CHAPTER XI.. Shows Repentance but Once.

SHOWS REPENTANCE BUT ONCE.

Although Schrank's bail finally was fixed at $15,000, bail would not have been accepted. This was announced by District Attorney Zabel. One of the several reasons for raising the bail was that motion picture men had planned to pay Schrank's bail and secure his release long enough to once again go through the shooting for the purpose of making a motion picture film of the event.

"I absolutely refused to sanction such a thing," said the district attorney. "It is bad enough to have it happen once without perpetuating the deed by enacting it once again for the motion picture men.

"I do not begrudge the earning of the motion picture men. What I object to is the demoralizing effect such a picture film would have. It would tend to make a hero out of this man, and I don't propose that the young shall be allowed to worship him as a hero.

"I understand, however, that a motion picture concern, when it found how we had frustrated its attempts to secure an actual picture of Schrank actually reproduced a scene of taking Schrank from the county jail to the city hall by palming off another man who resembles Schrank.

"In order to reproduce a scene of taking him from the jail, they picked out a building that resembled the jail, the Ivanhoe temple. They reproduced Schrank emerging from the 'jail' between two bogus deputy sheriffs. Later some one told me the same performance was repeated at the city hall to convey the impression that the would-be slayer was being taken into the city hall and up to the courtrooms."

During the time Schrank was confined in jail he showed signs of repentance but once, that was on Sunday, October 24, when religious services were conducted in the jail.

The Rev. Mr. Cavanam, a traveling evangelist, started the services shortly after 10 o'clock. Schrank, who a week before refused to attend services conducted by Christian Endeavorers, was one of the first to appear when a hymn was started.

At the close of the sermon Schrank turned away and walked to his cell with head bowed. He entered the cell and fell on his knees alongside his cot. Several of the prisoners who had been walking up and down the corridor stopped in amazement on seeing Schrank on his knees, but quietly walked away until he had finished.

When Miss Alice Evans, a soloist, sang a song, Schrank reappeared, and the prisoners noticed a happy look on his face which had not been visible before during his imprisonment. After the religious people had left the jail Schrank mingled more than had been his wont with the other prisoners, and seemed to be in high spirits.

When Gustave Struber delivered an address to the prisoners in German Schrank appeared to be one of the most attentive hearers, and shook hands with the speaker before he left the jail.

There is nothing about Schrank which portrays the human fiend.

On the contrary, he is a very ordinary type. There are hundreds of thousands men of his very type, and who are peaceable citizens.

The only way that Schrank differs from other men is in mind. He undoubtedly is a degenerate possessing a depraved and diseased mind, but there is nothing in his physical make-up that would brand him as such.

Police Chief John T. Janssen, student of human nature, penetratingly studied and measured the man's features for hours during examinations, and arrived at the conclusion that the man was suffering from a condition of mind known as paranoia, pronounced the most dangerous form of insanity.

This mental disease makes a man a monomaniac. He is perfectly sane, except upon one subject, which controls him and pushes him forward, even in some cases, to murder.

In telling of his crime, there was nothing defiant about Schrank. He displayed no bravado. He told everything in a frank tone of voice--too frank, almost, as it raised the suspicion that probably Schrank was not a mad man.

There is nothing about him that would cause any passer-by to glance at Schrank twice. And his face is the most uninteresting part of him.

His face is fat and round--moon-shaped. His eyes are placed wide apart, but this effect is lost through ptosis, a species of paralysis of the eyelids, which gives the eyes a half closed appearance, and is responsible for the sleepy look in his face. It affects one eye more than the other and is responsible for that squint which has been designated as "a murderous squint" by sensationalists.

His nose is rather large and prominent. Continued application of the handkerchief has caused it to turn almost sharply to the left.

His weak mouth finishes off what would otherwise be a fairly good face. Cover mouth and chin and one will say that he has the strong face of the ordinary American workingman. His lips, for the most part, are closed, but in an irregular line, giving the idea that his jaws are hanging loosely.

Altogether, he is not a repulsive looking man. Merely a weak looking man. Laughs and grins come readily during his conversations.

The only remarkable feature about him is his knowledge of American history and politics. He is able to talk intelligently upon modern political questions, showing that he is a great reader along these lines.

The more one looks at him and studies him, the more one wonders what it is that could have pressed him forward to commit such a deed.

Nothing explains his weak character more than his hesitancy to fire the shot at Chattanooga. He had traveled miles to do it, and at the last minute his courage oozed out. The same thing happened in Chicago. He stood at Hotel La Salle with murder in his heart, but hesitated until it was too late.

And when he struck Milwaukee, he acted just like a boy afraid to coast down a big hill, who, finally impelled by the taunts of his comrades, closes his eyes and starts.

Look down through history and you find that the most atrocious crimes were committed by weak persons of the same caliber as John Flammang Schrank.