Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-01
WOLTER COOL ON
EVE OF EXECUTION
Mothsr Collapses in Arms of
Mrrderer-He Smokes a
Cigar for an Hour.

Ossining. N. ", Jan. 2s.--In his cell
. next door to the death house in Sing
sing prison. Albert w. Wolter the
degenerate youth, who murdered and
burned Ruth Wheeler In New York near
y two years ago. awaited tonight with
stoid nerve the final expiation of his
crinlo by death before daylight to-nlor-
row.
After n visit of his parents. who wept
over him for more than an hour. and
spiritual consolation by a Lutheran
minister, during which he was practical
~ emotionloss, Woltcr persuaded his
guards to ask Warden Kennedy for a
cigar The warden sent back one of
his best perfectos to the doomed youth
and he puffed on il so calmly and slow
~ that il lasted him for an hour. He
was then locked alone in his cell to
await the call to the electric chair.
The visit of the aged parents who
camo up from New York during the
afternoon, was even more affecting
than tho hardened prison keepers are
accustomed to. The mother collapsed
In her sons arms when she met him
in the death house corridor and cried
bitterly After his parents had left,
the youth said to the guards
Poor old mother. how sorry ! feel
for her, and Dad, too. I don't mind
going to the electric chair, but It Is
terrible on them. | will be glad when
It's all over"
The guards are well accustomed to
such sentiments in doomed prisoners
ana commented on the fact that many
of the weakest characters had such
nerve in facing the death penalty
The Rev. +. +. Buermeyer. who re-
NAMED with the condemned prisoner
during the early evening. said that
Wolter seemed reconciled to his fate
The prison officials have been besieged
by medical men and curious persons for
l. chance TO witness the death Of Wolter,
hut the with, sscs will be restricted to the
usual number of Is as required by law.
Sheriff Julius Harberger of New York
county, who is strong advocate Of the
nhoiition Of capital punishment and who
has had doubts as to the efficacy OF the
electric shock In putting men to death,
will be one of the witnesses He saw an
execution here for the first time recently
when an aged criminal was put to death
and he desires to study the effects Of cleo
tricity on a younger man.
The crime for which WOlter pays the
penalty was one which shocked the coun-
try when tho charred and dismembered
body of Ruth Wheeler was found on a
fire escape outside Of VOTERS East Side
apartment. The girl, who was trying TO
help support widowed mother went TO
the Voter rooms in answer to his adj |
Nertisement of "Stenographers Wanted"
she was terribly mfstreated and strangled |
TO death. The date of the murder WIS
March a, 1910. and n speedy trial resulted |
IN VOTERS conviction for murder in the |
first degree and he was sentenced to die |
on June 4. 1910. An appeal which was |
never prosecuted and other delays held |
UP the execution for nearly two years.
Wolter late tonight sent word to |
Warden Kennedy that statement would |
be placed In that officials hands when
the murderer left his cell to 90 to the
death chair. Warden Kennedy said he |
had no hint as to whether the statement |
would he repetition of the protestation |
of innocence which Wolter addressed to
Governor Dix n few days ago, or a con- |
fcssion.
In his statement to the Governor, VOL
ter repeated the explanation which the
Jury utterly discredited at his trial to the !
effect that another man who had roomed
with him committed the murder. The
police were never able to find any trace of
such Il character as Wolter tried to de-
scribe and his description was so broken
down in the cross-examination that the
subject of 1t was regarded as mythical