Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-07-22

The following account of the han9in,
- Alfred Anderson, the fratrlcide. VIII,
as executed in the Jail yard in Port
land a. 2:f0 o'clock p. m. on Frida,
last, is condensed from tae report il
...tsrday's Standard. The etory of tn,
crime is as follows:
Carl Anderson, a liquor dealer. came
A. this CITY from Chicago in September
80 AT the solicitation and urgent re-
ars.t OF Alfred. He brought some
snnev with him, 5000 or more, the
n,oceeds of the sale Of his property,
IT, vss accompanied by young wo.
.nsn named Bertha Nelson. On the
or Of October the two brothers pro.
sr,ed guns at Hudson's store for the
Sn,nose of hunting. Carl agreeing 10
~ Car the same. On the 10Th Alfred
sstnrned ths guns. and paid for their
80 and said that his brother had gone
10y 10 Chicago. Alfred then went TO
.hs woman Nelson and told her the
ssu,s story, and said that she would
ave IN 90 With him, that he would take
ss,e az her. He then took Carts trunk
mi started with the woman to the
Soond. On his way he displayed large
snms Of money and lost heavily at
rsohlino. Il was known that, previous
- his brother's arrival, Alfred had no
money and was hard up. In November
shs dscayinQ body of Carl was found on
s~an island below the city. Suspicious
~ murder rested At once on the brother,
and he was traced TO tine Sound. and
tom there to San Francisco. Chief of
p,lice Lappeus had been in communi-
cssion with Chief Crowley of San Fran
s;sco. and the latter official arrest ed
xlsred and the woman upon the arrival
- the Sound steamer in that city. He
v.s brought back, and in due time tried
sor murder and convicted ON the evil
dance. which Was circumstautial. but
mind OF bis guilt.
There vas one chance for Alfred to
hsve escaped, and that was for him to
have explained how he came in posses
siou OF the two guns, where he left his
brother, how he came in possession of
"a much money 30 suddenly, and why
he lsft with the woman surreptitiously.
This he declined TO do. and seemed to
business nf the people and the Law to
md OuL tutSt Idb1Ck bnau IOl
him 10 give the information. He refus-
I'd TO believe that in circumstantial
oasss. the law requires the accuse to,
IN q measure, establish his innocence by
proving an alibi, or by voluntarily Civ
ing such evidence that could not be
reached by the state, to prove his inno-
Cence, il he had any to give. He was
given a fair trial. He was ably defend
ed by j. g. Chapman and VIM. II.
Gregory, and his case was fought, inch
by inch, to the Supreme Court. His at
tention, 30 it is alleged by his attorneys,
Vas directed by the Assistant Prosecut
ing Attorney, M. +. Mulkey, to the fact
that he, Alfred, sat in court silent upon
vital questions, vi lie the law says that
defendants refusal TO testify in his
own behalf shall not be questioned or
used against him, yet the fact that he
did refuse to clear up matters bore great
weight in the minds Of the public, and
especially tax-paying people, whose mo-
ney Ia taken to pay for the prosecution
Of criminals. His attention, before and
after the trial and conviction. called
70 this omission, by the press and by the
people who visited him. Still, he was
silent, except to make a general denial
Of the most damaging allegations. Had
be made the explanations that he was
urged TO make, clearing mp the suspicion
that rested ON him, IL would have been
an easy matter 70 secure the interposi-
tion OF executive olemency. He prefer
red to keep his secret TO himself, and
there could be no other conclusion in
the mind of any one who had heard of
the case, than that he was Qnilsy of one
Of the most unnatural Of crimes. He
did not want TO live, even IL he could.
He either committed the deed himself,
or was u party To the crime, which would
make him principal under the law.
The condemned man bore signs Of
weakness all through the interval bo-
tween his sentence aud his execution, but
u was hidden to a great degree by the
bold front that he forced himself TO as
sumo. But his oountenance gave I'M
mistakeable evidence Of the great anx-
isty that filled his heart. His forti-
tude was no doubt due 70 the
stimulants that were allowed him.
or he would have had to have been
carried to the scaffold, II he did not be-
come a raving madman. He was at
tended by key. @. j. Larsen, Swedish
minister, to whom he took liking, and
also by Rev. F. II. Marvin, to give him
spiritual advice and accompany him to
the scaffold. He ate his last supper,
breakfast and lunch heartily. and al
ways talked freely on religious subjects,
bat he never made any reference TO his
crime, except TO insist that he was not
legally convicted.
Ten minutes before everything was In
readiness the trap had been tried by
heavy weights, and the rope aud moose,
which had been prepared by sailor In
che county Jail. placed in position. The
invited persons were admitted into the
inclosure, and Sheriff Sears requested
them, in view of the awful event, to
preserve silence during the execution.
The dead march was then taken mp.
beaded by Sheriff Sears and his deputy,
Witherell; then followed Revs. Mr.. Lar
en- and Marvin, the latter reading Q
funeral service. Then the condemned
man with his hands handcuffed behind
him, with Tailor DouQherty holding him
BY the arm. He walked with q firm
step and assembled the scaffold without
faltsring. The Sheriff selected the fol-
lowing gentlemen rs q jury 70 certify TO
the execution of the law: David Cole,
wash Allen. Alvin Smith, James Back
sust0s, DIR. l.. l.. Hope, VIM. q. Beck,
I'm. Mason, L. B. Ind, j. n. PittinRer,
7. N. Hanoon, Jas. Il. Courtney and
Tim Stapletou. Upon reaching the trap,
1hs handouts were removed from An
derson, and Sheriff Sears read the death
warrant, which recited all the proceed
tngs Of tho Circuit and Supreme courts,
and the final Judgment. After the road
ing he was requested TO make any state
ment he desired. and he consumed 80
minutes in q tiresome and embarrassing
harangue, which was disconnected and
many times senseless, but the drift Of
Ais speech was 20 condemn the jury by
which he was convicted, and 10 advise
his hearers to turn TO the Lord and seek
salvation. He gcsticulatsd violently al
times, snd at others placed his thumbs
In the armholes Of his vest. He VA
dresssd in black. without hat or coat
With clean collar. full beard. but die.
hsveled hair. He looked the people full
b the face while talking. He went on
Aanmbling rate, and once made q
tuaes forward al II he would fall Oh the
etaeA and the jsilor grabbed at him,
bat Anderson excused himself and said
hs would not fall. The speech was q
repetition of words and the whole thing
night have been omitted. He made NO
statement whatever which might tend
eothrov any light on the crime. excep!