San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-23

A change of clothing to replace those
which he has worn since he was ar
rested last Thursday afternoon, is the
uppermost desire in the mind of
Clarke Coffield, 16-year-old Comal
county youth, who is held in the Bex-
ar county Jail for safekeeping, follow
ing his. indictment at New Braunfels
for the murder of Irene Hitzfelder, O.
year-old school girl of the Spring
Branch community. The young Hitz-
fielder girls body was found late
Thursday at a lonely spot some two
miles from the schoolhouse, with the
head badly crushed. A physician who
made an examination, expressed the
opinion that she had been criminally
assaulted. She was buried at New
Braunfels last Friday.
Coffield on last Saturday was TAX
en- to police headquarters where be
signed statement wherein officers
allege, he admitted responsibility for
the crime and narrated all the horrible
details. Prior to that time he had
emphatically denied having assaulted
the young girl.
Before being taken to the police
station, Jailer John Wiatrek said
Wednesday, Sheriff Nowotny of Co
NAL county read the murder indict-
ment to him. Coffield, who had been
kept in solitary confinement UP to
that time, appeared extremely ner-
vous, the jailer said, his knees
trembling visibly as the indictment
was read
Afraid He Will Be Killed.
"Please don't take me back to New
Braunfels, they will kill me-" Jailer
Wiatrek said the youth pleaded as the
sheriff read the Indictment
81 you don't expect anything else,
do you?" the sheriff is said to have
countered.
protect me, protect me-" Jailer
Wiatrek said Coffield pleaded as the
officers departed with him.
After having made his alleged con-
fession, the jailer said, Coffield re-
turned to the Jail in a brighter mood
and appeared more nearly normal. He
was again placed in cell by himself
near the front of the Jail but it be-
came necessary to move him to the
rear of the Jail when he Insisted on
stopping every passerby and holding
a conversation with them.
1He evidently was trying to get
word to his people," Jailer Wiatrek
said, "as he told passersby to send
word to his folks. None of his peo-
pie have been here to see him so far,
although they must know he is in
trouble"
Jailer Wiatrek said he dared not
put the youth downstairs as "there Is
too much danger of a mob getting
him. 1t would be impossible to get
him out of the back of the jail, how
ever"
Keep BootIeggers Separate.
Wednesday, when it became neces-
sary to remove the prisoners from the
rear Of the Jail, Coffield was placed in
one large room on the second floor
where the others were kept.
81 have put him with others
charged with murder and similar seri-
Gus crimes" the jailer said. "Ive
got all the bootleggers separate"
Coffield. according to the jailer. ap-
pears extremely nervous at times,
though at other times he seems nor
NAL and eats and sleeps the same as
other prisoners.
"He looks furtively about all the
time, though" Jailer Wiatrek said.
"He seems to be afraid of some one for
something and stands tense, ready 70
spring. ] noticed that he puts his
bed near the door as if he were ready
to make a break for liberty. 1 be-
lieve he is more nervous now than
when he was first placed in Jail. The
only emotion he has displayed is fire.
quent heavy signs and once or twice
at night he has cried"
Wants Girls Picture.
Coffield. the jailer said. made one
rather unusual request to him. That
was. that Wiatrek get him a picture
of the dead Hitzfelder girl.
"Please get me a photograph Of the
little girl. / want to keep it with me
always. as long as I live" Wiatrek
said Coffield requested of him.
The youth, the jailer said, has read