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.