, 1883-07-26
THE GALL0WS IN PORTLAND.
Hanging Of Alfred Anderson. Dies
Protesting His Innocence.

ing OF Alllvu AhutISph' TIE HgticIlp
who was executed in ..ao jail ward in
Portland at 2:lo . clock p, IN. on Fri
day last, Is c-ndensed from the re
port ft,-.e STANDARD, The story Of
the crime is as follows:
Carl Anderson, a liquor dealer,
came to this city from Chicago in
September last, at the solicitation
and urgent request Of Alfred, He
brought some money with him, $1,000
or more. the proceeds Of the sale Of
his property He was accompanied
by young woman named Bertha
Nelson. On the 9th of October the
two brothers procured guns at Hud
sons store for the purpose Of hunt
ing, Carl agreeing to pay for the
same On the 10th Alfred returned
the guns, and paid for their Use, and
said his brother had gone back to
Chicago. Alfred then went to The
woman Nelson and told her the same
story, and said she would have to 90
with him, that he would take care OF
her. He then took Carl's trunk and
started with the woman TO the Sound.
On the way he displayed large sums
of money and lost heavily at gam
bling. 1t was known that, previous
to his brothers arrival. Alfred had
no money and was hard up. In No
vember the decaying body of Carl
was found on Swan island below the
city. Suspicious of murder at once
rested upon the brother, and he was
traced to the Sound, and from there
to San Francisco. Chief of Police
Lappeus had been in communication
with Chief Crowley of San Francis
co, and the latter official arrested Al
fred and the woman upon the arrival
of the Sound steamer in that city.
He was brought back, and in due
time tried for murder and convicted
on the evidence, which was circum.
stantial, but left no doubt to any rea-
sOnable mind of his guilt,
There was one chance for Alfred
to have escaped, and that was for
him to have explained how he came
in possession of the two guns, where
he left his brother, how he came in
possession of so much money SO sud
denly, and why he left with the
woman so surreptiitously. This he
refused to do, and seemed to labor
under the belief that it was the bus
mess of the people and the law to
find out these things rather than for
him to give the information. He re
fused to believe that in circumstan
tial evidence cases, the law requires
the accused in measure, to estab
lish his innocence by proving an ali
bi, or by voluntarily giving such evi-
dence as could not be reached by the
state, to prove his innocence, if he
has any to give He was given a
fair trial. He was ably defended by
j. g. Chapman and Wm. NJ. Gregory
and his case was fought inch by
inch, to the Supreme Court His at
tenhon, so it is alleged by his attor
neys, was directed by the Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney, NJ F. Mulkey,
to the fact that he, Alfred, sat in
court silent upon vital questions,
while the law says that a 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 who
have to pay for prosecuting crimi
mails. His attention before and after
the trial and conviction was called to
this omission, by the press and by
the people who visited him. Still,
he was silent, except to make a gen
eral denial of the most damaging al
legations. Had he made the expla-
nations that he was urged to make,
clearing up the suspicion that rested
upon him, it would have been an
easy matter to secure the interposi-
tion of executive clelncEcy. He pre-
terred to keep his secret 10 himself,
and there could be no other conclu-
sion i'll the mind of any one who had
heard of the case than that he was
guilty of one of the most unnatura
of crimes. He did not want to live.
even if he could He either COM
mitted the crime or was Il party to it,
which would make him principal
under the law.
The condemned man bore signs of
weakness all through the interval be
tween his sentence and his execution
but it was hidden to u great degree
by the bold front that he forced him
self to assume. But his countenauce
gave unmistakeabie evidence of the
great anxiety that filled his heart.
His fortitude was no doubt due to
the stimulants that were allowed him
or he would have had t. have been
carried to the scaffold, if he did not
attended by Rev. c. j. Larsen, Il
Swedish minister, to whom he took a
liking, and also by Rev. f. II. Mar
win, to give him spiritual advice and
accompany him to the scatfoid. lie
ate his last supper, breakfast and
lunch heartily, and talked freely on