, 1877-10-06
the DEATH PENALTY.
.,,-,,,x ox ,,ux 1aoxrsos AT sEAr11r

was banged Mt Seattle for the murder Oh Solomon
Baxter on the th of February iast near That place
r,,ory The execution took pisce IN the 1ail yard
TIE Tribune gives the annexed account:
A large number of Elen and boys, and, We may
add with shame, two women, Sa'neren 70 wltness
the ION of the sentence some OF them being
nxo,,. ,ui dctrrrnned 10 that they hung around
tbe premises Tor five SIX hours and had liked them
se,ve- by the aid of long boards to look ossT ths
high fence also by getting upon te Tools OF nouse
S;aeent 10 9. We the man every chance for his hft
the ex, cution was delayed until half past In tht
af,erpoop, when the prisoner Was brought out, the
jaiI yard being opened trst U permit the entry OF
spectators and closed Afterwards 70 prevent eonfus
nm TIompsop yas accompanied by Rev. Messrs
Nscf,e B.uiey and Dillon, and marched to meet hi
doom in as calm a manner probably any other per.
son in the community Gould under IKE eireumstsn-
COS Sheriff Wycxoff read to him the mandate Of the
court and then told hia be was at hbertf TO make
sneb remarks as he wished THOMPSON reiterated
his assertions of innocense stating that what lie did
was done in self defense, and that under other and
fairer circumstances the result OF his trial would
have been different. Mr.. Maeie then prayed with
aud for hin, after which Thompson made some other
remarks Of neral character and worthy OF any man,
concluding them with sign indicating his readiness
To meet lis death. His hands and feet were tied the
black cap pluctd over his head the hse put around
hi, neck tLg signal given and JohD Thompson, cOm-
mittiuy his soul his Saviour dropped Through the
seafo,d His neck WIS broken by the iaii and with
conyusive twiteh two OF tbs Iess, ms Eie quick
ly departed his body. His execution ana Death was
one OF the calmest and easiest ever Witnessed and
showed the perfection Uf every arrangement made BY
the careful officers After allowing him to hang for
half an hour or more he cut down, and ccfi n
being ready he was placed in 1t and buried
The DisDdtch publishes Il loug account OF the exc
cutop similar to the above, from which We take the
following:
was about forty years of age He appeared To be per-
fectly resigned to his fate, and his manner betrayed
no nervousness or fear. Previous to his execution he
made a verbal confession 10 Rev Mr. Macde, the
nature of which We did not learn
All the papers agree that The homicide there was
an element of self defense that called for eommuta-
ton of the sentence, because from facts developed
sulseo uent To The trial IL became apparent that IT
was NO. a case Of murder IN the first degree But
although the whole matter IN ali Its "details was LAID
before tie goyerB0r he refused to Interfere 1t would
seem that imurOper exercise Of executive Cemency
in the territory heretofore has made 1t difficult to
use il now even in CASES which more plainly require it.
The Dispdtch reyiews tie whole matter IN this way
Gov Ferry has, in convei sation with some OF Our
citizens sought TO Justify his refusal to commute the
sentence of thompson by stating that no case for ex
eeutjye ceneney had been made out IL Is therefore
but lust that the pubic should know IN " lat nan-
per the case has been Land before the governor and
what efforts have been made IN Dehai OF Inc unlOr-
tunate victim. The following information With IT,
gard 10 the case has been furnished US by one OF
rhompson's S attorneys: The governor was furnished
with statement of the evidence adduced upon the
trinl which had been prepared for bill OF exeep-
tiopp and WIS certified to be correct by counsel on
both sides of the case He Was also furnished with
certified transcript of the proceedings OF the disf
and the opinion of the supreme court IN the case
showing that the merits of the not passed
upop or decided by that court. Petitions asking for
communication on the grounds that IN the opinion Of
the signers the condemped man was not guilty OF
murder IN the first degree, and that for want OF suf
cient time to prepare the case Tor tral Ills defense
was not as full and Perfect under the facts IN the
case il could have been made, signed by all the
members of the bar resident OF Seattle, except the
prosecuting attorney, by SIX meInbeis OF the grand
jury and OF the petit jury and by every person
connected with the press all the prominent citizens
and large number OF ladies' OF Seattle large num-
bea of persons at Renton, Talbot and Newcastle, and
BY every Of Thoa pson's neishbors and ae4uain-
lance in S4uak valley, where his home was Letters
asking for eommutatiou were written by several
monument citizens, among them the foreman OF the
grand Jury These papers were presented to the gov
ernor and communication argued by c. H. Hanford, OF
the Counsel Of Thompson, personally. on Wednesday
of last week. About the same time the governor was
visited and uryd 10 commute the sentence by others
of our citizens among them the Rev Mr.. Whitworth
an. Sheriff Wyckof both of whom heard the whole
trial and unhes;tatinsly affirm their belief that he
WIS not guilty of murder N the first degree. The
transcript of the record contained affidavit made
by e. IL. Hanforf and never eontroverted, setting
forth large amount of material and important evi-
dence favorable for Thompson and not produced at
the trial because not known to the prisoners counsel
ia time 4 letter also handed the governor from
resident of Talbot, stating that the writer saw :he
meeting of Bennett and Thompson on the railroad
track just before the fatal say, AMI that instead of
Thompson confronting Bennett and Baxter suddenly
with "A knife and assaulting them, Bennett testi-
fed at tie trial, Tbomls1n ran away and Bennett
pursued and overlook HIM After these matters had
been presented and eCmnu.at on been refused, w. T.
Andrews went The governor to iniercede carry ing
with him letters from others o, citizens, and Pc
titions signed 10y two hundred more persons of all
classes and AFT lavits by Mr. Williams, The foreman
of the Renton mine, Messrs MARSHALL and Seholey
of Reuton. and Mr.. George Walker, setting forth
statements made by Bennett Immediately after the
atfray and before Eayter Was supposed 10 be mich
injured contradictory of his testimony at the trial.
and TO the effect that lie Bennett anC; not Tkomp-
son, the assau!tns party. In addition 10 these
matters letters were sent to tn governor by mail
by large number of our best and most IL nfuential
eitizers the most urgent POSSIBLE implor
ing for mercy, and on Wednesday last tel gram
was sent by the ex clerk of the court wlo heard the
Whole trial. affirming that 1t WAS his most solemn
convection that the hanging Of Them. son would be
judicial murder. We say, and Governor Ferry can
not deny that this the strongest for execu
tive clemency ever presented TO him or any other
governor OF Washington territory and yet it is the
first time that elemeney las been refused when asked
for IN capital case.