Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-01-29
THE STORY Oh A CONDEMNED
MURDERER.

MURDERER.
George Butts killed William Roberts
at Forest Springs, in Nevada county,
California, on the 9th day of last Sep
TENDER. He has just been tried at
Nevada City, and sentenced to be hung
on the 18th day of March. A reporter
Of the Transcript recently interviewed
him, with the following result:
"There is much that I might say, but
what is the use. If my past history
would be OF any interest, however, l
would not object to giving an outline
of it. / was born in the State of Ken
lucky, in 1884, of Scotch and Irish
they, both died. / was knocked about
grave closed owe them. Everything
seemed TO go wrong. When eighteen
years of my life had passed, not know
ing how to either read or write, I be-
gan to understand the Importance of
education, and looked around for some
means TO acquire it.. The California
fever was still raging, and l said to
myself, George Butts, you must go
out there, earn a fortune, and come
back to old Kentuck and give yourself
a schooling Well, [ packed up my
buds, and started. That was along in
't2. / began mining and teaming fora
living. Wages were good, and money
plenty. l managed to get a good start
several times, but as sure as | got a stake
ahead, something turned up to euchre
me out of it. Won't you say sofne
thing to your young readers about the
importance of book learning? l would
have money enough saved up to day
to fight my way out of this scrape, II l
could only read and write.
IL managed to live along from
hand to mouth through lard work,
until the terrible day when l was
locked up for killing a man. Then
it was that l began to appreciate how
happy l was before, even with all the
hard luck. Oh, sir, no one, who has no
been in my fix, can imagine what a
fearful prospect it is to know that /
have got to hang. But, do you know,
it doesn't seem to me I'd a fair shake.
1 wouldn't say anything unkind of
those who put me here for all the
world; but it doesn't seem just the
thing to rush this trial through when
nine of the chief witnesses in my ia
vor were not on hand. If 1 could
only get another trial, l feel certain
that my sentence wouldn't be so hard.
/ didn't have the least idea about law
when the first INT took place, n
didn't know what course to take. My
attorney has showed a deep interest in
me, though, and l thank him from the
bottom of my heart for all he has
done. But the odds were against him
in nearly every instance. The jury
was made up of men from near the
scene of the fracas-men who read the
Grass Valley papers. and could not but
have placed some reliance on the biased
accounts which were written. Yes, 1t
was an old trouble. One of my partners
was a Democrat, the other was a Re-
publican. 1 was a Republican, and
have been a soldier. Whenever the
other two got into a dispute, l was
asked to settle the question, but for fear
CT making a row would get up and
walk away. They both got mad at
this, and that's the beginning of the
trouble. When l walked to Grass VAL
ley, five and a half miles away, and
gave myself into the custody Of the Of
~ticers, / didn't imagine that the end
would be what it has. People think l
dtl liluIllSE6Dt, YOU say W youiscAi
in my place, sir. and that will be my
answer. How can they help but know
that my heart is bleeding, that my very
brain is on fire. whenever l think OF
that sentence. Need l be a coward and
give up to grief, to show that l have
the feelings they think l lack IL is
true that l couldn't keep back the tears
when the Judge told me that l must
swing, bu. it wasn't because / felt
worse then than I have before or since.
l knew that il l should give way in
public, people would say 1 didn't have
any nerve. 1t will not be five years,
though. before they will find cut that l
was not guilty of the crime l am to
die for"
II have been here since the 9th day
of September, and as a quiet retreat,
this place beats the world. l was al
ways fond OF company. although a
bachelor, and liked to crack a joke and
spin a yarn, and the change comes
rather hard. My visitors average per-
haps two a week. | wish that more
people would come TO see me. 1t
| seems thai all the world had gone back
on me. l haven't a friend in this part
of the world, except a brother. who
lives at Ophir, Placer county, and he
is poor, with a family. If sympathiz
ing strangers would only drop in &C.
c~asionally and speak a kind word, it
would make my lot easier"