The Washington herald., 1919-06-30
WILKINS, Wife
SLAYER, HANGS
SELF IN JAIL
Cut Down Alive by His
Guards, but Dies Soon
Afterwards.
TIES ROPE TO PIPE
Mounts Pail, Adjusts Moose
And Then Kicks the
Bucket Away.

Mineola. \. Y. June s9.-walteI
keene wilkins. convicted of wife
murder and awaiting the death SEN
tanee. which was 10 have been pro-
noanced on Tuesday. committed sui
eide in the Jail here by hanging.
The aged physician. who was con-
victed by the jury Friday afternoon
after the jurors had deiibsrated the
record length for Nassau County OF
twenty-five hours. obtained a rope
in some manner and probably con-
eealed it beneath his clothing be-
fore asking, his guards to escort
him to the bathroom. There. while
the backs of Guards John Mills and
William Henderson were turned. he
fastened a crude moose, threw it
about his neck. fastened the end
OF the rope to a pipe. kicked away
the pail upon which. he stood. and
was swinging when the guards dis
covCred him.
Noise Attracts Guards.
The noise made by the pail attracted
their attention. Mills and Henderson
Immediately cut down the swaying
body and found the pulse still beating.
They applied first aid. at the same
time calling loudly for help. Other
guards came hurriedly and d.. Guy
Cleghoru. the j3il physician. was on
the scene within few minutes. He
directed that other physicians be sum-
monsd from Nassau Hospital. but A
shcrt distance away. and requested
10 fetch n pulmotor.
10 was rs O'Clock when Dr. wilkins
Etckcd the pail from under him. LESS
than ten minutes later the pulmotor
was being use.l, but with little ap-
precjable effect
\ bulletin issued by the doctors as
they worked over him at S O'Clock
said there was little hope. He died n
few minutes afterward.
writes Many Letters.
ThroUghoLt the afternoon the. ag al
murderer busily wrote letters. 1t was
only after he had committed to paper
MS last meSsag geS that he expressed a
wish to go to the bath room.
Every possible preCaution was be-
Ic'5ed to have been taken 10 prevent
the veIy thing which took place. DR..
wilkins was too old and infrm for
any apprehension to be entertained
tEat he might try to escape, but that
h. might attempt to take his own life,
whether or not his conviction. as he
claimed. was unjust. was common be-
lief. II was thought that If guilty, as
the jury had pronounced him. he
would seek TO cheat the electric chair,
and that il innocent. as he vehemently
asseverated. he would probably seek
to end the unendurable humiIia ton by
the shortest possible means.
Lawyer II Notified.
Charles n. wysonG. the lawyer who
defended DR.. Wilkins. and who main
tajEed after the jury he'd condemned
him that an innocent man had been
convicted. was notified by the physi-
clan at his Port Washington home of
his clients suicide. He said that he
would start at once for the Jail and
would have some comment to make
after learning the facts.
1t was declared tonight that a rigid
Investigation would be made as to
why the prisoner had been permitted
TO pass from under the eyes of his
guards for so much as a second. ~
view of the special instructions to
guard against any possibility of sui
eide Also the county authorities wish
&c learn how the prisoner could OBJ
tain rope while under double guard.