The Washington herald., 1916-02-18
Unwept, Friendless and Alone,
Slayer Of Anna Aumueller,
Awaits His Fate.
PRAYS IN DEATH HOUSE
Only Prison Chaplain Offers
Comfort as Time Of Execu-
ton Draws Near.
BY W. A. DAVENPORT.


sp~=n to Ths w,shinzto1 Herald
Ossining y, Y, Feb. H-From one OF
the narrow windows in Sing Sings death
house early this morning a tiny shaft Of
light was cleaning. Under the light a
fear-numbed man was preparing to die
On September ?. 1911. this stricken man
murdered Anna Aumueller. a girl who
lived for and trusted him. He was a priest,
Hans Schmidt. She was one Of his flock.
Not IN all the hideous history Of Sing
Sing had a man prepared for the electric
chair with so little sympathy from the
1850 stolid men within the gray walls He
was forsaken, unforgiven by man. un-
frocked. unwept. friendless and alone,
this man who once had preached in beau
tifuI phrases the word OF God. He was
10 die at 5:45 this morning.
-Four prison guards had been detailed
to prevent him cheating the State of the
price II demands for murder. Thrice
within the week Schmidt had threatened
suicide. Last night he was rsving.
Might Fight at Doom.
This morning his keepers said he might
walk to his death calmly. or he might
fight like a mailman. Such was this con-
dernned man.
His conduct had changed with the days
and nights. He had prayed for a night
and rayed through the following day. He
had made a dozen statements and written
them. Then he had destroyed them. ours
Ing man and his prosecutors
In his cell with him last night was
Father Cashin. the prison chaplain. It
was an awesome scene in that only light
cd pocket in the death house On the
floor two men were kneeling. one a clear
eyed, muscular man, who has led a score
Of men to the chair. and the other a
hleared, blanched convict who once was
to dying man what the prison chaplain
was to him
Schmidt's was hideous crime. And as
hideousIy. perhaps. was he to die.
Wrote Many Statements.
It was thought possible that he would
leave a statement behind him. He had
written Warden Kirchwey a score Of let
ters. In each he had protested his in
nOcence. In each he had erected fabric
Ct circumstances that he thought should
save him from the death OF Charles Beck
er. Lefty Louie, Gyp the Blood. Dazo
Frank and Whitley Lewis-au of whom
he knew and prayed with.
He was asked last night whether he
wished to leave final statement to the
world He sent back word that he had
said all that he would.
There was no sleep in the house Of hor-
ror tonight. The curtains were drawn In
front Of the cells wherein the other
twenty condemned are living their final
weeks OF life. Now and then q sneering
farewell was bavled In the corridor.
Now and then a hopeless man asked
Schmidt whether he was watching the
clock. And every once in q while some
one asked the doomed murderer whether
they had slit his trousers yet"
Hears Hours ToIIed.
But steadily, all through this, the
prayers Of the blue-eyed prison chaplain
arose.
Now and then q train rushed through the
tunnel that undernines the death house.
Every hour a gong rang In the concrete
corridor that leads to the cell block. And
there. kneeling on the floor, Schmidt
heard the hours tolled away.
There was no sympathy for this man
felt here. Far across the Atlantic. In
war bordered Germany, a very old man
and very old woman-the mother and
for news Maybe they hoped that some
thing would save their son-some word,
some act, some miracle. They were thou
sands Of miles away. A son Of theirs was
dying alone. triendless, unwept