Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-01-02

broad daylight the leaders of the bloody
organization assembled. without anv
efforts at concealment, TO consider a
proposition to reward the brutal murd-
erer. Hurley was there in person to
urge his claims to the reward, and
Kehoe stated that the assassin of Com
er James should be we'll paid for his
services, but that it was important that
the proper person should get the
money. A committee was accordingly
appointed to decide the matter in dis
pute, and Hurley's claims were recog-
nized, but he never got the reward, the
funds Of the organization being required
for purposes of defense. Hurley sub
sequently decamped and is still at
| large.
Notwithstanding that the hands of
the Mollie King were stained with
blood, and that he could undoubtedly
have been convicted of several other
murders, he still laughed at his prose
cutors, and had no doubt of his pardon.
Then began a desperate struggle Of the
prisoners counsel. Tire full court re-
fused a new trial, and the supreme
court sustained the rulings of she lower
tribunal. In Marsh last the death-war-
rant was issued, but was Immediately
withdrawn to give the board of pardons
an opportunity to consider the case.
The board refused on the 9th of April
to interfere by tie vote. Still the war
rant was not reissued, and in Septem-
Der the board was induced 10 consider
the case again. ut
This delay was most valuable to
Kehoe's counsel, for, if they could only
stave off the case until Governor Hart
ranfts term of office expired, in JAN
uary next, the Mollie murderer was
undoubtedly safe, as gubernatorialh ct
iquette would have forbidden Hoyt sign
ing the warrant. The board, however,
decided as before, and the fate Of Kehoe
was in Hartranft's hand. During the
recent campaign nothing was done, and
the case entered largely into the cam
paign, the democrats charging that
Hartranft was bound to save Kehoe's
life in payment for the Molhe vote lAf-
ter the election was over, however, the
Governor, III a letter to Attorney Gener-
al Lear, made excuses for not signing
the warrant, saying that he wished the
democrats to enjoy what political capi-
tai they could out of the case,2 ex-
pressing some doubts as to Kehoe's
guilt. and asking for instructions. The
Attorney General replied that their re-
mained just one thing to do, according
to law, and that was to sign the death
warrant, and so on the 18th of Novern-
Der the document was issued Still an
other effort was made in Kehoe's behalf
and a witness was hunted up in Decem-
Der for the express purposes of estab-
fishing an alibi, but the board again re-
fused to interfere, and to-day Jack Ke-
hoe, the great leader of the Mollie Ma
guires, met his death.
Martin Bergln, another Mollie, was to
have been hanged to-day, but was
yesterday respited until Jan. 16 to test
the cOnstitutionality of the law of 1877
regarding the writ Of error. Alexander
B. Sayre has also been. respited for
some reason, and James Mcdonald and
Charles Sharpe, two Mollies, who were
sentenced to death to-day, have re-
ceived breathing until Jan. ii.
The hanging of Kehoe makes the
sixteenth Mollie that has paid the
penalty of his crime on the gallows
since the execution of this class of
murderers was begun on June 21, 1877,
when ten were dropped into eternity in
one day. Two more are to be hanged
on Jan. IA. James Mcdonnell and
Charles Sharpe, and one on Jan. 16.
Martin Bergin. In addition to these
two Mollies are under sentence of death
in Northumberland county, making
twenty-one convictions in all within
three wears.