The Key West citizen., 1954-12-23
Samuel Sheppard Bitter Shocked Young Man He Waits
For Word Appeal Pastor Reports On Visit To Jail Cell

| CLEVELAND R-Shorn of com
fort and prestige, a shocked anC
bitter young man sits alone today
in his tiny county Jail cell.
Society has branded him wife
killer. He has been sentenced te
life.
When judgment was passed
Tuesday on osteopath Samuel
Sheppard, his mortal life was
spared. But the real day-by-day
life of the once-prosperous, ath.
letic and socially prominent neuro.
surgeon may be ended, unless his
lawyers find a way to undo the
product of his grueling two-month-
long murder trial.
His church pastor, the Rev. AL
fred c. Kreke, says the handsome
prisoner, who will be 81 next
Wednesday, is still "bitter" over
the findings of the jury, which
took 102 hours to decide he was
guilty of SecOnd-degree murder.
The Rev. Mr.. Kreke, who Wis
tied the osteopath yesterday, said
Sheppard is lust amazed at the
verdict" He said Sheppard still
wonders how the jury could have
arrived at its verdict.
His social conduct was a very
grave error" the Rev. Mr.. Kreke
said, referring to Sheppard'S ad-
mltted extra marital affair with
Susan Hayes, 24-year-old medical
technician who once worked at the
Sheppard family'S Bay View oSteo-
path hospital.
During the trial, the state pre-.
Sented the affair as a motive for
the murder of Marilyn Sheppard.
whose head was crushed by some
IS blows last July 4.
Sheppard, while maintaining res
olutely that he loved his wife, told
of rendezvous with Miss Hayes in
parked cars, in a suburban apart
ment near Cleveland, and for a
week in California.
"He is the first to say he re-
grets that" the minister said aft
er the visit. HE thinks that and
other tAings gave a twist to the
whole picture and made things
look bad for him."
But, the Rev. Mr.. Kreke con.
tinued:
He couldn't see how the jury
could have reached their conclu-
sion on the basis of the evidence"
For the most part, Sheppard
was a calm, Unconditional witness
who spoke in high-pitched even
tones. AS a prisoner, he displays
like control.
81 was quite surprised he was
making an adjustment as quickly
as that" the minister said.
According to the sentence i'm
posed, in 10 years from the time
he leaves the county jail to enter
the Ohio penitentiary, Sheppard
will become eligible for parole.
His chief defense attorney VIII
liam j. Corrigan sought stay Of
execution of the sentence and this
was granted by Judge Edward j.
Blythin.
Corrigan said that probably to-
morrow he will file notice of in
tention to appeal. The judge set
next Thursday for a hearing ON
it.
Courtroom observers expect Cor
rigan to base his appeal on Ger.
tain alleged errors in the state S
case. Among these are:
The hearsay evidence rules
were violated when Mrs. Nancy
Ahern, a friend of the murdered
woman, was allowed to testify
about private disclosure by Mar
ilyn Sheppard last April that her
husband was considering a di-
vOrce."
That the trial should have been
held outside Cuyahoga County be.
cause of the widespread publicity
given the case.
That the testimony of Susan
Hayes was irrelevant as a motive
for the murder.
That testimony regarding a pos
Sible murder weapon was mad
missible. The murder instrument
never has been recovered. But
coroner Samuel R. Gerber testi.
fled an outline in the bloody pll.
low of Marilyn Sheppard might
have come from a surgical instru.
ment.
That Judge Blythin excused a
juror who had been impaneled aft.
er the mans police record be.
came known.
That the grand jury was pres
Sured into indicting DR.. Sheppard.
That the judge ruled out testi-
mony by a Bay Village youth,
Miles Davis, concerning an al.
legged prowler with whom the boy
said he grappled.
If the lawyers immediate and
eventual efforts \are not success.
full, Sheppard stands to lOse-be.
sides his freedom-his license to
practice osteopathy. his comfort.
able, lakefront home and the
guardianship of his son.
The spacious house, empty since
the murder morning is deeded in