New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-15
Mrs. Humiston Tells of Her
Long Struggle to Ex-
onerate Stielow.
SELF-ACCUSED SLAYER
Barred WHOLE CRIME
Admitted His Own Guilt
Without Questions
or Threats.
rr,,,, st.r Correspondent Of The Tribune. !

From stat Correspondent Of The Tribune
Rochester. Aug. 14.-Mrs. Grace HUI
mis,on. Of New York, told the com
plete story to-day Of her fight 70 save
Charles f. Stelow from the electric
chair. 10 which he was sentenced for
the murder Of Charles Phelps and his
housekeeper. Margaret Wolcott IN
West Shelby last year.
The last time Stielow was MADE
ready for the death chair and minutes
only separated him from the carrying
out Of the sentence Mrs. Humiston ma
terialized from nowhere in particular
with evidence that Irving King. an itin-
Grant pedler, was the real murderer.
Then she vanished, 70 reappeSr as
UNEXPECTEDLY as before with Kings de-
tailed confession Of the double murder
and his declaration that he had with
him on the night Of the crime Clarence
O'Connell. now serving time in Auburn
prison for the robbery Of A H. Brown
at Randolph. y. y.
Here is her story Of the fight for
Stielow from its beginning;
81 hadn't heard anything Of the Site
low case until one day last April when
was in the death house at Sing Sing
10 see Genar Mazzella, who had been
sentenced 10 death for shooting a mem
Der of the Camorra. ! learned that the
shooting was in self-defence and that
Mazzella had not had the chance TO tell
his whole story on the stand. Mazella's
sentence was communted 20 life impris-
onment.
First Heard of Stielow.
While was working for Mazella
Spencer Miller, jr., the deputy warden
at Sing Sing, called my attention to
Stielow, who had a cell directly below
that of the Italian. Mr.. Miller doubt
ed Stielow's guilt and asked me to do
what could for him.
81 was in Albany about July l and
Mr.. Miller got for me the records in
the Phelps murder trial, 1,450 pages.
Between then and July / read the
whole record, and learned that there
was absolutely no evidence against
Stielow except his so-called confession.
Judge Pound had said that II it were
not for this confession he would have
to direct an acquittal.
1.-TWO circumstances drew my atteD-
tion at once to the vast difference be-
tween the wording of the confession
and Stielow's ordinary conversation
and the mention in the record of an
unnamed pedler who had visited the
Phelps home on the day Of the murder.
81 talked with Stielow frequently.
His speech is hating and vague. He
has the mind of a child and vocabu-
larry of only about $50 words. He un-
derStands only the most simple and d.
rect questions. II is beyond his power
TO describe the personal characteristics
of acquaintance he knows the best
He is absolutely foored by any ques-
tion except the most elementary one.
How Newton Came In.
81 saw he could not have made that
confession attributed 20 him, in which
there were more than $50 different
words. ! set 10 work 20 corrobOrate my
belief b. devisng a mythical case. in
which ! engaged the services Of George
W. Newton. Of Buffalo, the detective
who claimed TO have got the murder
confession from Stielow. In the Office
of Stuart VI. Kohn, so Maiden Lane,
L. tv4n Il &
the third degree methods he used in
wringing the alleged confession from
Stielow. His statement was taken down
over detectaphone. 1t showed that
Newton, after threatening Stielow for
hours without avail, finally promised
that ne would turn him loose 70 return
TO his family If he would put the blame
on Nelson Green, his brother-in-law.
Green, who has even less intelligence
than Stielow, then was placed against
Stieiow. and both found themselves
confronted with murder charges, al
though neither Of them, ! am positive
knew a thing about the crime.
"All this time ! was too busy in the
legal steps necessary to keep Stielow
out of the chair TO look far for the
identity of the mysterious peddler who
had visited the Phelps farm. but ] con.
stantly had a feeling that a pursuit OF
this ciew might reveal the persons who
actually committed the murder.
"The feeling was strengthened when
| learned from David A. White. of
Medina, counsel for Stielow, that Mrs.
Olive Smith. Of Genesee County, sis
ter-in-law of Stielow's, had given him
the name Of four persons, any one of
whom might answer the description Of