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Show 1 Slayer,. Trapped by Drink, Quits Prison to Start Life Anew at 54 He's Teetotaler Now By BUFOKO 80MMZBS Werner Stembeck is cured of , the drink habit. He took the ear the hard way, by spending two years, la Jail, more than eight years In prim and coming within an ace of t dying before a firing squ&. - But Werner Stembeck walked eut of Utah state prison Wednesday Wed-nesday morning a free man. And Werner Stembeck trace all hi trouble to drink. He is a living temperanc lecture. He la also a murderer. When Stembeck killed his common-law wife, Minnie Man- tyla, back In 1929, h was "soused to th gills." It wa against th law to hav liquor In those day, but Stembeck had it. He'd had it all day, and that night when they found his shattered cheek against that of th bullet-ridden woman he waa still In a stupor. That was In their apartment at 329 H South State street. His left eye was blasted out with on of those, bullet. Later, th state contended he had tried to kill himself after murdering th widow, mother of four children, chil-dren, with whom he had lived as man and wife. The defense contended con-tended th double shooting was th result of a scuffle over pos-sesstoo pos-sesstoo of th gun, which th 4 woman had snatched from a dresser drawer. Th Third district court Jury that heard th case allowed no mercy for the drink explanation, and he was condemned to die before be-fore a firing squad en November 20, 1929, six months and two days after the slaying. The court-appointed attorney dropped th case after th conviction, con-viction, and th court appointed another. Th second attorney looked over th record, and again the drink angle popped up. He won an appeal on the ground that the Judge, In his instructions instruc-tions to the jury, had erred on the matter of evidence of drinking. Stembeck bad beaten death that time. Some say that he had another clos brush with death when, between hi first and second sec-ond trials, he underwent an operation oper-ation (or stomach ulcers, an ailment ail-ment often closely linked with drinking. Some said hi heart would never withstand th shock. If their suspicions were well founded. Stembeck beat death again. He beat death again at his second sec-ond trial. He was convicted of . second-degree murder instead of first degree, and he was sentenced sen-tenced to 15 years in prison on November 22. 1931, two years and two days after he was to hav been executed. r. Drink became an Important factor In that second trial, as It was th mitigating circumstance that brought him the leaser penalty. pen-alty. Th wheels of Justice ground slowly In Stembeck' case, he spending two years In the Salt Lake county Jail before hi fat was finally decided. But the wheels of time have turned even more slowly for Stembeck at the stat prison. Th law provide that a prisoner pris-oner given a flat sentence may, upon good behavior, be freed in half th time, plus 10 months. His eight years and four months ended Wednesday morning. "And he earned every mlnut of that 'good time."' Warden Owen Nebeker said Tuesday afternoon. aft-ernoon. "He never got out of line nce, never caused a bit of trou- But If time moved slowly tor Stembeck, he took advantage of It. A Finnish Immigrant, Stembeck Stem-beck used an Interpreter during his court appearance. Today he spoke English fluently, Intelligently. Intelli-gently. "I read three hours every night" he said. By day he managed the prison laundry. At night he studied. He kept abreast of world affairs, subscribed to three newspapers, and he speaks sadly of th fat of Finland. A There was considerable show of affection on the part of prison official a Stembeck made his rounds of farewells Tuesday afternoon. aft-ernoon. There was more than casual amenity when they told him: "Now, be sure and keep la touch with us." Neatly shaven and tonsured, his prison garb spotless, he moved hi heavy bulk with speed ' and agility, saying good-by to his official friends. Whatever his court defense signified, sig-nified, Stembeck today is convinced con-vinced that drink la th root of all evil. "It never brought anybody anything but trouble," he Insisted. Insist-ed. "You never know what trou- '' I bl Is going to turn up, but yoo can trace It to liquor. I wouldn't touch It again if you offered m $10,000." Friends greeted Stembeck apoa his release Wednesday. He intends in-tends to succd la Salt Lak. City, la th community that saw his downfall. "I may try a little restaurant,1 ha said. Warden Nebeker revealed re-vealed that Stembeck has saved several hundred dollars out et his small earnings at prison. . .. Can Stembeck succeed? Can a man 54 years old begin life anew? Will society readmit a man convicted of murder T Anyway, Werner Stembeck at cured of the drink habtt. I |
