Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-30
.W0LTER GOES
TO THE CHAIR
DENYING: ! IN [: CRIME \ !:
New Yorker Convicted Of
Luring Stenographer to
Rooms and Killing Her,
Protests Innocence.

Wolter was put to death in the electric
chair at Sing Sing prison at 5:41
o'clock this morning for the murder
of Is year old Ruth Wheeler nearly
two years ago.
The girl came to VOTERS fiat in
New York in search Of employment
and he killed her after she had been
mistreated. Wolter left q 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 Wolter showed
less resistance to the electric current
than any murderer put to death by
electricity at Sing Sing prison.
The murderer spent his last night
quietly, resting only part of the time.
At 3 o'clock this morning, Wolter
wrote his denial of the killing 1t
was on single sheet and so even and
clear We're the letters formed that the
writing had the appearance of copper
plate The statement reads:
WoIter Denies Crime.
warden j. s. Kennedy: To be
given to the public. January 20, 2 a. m. !:
Now that am departing from this
earth to 60 into the presence of God
l 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. wish to
state am innocent of the crime ] was
convicted of. I have been a victim OF
circumstantial evidence. l hope that
there may come time when the con-
science of the perpetrator will over
power him and he will come to the
front and acknowledge his guilt. It
is my honest prayersto 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 whose who have given me their
kind assistance and have trusted in
me, give my sincerest thanks. To
those who have maliciously prosecuted
and killed me, for them pray Gods
forgiveness.
ALBERT wolter."
Although Wolter was convicted on
circumstantial evidence, the court of
appeals reviewing the case after a
series of legal delays declared he was
fairly tried and Justly convicted.
Murder for Which Wolter Died
Ruth Wheeler met her death on
March "a, 1910, in VOTERS apartment
on the fourth floor OF q house on East
18th street, New York City, where
she had gone to seek employment as q
stenographer. Her charred body was
discovered subsequently.
The evidence indicated that the
girl had come to her death by strangu-
lation and burning after having been
ravished. The body had been thrust
into fire place where it was partly
burned and concealed until it became
convenient to remove it in a bag to
the fire escape from which it was
thrown to the ground below.
Wclter admitted that he wrote the
postal card which led Ruth Wheeler
to visit his apartment and in a book
kept by him was found in her hand
writing an entry of her name and ad-
dress. A hat pin and ring which
Ju0 SlTl Idu III IL OA lAS AuOl uIiS VI
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
desirous of starting school of short
hand and told hem he was going to
engage Ruth Wheeler. No one could
be found to testify to the existence of
Ahner.
I Wolter was sentenced to be electro
cuted on June 6, 1910 but the execution
was stayed by an appeal. Although
the law allows but six months in which
to argue such an appeal, the case did
not reach the court OF appeals until
Dec 4, 1911. The court affirmed the
Judgment Of conviction within ten
days.