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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 3, 1908)
14 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 25 The Commoner. HOW ULLLIK ESCAPED THE GALLOWS (Continued from Page 12) bo proflcnted to tho supreme court for rovlow. A largo sum of money was neoded to carry tho case to the higher court $1,500. Father O'Cal laghan undertook to raise it. Ho appealed to tho medical and legal profession and tho business men of Chicago, finally the public, for contributions. Money camo in fast and almost at tho expiration of tho rospitq tho amount required was la hand. An extension of tho stay of execu tion was secured until tho supremo court Jjould tako up the appeal. Fathor O'Callaghan thon declared that lfb had positive knowlodge of tho existence of proof that Billik was innocent of tho murdor of tUo Vrzalsfr Howould not could not say what the evidence was. Hetadmitted that his Information bad e0mo to him through the secret of thfc confessional. Before the supreme court the doomed man's counsol urged all this, declaring that the now evidence could bo produced at a now trial if the court granted one. Tho high tribunal, February 20, 19,0 8, refused to grant1 a new trial and set the date of oxodiitioii for the last week in March. How, tho Priest Worked Then itfvas that Father O'Cal. faghan'.'sprung tho affidavit of Jerry Vrzal, in1 which the lad sworo that his testimony a,t the trial of Billik was false' and that tho fortuno toller was innocent. The boy declared that ,an assistant state's ' attorney and the police had coached him in tho story and the testimony he was to give1 at tho trial. Tho boy al leged,, intimidation in swearing that ho laiow Billik had given his father, mother and sisters arsenic as medi cine, when in truth the only medicine the necromancer had ever brought to tho fiiilkriian's home was saltpeter' and whiskey and cold cream for one of tho girls. Young Vrzal also stat od In his affidavit that tho testimony given by his sister, Emma Vrzal Nioman, was as false as his own. Tho boy's affidavit closed with this paragraph : "My conscience will not permit mo to rest until I have done every thing in my power to correct the wrong I have done. I want to tako back everything false that I have said and I want Herman Billik to bo free, because ho is innocent." This was the new evidence which tlie priest and the condemned man's counsel had not presented to tho supremo court, but which it was In tended to use if Billik were granted a now trial. It was obtained in the confes sional. That much was admitted by tho priest. But he refused at all times to reveal more. Even when seeking to make the most of young Vrzal's affidavit, Fath er O'Callaghan declined to make known who had confessed. He de clared, in a written statement ac companying the publication of the boy's affidavit, that "evidence such as this could be used only at a new trial, but. could not be presented to tho supreme court, and I have seen of tho sisters who are called the Poor Clares." A rehearing before the supreme court was obtained and came up in March. Tho court again refused to interfere.' Thon tho caso came up before the state board of pardons in April, the governor of the state sitting with tho members to hear the evidence, arguments and pleas of the doomed man's counsel and Father O'Callaghan, tireless advo cate and firm believer in his inno cence and in the guilt of another, tho knowledge of which camo to him through the secret of the confes sional but whose identity he stead fastly refused to reveal, being pre vented by tho laws of his church. The pardon board devoted several days to the hearing and granted a reprieve until June 12, promising to announce its final decision before that date. The finding of the board of pardons was adverse to Billik and decreed that the sentence of the trial court should be carried out. Billik gave up all hope then, but Father O'Callaghan did not. Organized Mass Meetings The priest organized public mass meetings. He addressed crowds in the streets to create sentiment and no occasion for either Jerry. or. my-, influence for the prisoner. As late Jt Belf giving utterance to the awful truth." What tho priest meant when he said "the awful truth" he steadfast ly refused to explain. , Nun Guards Her Secret Who 'inspired the original request of the nun, Sister Rose, for interces sion in behalf of Billik has. never been made known. No one ha.s.,tpld whether someone .other than. Jerry. Vrzal unburdened himself first to tho woman missionary to the jail. This is still a dee,p mystery. On this point Father O'Callaghan said: If conscience had not spoken, jus tice could not be done. I have felt that behind all the accidentals of this case were the prayers of a de voted nun who first assured me of. Billlk's innocence and the prayers T .1 How Harsh r Physic Wrecks the Bowels XrritaWtho skin in any spot frequently anWthat spot will grow calloused. ThattsfatUre's means of protection. So with the bowels. When you irritate the,-Hning with salts or "pills," the lining grows hard. That so retards the natural bowel ac tion that you come to need physic constantly. And you need a constantly larger dose because of the calloused bowels. Vou havG the physic habit." A' i - - Casfcarets bring the same results gently t and naturally without irritation. TheV restore the natural bowel func tions, so 'you don't need them long. Ajd the dose nover needs increasing, 'helr 'effect is the same as the effect of ) laxative foodsor of exercise. They act exactly the same as right liv ing would do. If the bowels are already calloused, you may need two tablets a day for a time. But, after that, take one at a time , when you need it. Cnscarets are enndy tablets. They are sold by all drutrcrlstB. but nnvor in hniu- p D,fA n trqt tho conuino, with C C C on every tablet. Tho box Is marked like this: Sfcttuuto as, last Thursday Father O'Callaghan forced the action which led to a re quest to Judge Landis, of the United Statqs district court, for a writ of habeas corpus, which was denied. Then throughout the day and night the priest addressed more- mass meetings which he 'had arranged, arid that night a volunteer party wont to Springfield- to -make a-final appeal- to Governor-Deneen, defray ing tho expenses out of their own pockets. It was hopeless. Billik was to be executed at 11 o'clock yesterday morning. All was in readiness for the hanging. It was a few moments to the hour when word came to the sheriff from Judge Landis to delay the execution until he settled another point raised for tho condemned man. This was as to .the right to appeal from the de cision denying the habeas corpus. , 'Judge Landis held that while he would not grant the writ, he had not the rignt to deny the appeal from his decision and to authorize the carry ing of the case to the United States supreme "court. This acted as a stay for Billik. It was past the hour for his execution and he sat in his cell, garbed for the ;gallows, expecting each moment to be his last, when shouts from the crowd without apprised him of the favorable outcome of the latest movement by Father O'Callaghan. ma um was spared tor a time per haps he will never be hanged. digets, as are the lingers themselves, while the basis of our numberings is the decimal or ten-fingered system. Every drill and action of the soldier from ancient Greece to modern America is right-sided in every de tail. Firing from the right shoulder and sighting with the right eye brings the right eye into prominence. It is significant that with the decline of militarism comes the suggestion- of schools for ambidexterity and the es tablishment of a movement of pro mulgating the gospel of two-handed-ness and its obvious advantages. Chicago Tribune. The vest-pocket box Is 10 cents. S1MSl?Lh"tlktmAnt box 50 wnlI iz,v00,000 boxes sold annually. 113 THE CAMPAIGN IS ON i To, form your opinions and keep in touch with the progress of , the" campaign, you will need first-class newspapers We havo j made a special arrangement whereby you can get the ' ?' ; Daily Courier-Journal and The Commoner . . $1.25 Weekly Courier-Journal and The Commoner . .50 From now until December 1, 1008. , ' This gives you a liv. metropolitan pajper through the cam paign and the election. Order today, as subscription will start with issue of day order is received. No back numbers can be sent. ' This special campa gn offer is in effect only during June July and August, and no subscriptions will be received at the reduced , rate after August 31 under any circumstances,'. uuceu Address The Commoner, Lincoln, Neb. ANIMALS ALL AMBIDEXTROUS Right handedness and right eyed ness came with genus homo. Dr. George M. Gould has watched for them in squirrels that use, their front paws to hold nuts, cats that strike at insects in the air or play with wound ed mice, aud in many other animals, out he is certain no preference is gvn to the right side over, the left, But in the lowest human savages all over the world choice' in greater ex pertness of one hand is clearly pres ent. One cause for its development ii ?trImitive military customs. In ail tribes and countries since man used implements of offense and de fense the left side, where the heart lies, has been protected by the shield, and the left hand was called the shield hand, while tho right hand was called the spear hand. Next to lighting came commerce. The funda mental' condition of bartering was counting with the low numbers, one to ten: The fingers of the free or right hand were naturally 'first used, and all the fingers today are called THE FULL DINNER PAlL Thfe philanthropic work of the Woman's City 'Relief League, which has been making distributions of food at the Reading Terminal mar ket for some time past, mqt with opposition in the prosecution of the good work yesterday, when the poor people who had assembled there were driven away by the police. Mrs. Armstrong, the secretary of the League, in discussing the matter, said: "We were told by the super intendent that we were a nuisance; that the dealers were tired of being asked for donations, and were ob jecting to the presence of the poor people in the market. We are going to continue doing our work, though, in spite of them, and the market men will have a hard time fighting us." It ;is said that the men -do not, ob ject o much to being asked for do nations as they do to the ;,crowds of-persons being in the way during business hours. -Hereafter -the hour for- distribution will be.from 5 to 6 o'clock, instead of from' 3' .to 4. Local News Item in'jPhilndAlnhin. Telegraph. . ., V '. . HOW TRAMPS ARE MADE " Here are the forces that help to jar men and boys loose, forces that have doubled in the last twenty years and are still increasing: JNew labor-saving machines to make -use of child labor new machines to speed up the American pace. In the last ton years the railroads, the mines, the factories, mills, and docks have maimed over 1,000,000. And the public is paying the pensions. For thousands of cripples, thrown out of their regular work, take to the road, and, with no miracle coming to turn them back, become out-arid-out tramps and bums, doing no work at all, begging and -stealing their way. Rush and slack seasons, demanding more and more armies of surplus labor; the swift growth of industry, bringing .to America millions of im- Thlsdepartment la for tho exclusive use of Commoner subscribers, and t special rate of six cents a word per in sertion tho lowest rate has fceen made for them. Address all communi cations to Tho Commoner, Lincoln, Neb. OONG WRITERS DESIRING EXCEL- Jr0n To"810 r their poems, address G. W. Ashley, 67 Clark St., Chicago. TOR SALE A FINE 1200 ACRE horse or cattlo ranch in Colorado. For particulars address Dan Uthoff, Parker, Colo. 17 RITE FOR PRICE LIST AND vv printed matter, telling how to make any leaky roof water-tight with our (5) guaranteed Gum Carbon Paint. American Roofing Co., No. 535 Ridgo Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. WANTED AGENTS. USEFUL, NEW v invention. C. W, Clodfelter, C34 Quindaro Blvd., Kansas City, Kans. FOR SALE 80 ACRES, TWO MILES of R- R. town, abstract title, CO acres cultivation, living water, rich soil, good neighbors. Price $1600. L L. Notson, Fletcher, Okla. ' --- i I t F OR SALE: ATTRACTIVE MOUN- . tain locations for summer homos; 5 to GiO acres. Address O. R, Wolf Banner, Wyo. 1 II '!.