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“I Am Sorry” Is Statement of Czolgosz
Assassin on His Way to Auburn Prison Makes a Confession—
Hurried from the Jail to a Special Car.
On his way to Auburn
prison, on a special car last night, Leon Czolgosz, the murderer
of President McKinley, made the following confession:
“I wish the people to know I am sorry
for what I did. It was a mistake and it was wrong. If I had it to
do over again I never would do it. But it is too late now to talk
of that. I am sorry I killed the President. I was all stirred up.
I was alone in what I did and, honestly, there was no conspiracy.
No one else urged or told me to do it. I did it myself. There was
one mistake about the trial. It was that I did not go to Niagara
Falls to kill the President. I only thought of killing him for about
one day before I did it. But I was all alone. No one else had anything
to do with it and I have nothing to say to any who may think that
what I did was a wise or good thing. It was not. I don’t know anyone
in Paterson. I don’t know Count Malatesta or Mme. Brusigloli.
“It is an awful thing to feel you
killed someone. You do not feel the same after you kill them. It
is hard and much different. You are not the same person after you
do the crime. I wish I was my same old person again. You never can
be the same. I wish I was the same for the little time left. I have
nothing more to say to all the people. My mind was stirred up and
I don’t know what was in it or what influenced it. Some ask where
I was between August 29th and September 1st. I was in Buffalo on
August 29th and went to Cleveland for two days. No, I do not know
Hippolyte Havel. My two Toledo references to Mr. Nowak were not
anarchists. When I shot the President I had nothing against him
personally.
“My trial was fair. It was more than
I thought. The judge could not help doing what he did. The jury
could not. The law made them do it. I do not want to say now that
the law is wrong. It was fair to me and it was right. It seems too
late now, but I am sorry for Mrs. McKinley. I hope she does not
die.”
Manner of Removal.
The manner of Czolgosz’s
removal to Auburn was just as secret and hurried as all his movements
since his arrest have been. So well laid were the plans that it
might be said that up to the moment that the iron door of Auburn
prison was locked upon him, there was never a chance for a mob to
get him. The vigilance of his custodians was never for a moment
relaxed.
Unknown to anybody, save the sheriff,
arrangements had been made with Superintendent Bradeld of the New
York Central for a special car, to be attached to the 9:30 eastbound
special. It was after that time when the rear doors of the jail
were thrown open and Jailer Mitchell, shackled to the assassin,
started on a run across the Terrace toward the car, which had been
backed down the Belt Line tracks to the appointed spot.
Czolgosz was guarded by a posse composed
of Sheriff Caldwell, Under Sheriff Hatch, Keeper Sloan of the Penitentiary,
Jailer Mitchell and Deputy Sheriffs Otto Welker, Michael Howard,
Phil Bernhard, Jesse Bardol, Joseph Kener, William Metzler, Solon
Hines, John Mock, Howard McMillan, Hugh Sloan, John Ehlers and George
Baltz.
Jailer Mitchell placed his man near
the center of the car and sat with him. A cigar was given the assassin
and he puffed it greedily. The special car was run to the Central
Station and the train got away thirty minutes late, 10:06 o’clock,
to be exact. The other passengers were in sleepers and did not know
the company in which they were traveling.
On the trip Czolgosz talked freely
of his crime.
Judge Titus’ Impressions.
Judge Titus, when seen
by a TIMES reporter last night, said he was unable to conjecture
why Czolgosz was so ready to confer with his attorney yesterday
unless it was because he had been convicted and knew there was no
chance for him to escape execution.
“It is more than probable that Czolgosz
prefers death at once to the prospect of some day being free. He
spoke to his attorney yesterday for the first time, and the interview
was of his own seeking.”
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