature OF the crime. the
impcnetrable mystery that surrounded
& and the ingenious method by which
the murderer was captured. ail have
combined to arouse public interest.
On November Q, 1910. Marie Smith.
a pretty little schoolgirl! of the cS
elusive residential colony at AsbuEy
Park, y. j., disappeared while return
Ing from her studies. Every effort
was made TO discover her whereabouts,
posses were formed the surrounding
territory was carefully searched ana
the news spread broadcast through the
land. Five days elapsed and the ch!lds
parents were almost frantic with de-
hpair and grief, when William Benson
florist of Bradley Beach, \. j.. re-
ported the finding OF her lifeless BODY.
horribly mutilated. and showing signs
OF an outrageous attack in a lonely
thicket near Il li,tlc lake which boroers
Asbury Park. 3H
This news tanned the Indignation o:
the colonis,s 10 fever heat ana ,wu
arrests were madc--onc an ex-negio
pugiiist called BLACK Diamond Wil-
liaIns. and the other Frank f. Hcidc-
man, the youthful German sarietrt
now on trial. So cool ANA collected.
however. was lieiaeinan under exam!
nation tha, he was dismlssel for iacr
n OF evidence.
The burden OF suspicion was directed
against the negro. and there was con-
siderable tal,- OF Il lynching. OWNS
10 The threaten. s attitude OF the pop
uIacc. the authorities smuggled the ne
ero from the scene OF the crime TO
the Jail in this town. whore ne was
held for several weeks. but finally dis
missed for lack of evidence.
Tho crime gradually dropped from
public print. and seemed destined to
go down TO posterity as another I'M
fathomable mystery. And 1t no doubt
would had 1t not been for the untiriug
efforts OF three wealthy residents OF
the community-s.erin Hctrlck. Ran
dolph II. Miller. employer OF The MUIR
dercd child's father. and l. j. Hand
ley. These men secretly met and
agreed to push tho investigation till
the last clue had been run down, paying
the expenses out or their own pockets.
To this end the best detectives in the
country were hired, and all suspected
OF any possible knowledge of the
crime were put under strict and secret
surveillance.
The weary months dragged by, and
all but the little knot of anxious
friends and relatives of the murdered
child had forgotten tine foul deed OF
early November, when on March Is.
Sheriff Hetrick electrified the coun-
1r-,h t nj IN cir &c han
shrinking shoulder of the covering
little German gardener In the smoking
car OF q tr!in that was passing wilnin
sight OF the dreary little lake whero
the body of the murdered child was
found. and exclaimed:
I'm the name OF the law l arrest you
for the murder of Marie Smith"
The prisoner was rushed 10 the
county jail, hurriedly arrnigned before
Justice William p. Voorhees,, in the
County Court at Freehold, and, after
q whispered coloquy between HIM
self and his counsel. during which he
appeared greatly agitated. turned 10
the justice. and In broken accents,
pleaded guilty Later the story of
the remarkable detective work that led
10 the confession and arrest OF the
murderer came to light.
Shortly alter Hcideman's release he
pleaded illness Quit his job IN .lsbury
Park anu travelled to New YORK. where
the detective detailed TO watch him
made his acquaintance in the second
Avenue haunts. where the guilty man
sought to drown the memories of the
past in wild dehanch. The acquaint.
ance ripened into friendship. The two
men took room together, and as
their intimacy increased and the sus-
pccted gardeners funds ran low, he
borrowed from MS newfound friend
Clever Ruse Works.
AS weeks stretched into months
~ no sign of IIeidemans weak
CHING, the detective determined on n
desperate eXpcdient. In burst or
confidence lie told his friend that he.
too. was fugitive from Justice.
charged With III murder Of two people
In Chicago The scent was growing
hot, and lie was in nomentary fear OF
arrest. He proposed that they leave
the city, and pointed significantly to
huge revolver. and declared that he
would never be taken alive. The pair
took train for Rochester. ". y. where
the detective had completed arrange.
lnents for the drama that aimed 70
shake the taciturnity Of the murderer
and wiring from him a confession
The coup dc grace took place IN
the woods where the detective ana
his friend had been accustomed 10
rrrnble. The detective proposed little
Target practice, and emptied his re-
+ vi9sTer at mark some fifty feet away.
ttaen the gardener opened fire. and
while the reverberation of his pistol
was yet echoing through the forest !,
man stag red from thlcket a fes
feet 10 the right Of tho mark ana.
with a shrek fell apparently dead nj
their feet. The detective seized his
oompa. ion. and the men hurried from
K l57T iContinucd on Second I1orc ------TT-----