The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-02-26

1t was Silas Bannerman who finally
ran down that scientific wizard and
arch-enemy of mankind, Emil Gluck.
Gluck's confession, before he went to
the electric chair, threw much light
upon the series of mysterious events,
perturbed the world between the years
1898 and 1871.
While the deeds of Emil Gluck were
all that was abominabie, we cannot
but feel, to certain extent, pity for
the unfortunate, uniformed and NAL
treated genius. This side of his story
has never been told before, and from
his confession and from the great
mass of evidence and the documents
and records of the time we are able to
construct fairly accurate portrait of
him, and to discern the factors and
pressures that nodded him into the
human monster he became and that
drove him onward along the fearful
path he trod.
Emil GIuck was born in Syracuse,
N Y, in 1895. His father, Josephus
Gluck, was a special policeman and
night Waterman who, in the year 1900,
died suddenly of pneumonia. The
mother, pretty, fragile creature, who
before her marriage had been a MILL
ner, grieved herself to death over the
loss of her husband. This sensitive
ness of the mother was the heritage
that in the boy became morbid and
horrible
In 1901 the boy, Emil, then six years
of age, went to live with his aunt,
Mrs. Ann Bartell. She was a vain,
shallow and heartless woman. In her
breast was no kindly feeling for the
sensitive, shrinking boy. Also, she was
cursed with poverty and burdened
with husband who was lazy, erratic
ne'er-do-well. Young Emil Gluck was
not wanted and Ann Bartell could be
trusted to impress this fact sufficient
1y upon him. AS an illustration of the
treatment he received in that early,
formative period, the following in
stance is given:
When he had been living in the
Bartell home little more than
year, he broke his leg. He sustained
the injury through playing on the for
hidden roof-as all boys have done
and will continue to do to the end of |
time The leg was broken in two |
places between the knee and thigh. |
Emil, helped by his frightened play |
mates. managed to drag himself to |
the front sidewalk, where he tainted. |
The children of the neighborhood |
were afraid of the hard-featured shrew |
who presided over the Bartell house; |
but summoning their resolution, they
rang the bell and told Ann Bartell of
the accident. She did not even look
at the little lad who lay stricken on
the sidewalk, but slammed the door
and went back to her washtub. The
time passed. A drizzle came on and
Emil Gluck, out of his faint, lay Sob
bling in the rain. The leg should have
been set Immediately. AS it was, the
rose rapidly and made
a nasty case of it. At the end of two
hours the indignant women of the
neighborhood protested to Ann Bar
tell This time she came out and
looked at the lad as he lay helpless at
her feet. Also she Historically dis
owned him.
1t was a woman, Elizabeth Shep-
stone, who came along, learned of the
and had the boy placed on
a shutter. 1t was she who called the
doctor and who, brushing aside Anr
Bartell, had the boy carried into the ;
house. When the doctor arrived Ann
Bartell promptly warned him that she
would not pay him for his services.
For two months little Emil lay in bed, |
The first month on his back without t
,nce being turned over; and he lay I
neglected and alone, save for the oe-
,asional visits of the unremunerated |
Ind overworked physician. q
1t would seem strange that from the
lands of Ann Bartell Emil Gluck
Ihould have received college educa-
ion; but the explanation is simple. C
Her ne'er-do-well husband, deserving a
Ter, made strike in the Nevada gold I
ields and returned to her a many n
lines millionaire. Ann Bartell hated t.
he boy and imm ediately she sent him n
o the Farristown academy, a hundred v
niles away. Shy and sensitive, a lone s
y and misunderstood little soul, he s
vas more lonely than ever at Farris- a
own. T
He was a remarkable student. APP c.
LEGATION such as his would have taken 8
i'm far; but he did not need applica- G.
ion. A glance at the text meant mas h
cry for him. The result was that he a
i'd an immense amount Of collateral "
eading and acquired more in half Ct
ear than did the average student in 81
alf dozen years. In 1909, barely W
ourteen years of age, he was ready te
more than ready" the headmaster Of n