Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1920-02-19

f. tE.r. such a thing a "suutnH mtuilstic autom
atl<fn" uhlsh relieves the person committing
such M act from responsibility under the law
Anyway. Iamvs SurruEa u irSiust"u. y. J..
wclttu-do Manufacture sh"i his wife a. site lay
beside him la bed at siN O'Clock tn the morning.
tie trid the police when arrested that he 81" IN
u dream two BLACK Handlers" kidnapping his ScN'
ems ear old son Taking his revolver from un.
irr hts pillow he shot NJ Of the kduaperS.
lie vakcd To mud that he had hred the bullet into
the head ~ his wife. lie insisted that he had no
farther knowledge Of the act. Here Is his story
told Ia detail To- a rcgnrter for the New York
Tribune:
1t seemed to me that two men had come
through the window Of my home that one had
ticd d handkerchief about my boys eyes aud had
then placed him in large sack. II was 81 very
raj that, even now. swear To you GA the holy
nam" ~ the VIrgin Mother | can hardly believe
u was not
Il tad never been uan 10 dream. never
walked IN my sleep. But for several weeks
had been very nervous over the BLACK Hand let.
tcrs. ion know. among my people II is a com.
mon practice for certain class Of men 10 try tn
prey on others who have been successful and have
made n little money, Well had determined not
To permit myself to be robbed in that way, and
had pro-, .drd myself with ii revolver This
volver an old one. had been in the house before
that time but had always kept IL wrapped In
a handkerchief and on high shelf. because
was afraid one of the children might find II and
hurt himself
well. when the letters kept on coming, | got
this revolver and | placed II under my pillow,
thinking to defend my child. was not afraid
for myself but the letters made me very nervous,
and kept thinking all the time of the men who
had been writing inc the letters.
Il want 10 say as have said to the police,
that | loved my wife. For the ten years while
we were married she had been good wife TO me.
IL was through her, perhaps, more than anyone
else that | was able to improve our condition
little bit and get ahead. Before taking IN the
manufacture Of concrete building blocks had a
store and my Wife IN addition TO her other duties.
used to help me there. always left her IN
charge when was called away on other business,
and always knew that things would 80 right.
She was good woman, who always worked hard,
and we never had II quarrel that people could call
serious There was no other woman for me after
we we're married
"wen. as | say on this particular night or
morning dreamed that the two had come
through the window OF my home and were car
ryng of my boy. Then, though | was never
man to KILL l decided to KILL l saw my boy In
the hands Of those devils plainly AS see you
and the blood rushed to my head All the fear
and the suspense that had felt In the past
months overwhelmed me. as well terrible
hatred OF the men who, as l thought, were before
me- and grabbed my revolver which had under
the pillow.
although terribly excited acted as coolly as
I act now. | pointed the revolver at the near
est man and took good aim so that would not
miss. will kill this beast, told myself and
then--suddenly l was awake.
II was sitting up In bed with the revolver In
my hand and my wife, who was lying beside me.
said Jimmy That was all she said. just