, 1865-12-22
EXECUTION IN IROQUOIS
COUNTY,
Early History, Trial, Conviction,
and Sentence Of Francis
N. Harper.



Full Confession of the Condemned Men.
Deliberately Murders his vtctlna be-
tween Gilman and Onnrsa, on the
Night of the I'd Of Eov. lSC5-The
Criminals Early tEfstory-FIts Awful
Crime, o1d-E3Ioodetl and Afracious-
-1tIs Dctectt0n-Popu1nr Feeling
Evidences Of his Gul1t-1Iis Trlns-
The Findings Of the Court-1iis Sen.
tenee-An Attempt Made to Extcnd
the Time, to get his Sentence Com.
Iputcd to imprisonment for Life, all
In yain-T1,c Appearance Of the Con.
dcmued mau In hls Ccil-Ill4 Confess
sion.
Especial Correspondence OF the Chicago Tribune
KANKAEEE, ILL.,, Det. 81, 1865.
On tomorrow, (Friday, Dec. 2a2l,) Francis
Marion Harpcr, will be hanged by the meek
until be is dead. at Watseka, 1roquols county
for the murder of D. W. Nelson.
HIS EARLY HISTORY.
Francis A1ar7on Harper was born In Morgan
county, Ind, in tho year 1s43, and is there
fore twenty-five years Of ago. lie had, he
says, little or no Christian education and ur
to The nge Of sixteen had never attended
either church or Sabbath school. Truly sad
aud iamentaole feature IN MS history. HI
had Christian mother, but her counselt
were disresarded. he early entered thf
school Of vice. In 1854 be {ofned the zath
Indiana regiment, and went With II into tho
army. Soon after, be deserted from tht
army, and came to Effnsham, Illinois, where
his parents reside. He commenced his avfnl
career OF crime by des<rting.
nrcoNrs . nonsr r,,,rv
n1t. r,"t
10y ooon al.es VI a..artnE 9nE u. Enngnam ne htreu
y uotss y. one all. "usun. hlole Inc no5sc toos
r. ~ ~. nus. pa.. ~ ~ couasiy, anu sola y.
.t ~ w n!.n u p1t "a tneso !l.,SoltGl ea,ns
saas ~ o9t1uMeu t,''t ieso.ter M!tu WMen nc
sunt''eeo .a1 e'a' a'1 'ot WHICH llc Is 10 oe exc
eu1su. ,-,-,,
,,,at a9s erne oa,n@ o. es'on ne quickly aaoeo
COMMITS TIE CRIME OF MURDER.
II Is seldom that we arc called upon to
chronicle more deliberate, prcmeditatcd,
cold.blooded murder than the one which Har.
per committed on the night Of the I'd Of No
venlber- VII! consunlmnte coolnesa the RW.
full plot was laid, md With flcndish cruelty il
was executed. The prepared assassin falls
upon Lis unsuspecttng victim IN IN unsuarded
ont cause or proFocation.
Harper bscame acquainted with Nelson, bis
victim. at Kankakee and boarded with him
al Inc Murray House about week. On the
evening OF tue "a OF November, Harper and
Nelson tooK the midnight express going
so'ih, and toget1eT got ou at Gilman. Har-
per then invited Nelson TO 60 down the track
With HIN to the house OF friend The poor
unsuspcctlig man accepted tne invitation,
and together they started Tor tue place Lar
per ha:l desiehatcd. . g4t a!as, Dass deeentton
was dong lts ~oFk; harper Aaa n no Trend
living alcns the railroad fIack. There vas
sp u1 ~ y snn1 ,.i,s. ~ r. Us
n,s1,,'nr r,.' Tr' In, IN spe' NJ eoa'a
1insnar ~ ND ,-e,s,r c,,,,ore,d o,ro+,,o,
,,,ar ,saro a,orotiinn ainmm. ~ ,ssa ~
tnsy 49, ,,,l ,.'a ;i.s .t a.iu t,iica mnc.t
~, lily Iau Eene u%u .ne ssain suane.nns
a1o eo"s u,S ~ et:,.eeot n y. % ~ npsF Inaae
..s - LII .ns eooiAess ~ Inc
lat ~ "enanu stsp Gse" rs T t.
Noa' III enot Ia ,:M .utoasu tte
melu nc nc sno, naa.r uu ros ha n da;h stsue 81,
~ ~ ~ ~ .Aisn n.s Mpsa -.
uaon n iae, .tcnt tus h,.t tn,,as u ~ nls
LII nanI npun st az az "neu w - ~
MN ne wa ,;.... not uesa: ~ ueo deasing ms
..;,l d Iaaaaa ny .r;,t '9 ~ sse ~
"itn uagu0: :., ac.neo "'n w eppns 81 Fup-
oery+ . ano Ha M4tn nis ao Soui olasHsneu WIN Inc
~ ~ H. iauu. ~ m, sGcae'
Vst.o - ~ a. "l.u :t:I NA'eu
EorlnEec and lit s,1 a. a n,eIra ~ ~ 80 ~ u
rctMm~ And lie hnrrowc;I f,,,t Tavn1,or tn
The 81 nyess nurnose Of shooi;oa him. IL won't mi
armed from hankakee Will t1e:scttled deter.
minatIou to murder Nelson. And as soon as
...t Ppss.tsa, Z, Ptossi'ia ,sn nc eail e
,na';e;on. .ntG ao,1 IL esuel
inT1s 4 'in,in tu,o.ovusu 3 assa.ssisaa.aon!
what mitigating plea could be put in; what,
4 in cxtcnuation Of his deep guilt could be dorat
| OF eaids
uAnrEn's DETECTION.
Taking the knife. the trunk anf, the watch
There .fis Stance an,,caroncc md h;no5
stofned cnof nwnEenaf snsn;cion % Thotno ~
svrnf tn tIc rniiTood 1e,of ana 1,,,re;,a.ad H.
t;rEe+ fnr EankoLee- Srorrc hcf H. -.
1eft when intelligence Was rrre;re,l that !,
drad man had been iound learinr m hts nm !
tho inItials an. y. n" the same that wcr1
on tho hor that Harrnr had ietf win tha 80
snnnossd 10 mint ont the mnrtlcrar teic'
gram was inmcdiatcly sent 10 KenkaEen 10
have Harper Tor as he called himself johnson
arrested. The operator at Clifton read the
despatch as it passed through his office; aud
rs the train on which Harper YVES, wus then
standin. on the track at Clifton, steps were
immediately taken and Ic was arrested.
POPULAR FEELING.
Harper was Immediately taken to Gt,man
And 60 intense was The p,blic iniiTnatjon
against him. that Il was will, tie utmost dir
flculty thcf il,c Sheriff couId restrain the er,.
ragged citizens from executing summary
p1snishmeut upon bin. They seemed deter.
mined TO nut in force The Lynch law. Ind at
tour or aTo different ti1aes they suspended
But tho Sheriff succeeded in rescu'ng him and
lodged him in the Kankakec iatI FOR safe
keeping, until action could be taken b7 thc