New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
'Priest," from the Death
House, Sends Strange
Letter to Delehanty.
TELLS OF HIS PLOT
TO SHAM INSANITY
Asserts He Does Not Expect
Credence, but Muret, Not He,
Killed Anna Aumuller.

murder of Anna Aumuller, has written
the following letter to acting District
Attorney Delehsnty:
please do not take these lines as
the statement Of defendant TO Dis
trict Attorney to be used as Exhibit
No. so-and-so,' but simply as the ex-
preston OF few human feelings Of an
inhuman animal, who is duly locked up
in the death house in order to prevent
him from indulgng any further in his
favorite pastime of which he confessed
to be so very fond-cutting people into
pieces, alive.
There is an old German saying, 'Wer
.inmal hegt, dem glaubt man NIGHT,
ind wenn err such die Wshrheit
spricht' che who once lies is thought
always TO lieO. Taking this ground,
you will be more than justified in ham,
mering jury into Inconsistencies on
the topic g my untruthfulness and
convince them easily that | am un-
worthy TO be believed in anything.
"The consoling, If little fattering,
assurance of my friend Muret did not
come true: You just act natural, and
NltN Will ali dkltt Will lif AIdk fOA al e
a fool with exceptional ability TO bring
himself and his friends into trouble
Ii Sounded Good to Him.
"'You know very well that did that
COMPOUNDED Job at Bradhurst av. only
at your request. ! had bunch that
the thing would come out wrong right
from the beginning. l hope you are
decent enough TO leave me out of 1t.
We all must agree. If it should come
out, that she never was here and that
never saw her, either dead or alive.
"I will help you in the insanity de-
fence. IL will be the easiest way out
for all concerned. Otherwise it would
be about twenty years in states prison
for manslaughter in the first degree for
you and me. With the insanity plea it
will not come to any trial at all, but
you will be sent 70 an asylum, where
they will dismiss you after some time
as cured
This sounded like a good pro-
grsmme. The first break in il was the
Unexpected arrest Of Muret on account
OF my physical and mental collapse
after the death of Annie. Instead of
cleaning up things l sat home like one
paralyzed, my limbs like lead. In con-
sequence the detectives found easily
things which led them to the photo
engraving studio at l34th ST. and then
to Muret
"Muret. after the shock of his own
arrest was over, kept the agreement by
saying that he knew nothing about
Annie, and telling DR.. Mcclure and
Lichtenstein that the death of Annie
was due to an act of insanity on my
part, that | was certainly insane and
that ! had often told him / should like
TO be crucified like Christ, that threw
money away like prince, that ! am a
religious maniac, etc.
He Played His Part.
81 did my part by saying: There
was no baby. MIret never saw Annie;
he is an excellent man; he made only
postal cards; ] made the copper plates
for the United States bills all alone;
he knew nothing about it; he is quite
innocent; he is only a victim Of cir
cumstances, etc
you. Mr.. Delehanty, think il about
right when, after some wrangling, you
forced it out Of the mouth Of poor DR..
Leo, He is simply nutty'
'My 'nuttiness' went so far as TO be-
lieve that the very fact Of my saying:
L killed Annie Aumuller by cutting her
throat while she was asleep with a
knife and saw bought for this pur-
pose even without the Abraham and
Isaac addition, would be enough to
send me 70 an insane asylum without
trial.
"But the outcome shows again how
easy 1t is TO convince people Of ones
thorough badness and perversity, in
spite of all aesthetic looks, which we're
accredited TO me. All you have TO do
is 10 tell them so in confession and
YOU will always strike a corresponding
chord In the heart of your dear neigh
Dor.
81 am now in the next neighborhood
OF the death chamber growing kind Of
familiar with it. / know il will be a
hard job TO convince the majority of
people that did not cut up that lovely
girl alive II would be too disappoint-
ing TO the popular moving picture i'm
sgination, and il makes such attrac-
tive headlines in red that it will be
hard TO get them away from it.
Now He Becomes Sauealer.
ut was easy for your and my com
bined efforts to convince them that /
cut the poor girls throat cut her into
pieces alive and so forth. 'Quod vol
umus, credmus, libenter' is an old ex-
perience. But what's the use Of get
ting bitter about human nature in gen
erai.
''If the people Unexpectedly should
decide that | should not die in the
electric chair IL will not make much
difference. There is nothing to hope
for in my life. Before me is a life
in prison. long term as most judges
in Manhattan are in the habit of i'm
posing, with no star Of Hope life
Of misery, worse than death.
$50 there will not be much objection
or strong efforts on the part Of the de-
PENDANT Of this case. In all the igno-
miny which | heaped upon myself dur
ing the first trials there was at least
little secret corner in my heart where
could console and worship my
esteemed ego for being somewhat Of
hero in disguise, knowing that did at
least one decent thing keep my word.
save friends who had meant well and
20 whom had promised TO stick IL out
all alone. But now there 10 nothing
left in me 20 admire. To the public
contempt I add my own-just a com
mon squealcr-
like most proverbs the above men
toned German one about liars is only
n half truth. Only the most systematic
liar has sometimes weak spells, in
which he yields 20 the temptation 20
tell the truth. which is mostly dis
agreeable in spite Of all the beautiful
things which poets say about truth.
have had my turn. Now, let US hope
sczinst hope that my friends will have
a weak spell, too Yours respectfully
"HANS SCHMIDT.
"sing Sing Prison"
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