The daily Alaskan., 1913-03-26
A Wrong
 Decision
By ARTHUR ". BREWSTER

 and l was to be his heir. He was man who never forgave an injury. If any one tried to get an unwarranted advantage of him he would beat him, If possible, and In any event would never forgive him. He lived In a sub urban town alone except for the serv- ants, received no company and never went out socially. went to see hlm at least once a week, often remaining all night
 One morning. after having dined with him the evening before and remained all night, intending to take an early train to the city. went Into his room to bid him goodhy and was shocked to dnd him dead In hls bed He had been stabbed to the heart was about to call the servants when it occurred to me that, being my uncle's heIr. was in a position to be suspected Of his murder.
 Would 1t be better for me to be be fore the world the discoverer of my uncle's having been killed or to leave the house, pretending not to know any thing about lt7 l had been asked the night before by a maid if l would have breakfast prepared for me and had said that [ would breakfast in the city.
 If went out, as was 10 be ex- pected. the servants would discover and announce the murder. gave but a few seconds to deliberate whether l should leave the house thus or an- nounce the murder. then decided on the former course.
 On my way to the city l was much sgitated and fearful that l lad decided wrong. It turned out that l had, A maid had arisen and was descending from the story above when | was leav- ing my uncle's room. She saw me and later. when she went tO awaken her master and found him dead, remem, bered having seen me leaving his chamber. The result was that when was told Of the tragedy and looked surprised and shocked l was at once arrested and brought to trial
 The explanation ] have given here was without any effect on the jury My attorney only relied on it so far as 1t could be corroborated by other eyi, dence. He introduced the statements of those who knew my uncle and who swore that be was Q man having many enemies During h'S long life several persons had said to him, You shall pay for this" or "Tll have your hearts blood" or Just you wait" My defender took the ground that some one Of these persons had done the deed. But my unwise action on dis covering my uncle's dead body had fixed his death irrevOcably on me ,un- less the real murderer could be dis covered.
 l was convicted. My lawyer resort ed to the usual methods to secure de lay, and my execution was put on from time to time Finally. all these subterfuges having failed. a day was set for my death.
 Books and newspapers were allowed me. but ! could read only the latter One day [ was trying to keep my mind or my horror by reading a morning journal when ] saw that a burglary had been committed and the robber had been arrested with tLe plUnder on him.
 Ills portrait was In the rOgues' gal lery and identified him as Peter Rit terhof, with several aliases. He had but recently left state prison. hay ing been sent there for a robbery com. mltted i've years before.
 Ritterhof! Where had l heard that uamel Some Ritterhof had crossed my path at some time. but | could not remember when. the circumstances or the person. The memory does not al ways act instantly. There are cases wherein it requires time. Presently l recalled that the name was connected with scene in court Then the fact came to me that my uncle had once sent a workman to the penitentiary who had been engaged in his house and whom he accused of purlOining certain yaluables. Lastly, Ritterhof and this workman became identical in my mind.
 l sent for my attorney at once and told him what l have given here. Not wishing to excite in ne a hope that might be dashed. be went away, sim. ply saying that he would make a thor ough investigation. In time he re, turned. saying that be had examined the records and found that this Peter Ritterhof had been sent up" exactly ten years and ten days before the date of the murder for stealing articles from my uncle's house.
 So affected was 1 by the announce ment. which 1 considered tantamount to a reprieve, that | tOppled over When | came to myself again my at torney impressed upon me the impor tance of fixing the murder upon this man and told me be proposed to do it by the process called third degree.
 I had another temporary breakdown when he came to my cell the next day and announced that be had secured the desired confession. He acquired 1t by assuring RitterhOf that he had three witnesses ready to swear that be had said he would kill the man who caused his imprisonment and had eyi- dence of his having been seen leaving