Year: 1879

D
from his own lips the details OF his
crime. His utterances were strongly
Teutonic, but this accent will not be
attempted here.


Reporter-Thcy say you have shot
your children. Is this possible?


Prisoner with emphasis)-Yes, Of
course | have. shot them all, and
they died right off and went up to


Heaven.


R-Why didn't you shoot yourself?


P.-Why, that wouldn't be right.
should go to hell if should shoot
myself


r But how could you shoot those
little innocent children?


P-How could | How could see
them grow up and come on the town..
and bye and bye see them going inEsss
bad houses? l thought that if | kill
ed them now they would be all right
they would die and go straight up to
Heaven.


R-But they would not need to
come on the town; you are not an old
man, and could support them easily
enough


P.-I am about forty eight years old.
| am too old to work, and it makes no
difference what becomes Of me and
now my wife won't have the children
to take care Of. She can do washing
and other work, aud earn enough to
live on. 1t is better for her than to
have the children,
R.-Did you love the children?


P.-Why, of course l did, and that
was why l shot them. They didn't
feel it. | put the pistol up close to
their heads, and they died right off
and went to heaven.


R-But Anna didn't she is alive
now, and has suffered terribly.


P-Is that so? No, it can't be
you are foolng me- I can't understand.
thought | killed them all. | meant
to, and, if l had supposed that Anna
was not dead, l would have given her
another shot. had plenty more ear
tridges, and if you will let me out
will go right down there now and flush
her


R-Tell me just how you shot them


P-Well, you see my little Emma
was lying on the bed, and my eldest
little girl was taking care of her. The
little one fell off the bed the other day
and hurt her very much, aud felt
sorry for her. | always loved my
children, and could not bear to see
them take any hurt, so 1 told the old
est to take care of her when she was
on the bed, aud see that she didn't fall
again So she was standing by the
bed, aud l called my little Anna into
the other bed room and told her | had
got something to show her with a fend
ish laugh Then | pulled my revol
yer out OF my coat pocket, aud vine u
she was looking at it she said, "Oh, /
bow pretty.' and put it up to her
temple aud shot her, and she fell right
down. Then | went into the bed room
whore the others were, and my little
Que lay right there on the pillow, aud
thought ! could shoot her, too. so
she would die right off and never feel /
it.


R.-And then you shot the eldest,
didn't you? (


P.-Yes; it was


TIE DAY TUEY HAD COT TO DIE,
and i thought might as well kill her
then, aud so [ shot her, too, and she I
fell right down on the floor.


Rid you bring Anna into the I
bedroom aud lay her on the bed?


P.-Yes. picked her up off the floor
aud carried her into where the others
we're, and laid her on the bed just as
nice as I could.


R.-But you left the eldest lying 10
the blood on the floor. Why didn't
you pick up her body, too?


P.-She bled so much that I
thought the blood would get all over
the bed, and it could be cleaned off
from the floor mucL more easily than
from the bed.


R.-What do you suppose will be
done with you?


P.-I don't know. Perhaps they
will shut me up in jail 1t makes no
difference. [ am just as we'll off there
as anywhere.


R--But they will hang you for
this.


P-Well. don't care. They may
DO what they please. l don't make
the laws. | had got to do it; those
couldn't live to come on the
town aud go to bad houses. 1 would mt
have it. If l wasn't a christian,
might.


R-Then you are a Christian, are
you?


P-Yes, I am a good Protestant
Christian. l never have had time to
20 to church in Holyoke, because l
always had to work Sundays; but |
used to go when l was in Northamp-
ton.


Kemmler's account of the crime was
so shocking that the officers could
hardly bear to listen TO his talk. He
seemed throughout to think he had
done 4 meritorious action, and talked
as freely of his disposition Of the
as though they had been sim
ply treated for sickness. He never
once speaks of it as crime, and per-
hapse this of itself is sufficient


EVIDENCE or HIS INSANITY.
a man IN bis right mind could hardly
talk as he does, unless he was indeed
devoid of all semblance of a soul. His
appearance is singular, but be has
more of an expression of trea cherous,
cunning soullessness than of vicious
ness.


a later dispatch from Holyoke gives
the following additional particulars of
the tragedy: When Kemmler arrived
at Omaha on his return trip, he tried
to obtain work of farmer, but could
not make bargain. He made up his
mind while West to kill his children
when be got home. He said: "They
are small now, and good as nybody's
children. Ii kill them. they will go