Salt Lake Telegram | 1938-11-15 | Page 4 | Slayer Boasts of Freedom in Decade; Death due to Back His Boast Sooner

Slayer Boasts of Freedom in Decade Death Due to Back His Boast Sooner 4 SV r 4 r d' d v I PM w F i 4 1 4 v q p m P 4 62 ROBERT EGBERT IRWIN LAUGHS AFTER PLEA OF GUILTY Admitted slayer right handcuffed to N. N Y officer NEW YORK Nov 15 UP Robert P-Robert Robert IrwIn whose warped disease-warped mi mind d ranged from creation of promising sculptures and an ambition for the ministry to a maniacally twisted jealousy in which he killed three persons faced today a lifetime in prison He boasted he would be free within with with- in ten years Psychiatrists predicted Instead that he would be dead within five a a victim of tuberculosis The year old slayer sculptor bargained yesterday to escape the electric chair Creates Scene He finally pleaded guilty to second degree murder after creating a courtroom scene alternately enacting enact- enact ing ng a screaming maniac almost incoherent incoherent in- in coherent and a crafty pleader against injustice A pair of old pants he abandoned with luggage in the Grand Central station when he fled after the Easter 1937 triple slaying on Beckman Beekman Beekman Beek- Beek man hill figured in the barg bargaining ining Just before he took the floor from the he attorneys he obtained a promise from Assistant District Attorney Jacob that his trousers would be returned if he pleaded guilty Three Murdered Irwin stabbed and bludgeoned Veronica Gedeon a beautiful photographers photographers' photographers photographers' pho- pho model her mother and anda a boarder Frank Byrnes in the modest Gedeon apartment on the midtown east side By the strange machinations of his lis mind the crimes were committed in n vengeance for the failure of his suit for the affections of Veronicas Veronica's sister now Mrs Ethel Kudner whom he met as a Gedeon boarder after his expulsion from divinity studies at St. St Lawrence university and release from various insane asylums There was nothing malicious in what I 1 did Irwin told the court as ashe ashe ashe he admitted the slayings Assails Prosecutors Screaming and with hatred in his eyes he called the prosecution staff professional liars and turned on his guards to say How abominably abominably abominably yo you treated me You dirty dogs He concluded his colloquy with the judge by saying I prophesy to you that before ten years I willbe will willbe willbe be out The guilty plea was offered before before before be be- fore a jury to try him for first degree degree degree de de- de- de gree murder had been completed District Attorney Thomas E E. Dewey said he would demand a sentence sentence sentence sen sen- tence of 90 years to life the minimum minimum minimum mini mini- mum is 20 years for each of the murders to run consecutively in order that the community be permanently permanently permanently per per- protected against Irwins Irwin's possible return to society Dewey pointed out Irwin had been committed committed com coin for insanity five times Sentence Date Set SetHe SetHe SetHe He will be sentenced November 28 and be taken to Sing Sing and from there probably to a prison for forthe forthe forthe the criminal insane Defense Counsel Samuel Leibowitz Leibowitz Leibowitz Leibo- Leibo witz retaining his long reputation of never losing a killer to the electric electric elec elec- chair said Irwin was satisfied to spend the rest of his days in prison practicing visualization a process by which he believes he can absorb whole volumes at a glance and project himself into the past and future omnisciently recreate himself and others in Napoleonic and acid similar roles Leibowitz said Irwins Irwin's boast that tha he would be out of prison in ten years was based on a belief that he can melt the iron bars In a similar flight of fancy Irwin Invin to immunize himself I Ideath sought against death in the electric chair by sticking sticking sticking stick stick- ing his fingers into an electric light ligh socket daily Eventually he felt no sensation but only because a guard turned off the power