San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-09
''Demagogue!" Says Little
Ukrainian Who Shot
"Hypocrite" Under Sha-
dow Of Altar.
BY MARGARET DALE.

/ Ao1NflEHNr ny Inc s2oh -NhNNAAeN A~-eA'N
Chicago. Oct. Elm sorry |
killed him in church, but I'm glad |
killed him. He was a priest. but he
was hypocrite. He was betrayins
his people"
Mrs. Emma Strutynsky a modern
Charlotte Corday, sat today in her
cell in the Cook county Jail and in
well chosen English, sought 10 OK
plain her crimc-thP Staying of a
priest in the very shadow of the
altar
The killing occurred in the Greek
| Catholic church of St. Michael the
Archangel during the Sunday morn
| ing mass when by special dispense
ton, she. a penitent, sat with him in
the confessional,
Il hated 10 kill" she exclaimed
with a shudder. Had been great
leader would have chosen another
way TO rid the world of this man.
| the demagOgues who have brought
! chaos on Europe and ! dared not let
him live"
Fires Five Shots.
And in the same spirit in which
the historic French woman plunged
her dagger into Robespierre as he sat
in his bath. so this modern Ukrainian
woman reached in her pocket. lifted
her mourning veil and fired five I'M
erring shots into the priest at whose
feet she was sitting.
During my confession I gave him
one last chance TO save himself, she
said. Il asked him leading ques-
ton, but. by his answer, he proved
he was without conscience. IT was
then that the Lord gave me strength
TO pull out my revolver and shoot him.
As | shot | shouted cheat and he
died knowing he deserved death"
Mrs. Strutynsky recognized lead
er among Ckrainian women. is the
wife of a priest. Her victim. Rev.
Basil Stetsuk, was her husbands sue
cessor in the Chicago parish.
Summoned Her Courage. d.
My husband gave his life to build
up this parish. 1t is a beautiful
place. Then he was driven away
from it and Father Stetsuk was his
successor. Father Stetsuk was vast
ing the money of his parishioners. BY
his silver tongue and honeyed words
he swayed. them, but he was cheat
ing them financially and morally. !
came all the way from Ramey. Pa.
TO kill him. My plot was cunningly
devised but it took me five weeks TO
get courage TO carry it out. | would
have rather shot him on the street.
but l might have endangered others
there"
By her choice of words. her man.
ner and appearance, Mrs. Strutynsky
presents a strong contrast to other
list OF woman slayers who have sob
bed out their stories from this same
cell i'll the COUNT Jail. Her story
finds no parallel in that of the un-
tutOrted Tillie Klimek, the stolid
Mrs. Nitti Crudelle. both convicted
murderesses, who in moments of pas
sion, beat out the life of n man.
Plainly an Intellectual.
Mrs. Strutynsliy is plainly an in
! tellectual of high birth and breeding.
she is the author of distinguished
contributions to the press of her own
country and during the war headed
the Ckrainian relief fund in Amer
| lea.
The element of sex is entirely miss
ing III thls klulng. No personal feel
ing of love or hate actuated her deed,
she insists.
II don't care" she replied laconi-
cally, when, following the coroner's
inquest she was held to the grand
jury for murder. Il knew when I
killed him that it meant my own
life"
An angry mob of 200 Of Father
Stetsuk's parishioners followed the
woman to the inquest. threatening
violence which resulted in a near riot,
Many of them had been sitting in
the mass that beautiful Sunday morn
ing when Mrs. Stutynsky entered the
church deeply Veiled for disguise. and.
under the pretense that she was sick
unto death, begged a confessional only
to kill their priest.
Mrs. Stutynsky is close to 30 years
Old with grown son and daughter.
Her husband, stunned by the news. is
Mastering to Chicago from Pennsyl-
vania.