The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-21
AN APPROPRIATE WEDDING
CONFESSES
To TERRIBLE CRIME

Trenton. n j.. June -As--Two men
confined IN separate cells In the New
Jersey State prison here, are principals
In a remarkable story which may nave
as It's moral a grateful acknowledge
nent that IN one case al least the
boosted Jsrse. Justice was not as swift
as It is raputed> 10 be
John Edward schuyler, one Of the
pair of prisoners in this story, who sat
m the death chamber of Hunterdon
county jail Al Pennington one juno
aav seven wears age. and heard the
omtnous pounding of hammers that
were shaping his gallows IN the safa
outside, stands q chance today OF walk
me out Of his prison cage a free ana
indicated man
TIE other man. tho key of schuyiers
freedom is Frank Burd. scarcely
twenty three Years old, who began
life Of crime with a 3ail sentence when
he MAS only seven wears old. and who
had passed the greater part Of the SIX
teen years intervening to now enter
-3..sA+rA- ;.4stsa4. -hAAA
Briefly, Rurd has confessed 70 the
murder OF Manning riley a Califon.
J.. on the night or January ~
: 9e7. a crime for which SCHUYLER, the
other prisoner IN the story, was con-
vlctea. sentenced rs he hanged and
IHAtf sent ~ VI tNttl tAfRf A"l iAt'~
Hunferdon county officials, who
watched through schuylsr+s uFist. com
viction and imprisonment seven years
ago are divided as to opinions re-
gardinx tho truth Of Rurds alleged
confession. Schuyler himself, who has
stoutly protested hts innocence in the
face Of the gallows frat, aud after that
life imprisonment, says he knew the
world would find out the truth some
day.
The people Of Auuterdon coNntv were
never so worked up over a crime as
they were the day after the body OF
the slain Riley was found along the
upper Parker road Riley. young
farmer was extremely popular in tbs
community The indignation was in
creased by the brutal manner in which
he MAS killed Evidently Riley had
been beaten to death with a picked
from a fence Schuyler, who lived at
Nenov, n nearby town. was arrested at
bis mothers horne. The evidence
against him was purely circumstantial
The motive the prosecution endeavored
To show was that Schuyler held
gFudse against Riley as ii result Of
a whipping he received at Riiess
hands eleven years before. Witnesses
were produced who swore that Schuy-
Ter had appeared In the hsrronm OF
a local nERti with ritDHN hhH"S eita
boosted If his settirg even with Riley.
schuyler WAS convicted and his law
Yer appealed for new trial, but he
was refused, The condemned man car
ried his appeal to the board of pardons.
While the board was hearing his case
Governor Stokes granted him respite,
The hoard of pardons turned down the
arreal and Schuyler was sentenced to
be hanged on June s. 1907,
A few hours before the time of the
execution message came from the
board Of pardons committing sentence
10 life imprisonment.
Frank Burd was arrested al Fleming
ton on suspicion that he WAS highway
rohher. He was convicted of carrying
concealed weapons and sent to the state
pr! son here While serving out his
term he confessed to killing Riley. He
said he had attacked Riley in revenge.
He said he did not mean TO kill him,
sheriff Holcomhe believed enough Of
the story to start an investigation. Hs
learned among other things, that
Sckuyler's relatives suspected Burd at
the time of the trial, but they were
never able to find him.