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Show STUART M. KOI HAS GAINED FAME IN NEW YORK Tho Charles L. Stielow case, in which Attorney Stuart M. Kohn, son of A. L. Kohn of Ogden, is chief counsel for the defense, is still holding hold-ing a prominent position in tho limelight lime-light of tho New York courts and attracting at-tracting wide attention throughout the country. Stielow was awaiting electrocution in- Sing Sing prison, when through the intercession of Attorney At-torney Kuhn, he was granted a reprieve. re-prieve. The former Ogden man took up the case on the night of Juno 7, and virtually vir-tually snatched Stielow from tho eleotrlc chair, as the convicted man to have been executed the following week. Since that time, several other lawyers have been called into the case by Attorney Kuhn and the outlook for Stielow to obtain his freedom Is considered bright, A two-column clipping of The Postv Express recently received by A. L. Kohn gives a detailed review of the case as compiled by Miss Sophie Irene Loeb, a newspaperwoman, who has kept its threads together. According Accord-ing to information obtained byMiss Loeb and contained in her story, Spencer Mills, assistant warden at Sing Sing, went to the home of Attorney At-torney Kohn about midnight and told Iflm the story of Stielow. He had talked with tho convicted man a number of times and said that he, with fellow officers of the prison, was convinced that the man was innocent in-nocent of the crime for which he had been convicted. Stielow had confessed, it was alleged, al-leged, to the murder of Charles B. Phelps and Margaret Wolcott in West Shelby, N. Y., March 21, 191'. Later, he was examined by Dr. Frederick Parsons, and in the opinion of the physician the man was not mentally capable of making such a confession as had been alleged. After hearing this report, Attorney Kohn and Mr. Miller decided to go to Albany and endeavor to get a reprieve for Stielow Stie-low from Governor Whitman, pending a further Investigation of the condemned con-demned man's case. They were unable lo see the governor, gover-nor, but went to Syracuse and laid the facts in their possession before Lieutenant Governor Schoeneck. When the evidence had been considered consid-ered by tho lieutenant-governor, he told the attorney to immediately make application for a new trial. This was done before Justice Wheeler, Wheel-er, who requested the governor to grant a reprieve until such time as he had determined tho motion. A reprieve re-prieve until July 10 was granted and during the latter part of June, Justice Jus-tice Wheeler denied the motion for a new trial. "Mrs. Grace Humislon," says the Express, a lawyer of New York City, became interested in the case about June 20 and made investigations at Buffalo and Medina. At the same time, according to Attorney Kohn, Mr. Miller engaged O'Farrell's Detective Detec-tive agency of New York City. Jack Whiting, an operator of this agency was assigned to the case and instructed in-structed to hold himself subject to Mrs. Humlaton. Shortly after they had commenced investigations, they found that George W. Newton, head falo, and the man who was Instrumental Instru-mental In obtaining the confession from Stielow, was constantly blocking block-ing their efforts by intimidating witnesses. wit-nesses. Mrs. Humlston got him out of tho way by engaging him, under instructions instruc-tions from Attorney Kohn, to do some work In Now York City on a pretended blackmailing case. Later, Newton was trapped into telling how ho obtained the confession from Stielow, Stie-low, by third degree methods. His confession with regard to Stielow was recorded by a dictaphone. This record rec-ord was used as the basis for another an-other motion for a stay of execution, but Governor Whitman refused to interfere in-terfere in any way. Prior to interviewing inter-viewing the governor, Mr. Kohn had made an application in open court he-fore he-fore tho Court of Appeals for a new trial and this was denied." The scene then Bhifted to Buffalo, then to JLhe place of the murder, near Medina, and then to Albany, whero additional facts were laid before Governor Whitman by Mrs. Humis-ton. Humis-ton. Those facts brought about a slay of execution until July 24. Mrs. Humlston then went back to tho Hcenc of the crime and continued the investigation, with tho assistance of a Buffalo detective, and finally succeeded suc-ceeded In picking up information connecting con-necting a man named Irwin King, with the murder. Prior to this, Miss Sophie Irene Loeb, a special writer, was told of the Stielow case, by Mr. Miller and became much interested in it, Through hor influence, a mooting of the Humanitarian Cult of New York City was called by Mlsha Applebaum, its founder and leader, was called and about two thirds of those present pres-ent signed a petition for the commutation commu-tation of Stielow's death sentence, to life imprisonment. Sho also interested inter-ested Mrs. Inez Milholland Boissevain, Boisse-vain, a New York lawyer, in the case. Mrs. Boissevain addressed the meeting of the Humanitarian Cult, and, with Attorney David White, counsel of Stielow in his first trial, and Mr. Applebaum, took (he petition to the governor, but he refused to commute Stielow's sentence. At this time, all of the attorneys interested in the case were widely scattered, but were kept in touch with its course by Miss Loeb, who finally got in touch with Justice Gay and arranged for him to hear Mr. Kohn and Mrs. Boissevain on an application for a new trial. Mr. Kohn, Mrs. Boissevain and Mr. Applebaum, though all threo were from 35 to 65 miles from Now York, met at tho residence of Justice Jus-tice Gay at 4 o'clock in the morning morn-ing of Saturday, July 29, an hour and three-quarters before the time set for the execution of Stielow. Justice Gay granted a stay until 11 o'clock that night Mr. Kohn carried Justice Gay's written order of stay of execution to Sing Sing, a few minutes before the time set for execution. After performing per-forming this duty. Attorney Kohn held a conference with Mrs. Boissevain Boisse-vain and Mr. Applebaum and they decided de-cided upon additional counsel and selected se-lected James W. Osborne, former United States district attornoy for New York. All of the attorneys connected con-nected with the case appeared before Justice Gay at 6 o'clock that night for argument. Tho result of the argument ar-gument was the issuing of an order by Justice Gay lo show cause why a now trial should not be granted, returnable re-turnable at Rochester, August 23. At the same time, ho granted a stay of execution of sentence until after the hearing and determination of this motion. mo-tion. Mrs. Humlston returned to tho scene of the crime and succeeded in having Ervin King arrested in connection con-nection with a robbery committed in Cattaraugus county. In her presence and that of Judge Larkin of Olean; Sheriff NIcholls of Cattaraugus county coun-ty and others, King, it is alleged, made a confession of the murder of Charles B. Phelps and Margaret Wolcott Wol-cott in West Shelby, March 21, 1915, the crime for which Stielow is under un-der sentence of death. King was taken tto Albion and there repudiated his confession. The case of Stielow was brought before Rodenbcck of the supremo court September Sep-tember 28 and continued to a later date. It Is still before tho courts and the former Ogden school boy Is directing the effort of some of the best criminal lawyers in New York in the humanitarian purpose of saving sav-ing the defendant from the electric j:hair. oo |
