The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-29
Miss Ruth Wheeler and Albert WoIter
Who Was Executed Today for Her
Murder.

two years ago. The girl came to
VOTERS flat in New York in search
of employment and he killed her after
| she had been mistreated. Wolter left
| a statement with Warden Kennedy
denying that he had committed the
| crime. The execution was without
feature and Wolter was declared dead
after one contact of 1850 volts. The
state electrician said that WoEer
showed less resistance to the electric
current than any murderer previously
put to death by electricity at Sing Sing
prison.
The murderer spent his last night
quietly, resting only part of the time.
At this morning WOlter wrote his
denial of the killing. 1t was on sin
gle sheet and so even and clear were
the letters formed that the writing had
the appearance of copper plate. The
statement reads:
His Statement.
January 20, 2 a. m.
warden J. S. Kennedy:
ITO Be Given to the Public;
Now that 1 am departing from this
earth to go into the presence of God
I wish to make this last statement.
The world refused me justice, but our
Father in Heaven, who knows our in
nermost thought, He will give me pure
and undefiled justice. 1 wish to state
[ am innocent of the crime L was con-
victed of. I have been victim of
circumstantial evidence. 1 hope there
may come a time when the conscience
of the perpetratOr will OVerpOWer and
will compel him to come to the front
and acknowledge the crime. 1t is my
honest prayer to God that he may
bring the person guilty of the crime TO
Justice that my name may be cleared
of this stain and that the people may
see the injustice done me and that
they killed an innocent boy. To those
who have given me their kind ASSIST
ance and have trusted in me l. give
IT,, n
have maliciously prosecuted and killed
me- for them I pray Gods forgiveness
ALBERT WOLTER.'
ON Circumstantial Evidence.
Although Wolter was convicted on
circumstantia1 evidence, the court OF
appeals reviewing the case after
series of legal delays, declared he was
fairly tried and justly convicted.
Ruth Wheeler met her death on
March "a, 1910. in VOTERS apart
ment on the fourth floor of house on
Fast Seventy-fifth street, New York
CITY. where she had gone to seek en-
ployment as a stenographer- her
charred body was discovered supse-
o1entlv. The evidence indicated that
the girl had come to her death by
STANDARDIZATION and burning after having
been ravished. The body had been
thrust into fireplace where 1t was
became convenient to remove It in a
bag to the fire escape from which 1t
was thrown to the ground below
said He Never Saw Her
Wolter admitted that he wrote the
postal card which led Ruth Wheeler
to visit his apartment and in book
kent by him was found in her hand
writing an entry of her name and ad-
dress. A hatpin and a ring which the
girl had worn on the morning of her
disappearance were found in the fire
place and in a house to which Wolter
had moved on the following day was
found an umbrella. which the girl was
said to have had with her when she
left home Wolter claimed he had
never seen the Wheeler girl. He
sought to account for the entry of the
girls name in his book by saying he
wrote it there at the dictation of
Fred Ahner." who was DESTROYS of
starting a school OF shorthand and
told him he was going to engage Ruth
Wheeler No one could be found to
testify to the existence of Ahner.
Wolter was sentenced to be electro
cuted on June 16, 1910, but the execu-.
ton was stayed by an appeal. Al
though the law allows but six months
in which to argue such an appeal, the
case did not reach the court of ap-
peals until December 4, 1911. The
court affirmed the judgment of con-
viction within ten day.