Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-10-17

BANGLES At
ROPES END
Degenerate Who Killed
Janet Wilkinson Hanged
in Chicago.
VICTIM LURED
TO HER DEATH
Fitzgerald Says He Killed Child Be-
cause She Screamed When He Took
Her In His Room to Give Hs~ Candy
7--Wifo Of Murderer Made Futile Ef-
fort to Save Him From Gal'ows--
Governor Refused to Interfere.


gerald, who on July 22, murdered
Janet Wilkinson aged 8. was hanged
today. He said he killed her because
she screamed when he took her in his
room to give her candy.
An eleventh hour attempt to obtain
a stay Of execution before Federal
Judge Lands failed. Mrs. Martha
Fitzgerald. wife of the murderer, In
terested Attorney Fred T. Laramie.
He filed a writ of habeas corpus on the
ground that Judge Robert L. Grove
in the criminal court did not consider
his sanity before accepting his plea or
guilty, The theory was that an insane
man cannot plear.
"Tha prcper action to have been
taken was to have presented a writ 10
the state supreme court or liiinois'
said Iudge Lands. IF that court had
rejected the petition theI. 1t would De
up to this court to take cosnizance Oh
the case. But as the matter stanos
now this court does not feel 1ustlHeu
in taking any action
Mrs. Fritzselald has made a valiant
hut futile fight for the man that she
saws she now looks upon only with a
motherly feeling. Governor Lo"aen
two days ago refused to intervene
Crime Most Revolving.
The crime to which Thomas F4tzger-
aid confessed and for which he was SEN
fenced to be hanged was one OF the
most revolving in the criminal annals
of this city and reused the public Ire
- .such an extent that the police reared
attempts to lynch the criminal atter
4,fs confession had been given out.
Fitzgerald. employed as a. night
watchman at a highly reputable resi-
dential hotel, lived in an apartment
house near by. He was arrested III
connection with the disappearance OF
s~year-old Janet Wilkinson. whose
narents lived in the, same building
Suspicion was directed against him
.chiefly because the little girl had told
her parents a story Of mistreatment
by him after having been caileo ni'o
his rooms last December. :
After Ave days Of gruelling AT the
hands Of the police the prisoner con-
fessed he had strangled the girl, July
20, the day she failed to return nome,
and had hidden the body under a pile or
coal in the building. He accompanied
the police to the scene and the body
was recovered. An angry, menacing
crowd about the building caused the
police to hurry the prisoner under u
strong guard back to his cell.
His story was that he was sitting at
the window Of his room the evening
of the murder, his wife being in Michi-
gan, when he saw little Janet passing
in the street. He called to her, asking
If she wanted some candy, and drew
her in thru the window. The child
was frightened and started to scream,
he said. adding:
Before knew what I was doing
had my hands about her neck and
had strangled her. must be what
they say L am, degenerate"
The confession was obtained after
the police had exhausted every effort
to solve the mystery Of the child's dis
appearance. They dug into the coal
piles of the hotel sifted the ashes
searched the. Fitzgerald home,. and
dragged Lake Michigan for mile op-
posIte the neighborhood. as we'll as
using every effort to obtain a confess
sion from the prisoner. .....a..
A Moral Degenerate.
Fitzgerald was 80 years old and
was termed by DR.. j. Whitney Hall, OF
the county lunacy commission. a "psy-
cho sexual case but not necessarily
insane. The newspapers and other
q ~ n
''moron" md there was some agitation
at the time Of his confession for state
legislation dealing with the moron
problem which was said to be a
greater menace than generally real
lied. When he finally broke down un-
DER police examination. Fitzgerald
poured out torrent Of self-condemna- =
ton and never attempted to excuse his
crime, saying merely that he. felt bet
ter after ne had confessed.
At tho trial. the attorney appointed
to defend Fitzgerald entered plea OF
not guilty and pleaded for a sentence
of life impri on the ground
:...s the dan: wwas {: neral do
enerats. Int after some testimony
f1ad been ofered, including that Of the
mother Of the little girl. the plea was
changed to- one OF guilty. and Judge
Robert r. Grove. who had previously
announced that such a plea would not
prevent infiotion Of the extreme penal
ty, ifjthe evidence warranted, sentenced
the prisoner to be hanged. Before SEN
tence was passed Fitzgerald was asked
II he had anything to say and replied
that he was sorry for what he hat
done, and, asked forgiveness Of little
Janets parents, and expressed tbs
hope that God would forgive him.
4 m 1-- ~ t-sS I ~ ~ 4 & 81
Can't. Aorss, on Berger Case.
washington, Oct. 17.--Final actor
by the special house committee inves.
tigating the right Of Victor Berger 4