Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-07-31
prisoner, commanders: SStand up"
and proceeded as follows:

prisoner, commanders: "Stand up.".
and proceeded as follows:
Samuel Ridgway: You have been
charged WHY the highest crime known
to human, as we'll as divine, law, and
Of this charge, after a fair and full
trial, you have been convicted by a
jury of your countrymen sworn to try
the case. and to render verdict in ac.
cordance with the evidence. You
have been ably defended by counsel
appointed for the purpose, who has
contested every point made against
you with skill and pertinacity. The
same laws which You have broken
have given you the means of present
ing anything by way of defense or ex-
culpation that would tend to estab-
!ish your innocence or justify your
act. After hearing all the evidence,
including that you have offered in your
defense, jury of unbiased and in
telligent men have found you guilty,
and after proof which divests your
crime of the glamour which surrounds
a bold and daring murder.
II the circumstances testified to by
the witnesses are true-and the jury
have found them TO be so-upon and
in pursuance of motive, wholly in.
sufficient and tritling in its character,
you deliberately and coolly planned
the death OF man who had not
harmed you. In order to carry out
the plan thus formed you armed your
self with deadly weapon, and then
sought the deceased for that purpose.
The result was the death of man in
the prime of life and vigor of man
hood, who had as good right to live
out the full number of his days, as
yourself. The fate which has over
taken you is but the just deserts of
the acts shown by the testimony to
have been done by you. l have no
desire to aggravate or harrow up your
feelings, or to inhict any more pain
upon you than my duty rs minister
Of the law requires me to do. | will
not prolong this, to me, painful scene
further than to advise YOU to prepare
to meet the awful fate which
will soon ovcrtake you. l have
endeavored. to give you fair trial.
l am not new aware of any errors
committed by me to your prejudice.
l am glad 10 know that if have COM
mitted any, and if you have been de-
prived of any rights, there is tri-
bunal which will correct them, and to
which you may take your case for re-
view if YOU 50 desire. ! hope that no
human being will ever, by any mis-
take Of mine, be ushcred into the
presence Of the Great Judge who will
finally award to every one the Just
deserts Of his deeds, and that without
the possibility Of error. think that
you need not look to any power short
of Omnipotence for pardon Of the
crime Of which you have been con-
victcd. | advise you to dismiss from
your mind all hope Of human aid and
look alone to Him who, though Your
sins be scarlet, can make them white
as snow, and though they be red like
crimson can make them white as
wool.
The judgment of the law, and your
sentence is that you be, by the Sheriff
OF Alturas county, hanged by the neck
until you are dead. And may God
have mercy on your soul.
A warrant will hereafter be issued
out Of and under the seal of this
Court fixing Friday, the 22nd day of
September next, between the hours
OF II o'clock m. and 3 p. m. as the
time of the execution Of the judy
ment.
While his Honor pronounced SEN
tence, Ridgway looked him steadily
in the face. Not muscle OF his face
moved, nor was the least outward
show of emotion exhibited. At the
conclusion of the delivery the prisoner
was started back to the county Jail
accompanied by Sheriff Gray and
Charles Steele. From this time on
he will be kept in solitary confne-
ment.