Evening star., 1949-06-16
Court Orders Tests
By Psychiafrist in
Shooting Of Waitkus
BY the Asseeiotsd Press

BY the Asseeiotsd Press
CHICAGO, June 16.-The 1g-
year-old girl admirer who shot
First Baseman Eddie Waitkus
broke down and wept today on
going to Felony Court. where she
was ordered examined by q psy-
chiatrist.
She was arraigned on o charge
of assault with intent to murder.
. Waitkus now is given q good
. chance to recover.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as
, she talked with newsmen In an
anteroom before she faced the
judge.
For the first time I'm beginning
to realize what I've DONE" said the
, girl. tall, dark-haired Ruth STEM
, hagen, who shot and seriously
wounded the popular Philadelphia
= Phillies star in her hotel room
early yesterday.
Seemed Like Dream.
= "Up until now it had been more
. or less Of a dream" she added.
: Watkins, %. shot near the heart
with a .22-caliber rifle bullet, was
E. reported "a bit improved" today
In Illinois Masonic Hospital. :.
+. DR.. L. L. Braun. Chicago Cubs
physician, said Watkins was "do-
ing very nicely" and has a good
chance to recover. He still is
being administered oxygen by
mask. but this will be discontin-
ued later today, and he will be
given oxygen only intermittently
thereafter.
The physician said Waitkus is
= out Of shock. His temperature this
. morning was 1904, hospital at
: tendants said. He was given sew
eral transfusions yesterday and
more may be given later.
= When Miss Steinhagen was
brought into court, Judge Matthew
ID. Hartigan ordered her exam
lined by DR.. William Haines Of the
Cook County Behavior Clinic.
:: Meanwhile, he continued the court
: hearing until June 80. pending re-
suits of the examination Of the
girl. who told police yesterday she
"ts "a flt subject for q physchia-
. trist."
. Bond Set at $25,000.
70 Her bond was set at $25. 900.
rShe is being held in the women's
lookup of police headquarters.
- In statements to police yester-
. day Miss Steinhagen related how
"she shot Waitkus. her base
ball hero. after she lured him
! to her hotel room Tuesday night.
THE tall, rk-haired girl told and
retold her story of the shooting in
her 12th-fioor room at the fashion
= able Edgewater Beach Hotel.
- Told by States Attorney John
g. Boyle that the shooting was a
serious offense. she replied: "Oh.
it's just a simple one" Asked If
she was sorry, she said:
"I'm not really sorry. I'm sorry
Eddie has to suffer so. I'm sorry
1t had to be him. But I had to
shoot somebody. Only in that
way could I relieve the nervous
tension I've been under the last
two years. The shooting has re-
lieved that tension" r &,
Ruth's mother, Mrs. Edith
Steinhagen. and her girl friends
said she had secret crush on
'Waitkus. who is single. eyer since
: she first saw him play ball with
the Cubs in 1947. Waitkus was
with the Cubs for three years,
going to the Phillies in a trade
last winter. - 9fs.e 1cy ses0
:" Visited Two Psychiatrists.tsri
Mrs. Steinhagen said her
daughter had visited two psychia-
trists who told her nothing was
wrong with her except that she
should forget about Watkins"
Watkins, currently leading in
the vote for National League first
baseman for the All-Star game
next month. was stopping at the
Edgewater Beach Hotel with the
Phillies, who came to Chicago
Tuesday for q series with the
Cubs.
: He went to Miss Steinhagen's
. room late Tuesday night in re-
!, sponse to q note she sent him that
she had something important"
to tell him. Some of her girl
friends said she had written
Waitkus many letters and tele-
phoned him whenever he was in
Chicago. But her letters and tele-
phone calls went unanswered un-
I'll Tuesday night.
The shooting occurred shortly
-After Watkins arrived at her
room and after she told him, IT
have a surprise for you" As she
grabbed q loaded .22-caliber rifle
from q closet, Watkins shouted,
ssFor heavens sake. what's going