The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-21
AGED SOL DYER KILLS WIFE WHO
 BEGGED DEATH
Court Imposes Minimum Pen atty on Man of Eighty.
HIS LIFE SURE
 TO END IN PRISON
Woman Had Keen Long III and
 In Severe Pain.


 Philadelphia, Jan 21-Eighty years old and so feeble that he had 10 clutch the railing of the witness stand for support as he told his story, Will liam Eberwein, a veteran of the Civil War, was arraigned today for killing his wife, fifteen years younger than himself, by striking her repeatedly on the head with a board. 1T did it because she begged me to, ?, the old man said, and his story so inn pressed Judge Mailing that he fixed the crime at murder in the second de- gree and imposed the minimum pen- atty. which to Eberwein. at his age. is practically a, life sentence. He is committed to solitary cpnfin en ent in the Eastern Penitentiary for not less than seven years. nor more than four teen.
 Eberwein,s wife, who had been an invalid for years, was found dead in her home last October. It was found that death was caused by a fractured skull, and Eberwein was placed un- der arrest He was brought into Criminal Court today to face the charge of murder few witnesses wornan's death and the admission of Eberwein that he had killed her. and then the defendant was called to tes- tify in his own behalf. Totterihg to the bar. the white hair- ed old man grasped the rail with trembling hands and stood there si- lently.
 ..TelI us how it happened. in your way,,s' Eberwein's lawyer prompted him. and the old soldier quietly, and I at times in tones so low that it was difficult to hear him, told the story of the wonan's murder. 4 We never had a quarrel, he be- gan; there was never a word be- tween my wife and me. She had been sick a long time, For seven years she had been having dizzy spells. They would come on her anyWheres. She always had bruises on her from falling down
 sThen, three years ago, one of her feet got something Wrong with it. The doctor said 1t was a cancer He do much for it. She suffered awful and seemed to get worse and worse fal1 the time ;, 1 Then the dizzy spells kept coming Eoftener and oftener- She was falling down all the time-sometimes in the sometimes in the cellar. If went out of the house was pretty sure to find her lying somewhere in a faint.
 'sThen came that day last October. left her upstairs and went out in the yard to fix the fence. | a went into, see what it was. I found nay wife all piled up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. tried to pick her up, but it hurt her so had to stop. didn't notice if she was b1eed- ing or not, but I know she was in a terrible way.
 .sIm suffering something awful. Willians she says to ne.
 tIn get the doctor says.
 s' No, mo- she says I'm hurt too bad for a doctor to be any good. All ] want is to die. You do it. william [ Do what?s says.
 ssEnd it all for me, she says.
 :. Why. can't do that T says; it q be a sim
 Its no sin when I'm suffering so,' she says. and she begged and begged me to do it again and again. There was piece of board in my hand. I'd had it out in the yard when I. was nending the fence and I'd brought it into the house with me. l I looked at her, laying there hurt SC bad, and. I guessed. like she did, that | it wouldn't be sin.
 She looked at the board and then at me Go on, William she says; l sgo on.'
 s.so I took the board and tapped her with it at once. Then tapped lagain, a. little harder. She didn't moan much. and kept on. Once Z eyes and kind of whisp to me: Go on; it won't be long now
 .so I kept on tapping. and present l ly she didn't moan any more. and ] knew twas all over,'' The old man stopped for a moment Then he turned and faced Judge Wal ling.
 .sThat;s all,'a he said, ..except that if I get out of this I'd like to go to ithe Soldiers Home.''
 Then, turning away. he tottered back to his place in the dock and sat down
 No attempt was made to cross-ex- anime him or to urge him to amplffy his story. Sentence was imposed at once.
 1 What will they do with me now ?'' the old man asked as the court offie- CTS came to take him to prison, and when he had been told: | sTd rather have gone to the Sol diers' Home.'' he said, 'tbut suppose they couldn't send me there.''