Little Falls transcript., 1885-11-06
BE Makes q Long and Mournful State
ent, and Dies q Slow Death by.
!. !. Strangulation.
PORTRAIT OF MILLER.


PORTRAIT OF MILLER.
GRAND FoRKs, Oak, Special Telegram. Oct
30.--George Miller, the murderer of Mrs. G
Y. Smell and son, was hanged at 1862. m
to-day. Yesterday afternoon he received
the sacrament and refused to receive Wis
itors He went to bed at IL o'clock anc
slept till 8, when he was awakened by the
wind, but went to sleep again. Friday
dawned cheerless and cloudy: The winds
howled n,ournfully about the; Jail as the con
denned awoke from his last sleep on earth
which was at 7:3O. His last breakfast, con
sisting of beefsueak, potatoes, toast ano
coffee, he ate of heartily After breakfast
he had conversation with reporter
and said that he had passed a gooc
night, with pleasant dreams. Rutherford
visited him, and Miller accused him Of taking
part in the crime, which Rutherford denied
He smoked almost necessarily during the
forenoon, and ate light dinner: He did moi
wish to see spiritual advisers until on the
scatfold. He said to the reporter that he hac
received the kindest treatment at the hands
OF the sheriff and attendants, and that he
deserved the fate awaiting him. At / O'Clock
quite number Of those invited were assem-
bled in the cage room Of the Jail where the
scaffold was built At ! :23 Miller, ATTENDED
by Sheriff jerks, Reverends Doran, Davis
Smell and Cu4rie, entered the room. He
walked firmly and alone up the steps anG
took his place on the scatfold, Sheriff Jenkt
standing behind him. The sheriff told him
II ne had anyth1ng to say now was the time.
HIS DYING STATEMENT.
Miller began in naonrnful almost whining
voice to tell of the murder. Rutherford
stood within a few feet looking him directly
in the eyes Miller's statement was the same
as he has previously made-that Rutherford
did the deed while he was harnessing the
horses for escape He went into the house
and saw the woman and child were Dead
got the money, took $l15 and gave Ruther.
ford 800, and was told by Rutherford to &c
to South America He said he was to be ex.
ecuted for a murder which he did not CON-
NIT, and continued:
Now. gentlemen everything have told You
IS true; and as dear as that family was to me
never could have consented to murder them.
was used there as theh son. I was always
treated we'll. They thought the world OF me
and Of them, but by another mans deeds ar
thankful can trust % in God al and feel o' nv nv sint I'M
have been pardoned. I feel that the other party
shall receive the same punishment that have
msce is sm wha ia ana mot f
dear as that family was to me- could not 60 in
and murder them: but thank heaven am will
ing to die. This world would be no pleasure tc
me after this and don't want to go to the peni-
tentiary. am better satisfied to 90 to my grave
am fully satisfied and feel that what has been
done is Just. As that family always used me like
son, alwayf good, always dear in every shape
never refused me money, never refused me any
thing. Now. gentlemen, want you all toremem.
Der that this is the whole truth and nothing else
will not meet you any more in this world face to
face, but hope we can all meet in the world to
come.
During the recital, which ,1asted about ten
minutes. Miller swayed to {5nd fro, the rope
dangling at his right side Twice be- took a
h,,%e
no tears He seemed choked with emotion
at times, and toward the close his voice
almost failed Rutherford never took his
eyes off Miller's face, but the color came and
went, and his facial muscles twitched nerv-
ously. He asked to make statement but
was refused by the district attorney.
THE EXECUTION
Sheriff jerks then pinioned Milier's hands.
knees and ankles, and drew black cap over
his head, during which time Miller thanked
the sheriff for his kind treatment. The
sheriff placed the moose around his neck
and as he adjusted the knot under the left
ear Miller said @Chis is awful" in low voice.
Sheriff jerks quickly stepped from the plat.
form at exactly lao o'clock, threw the
lever. the trap dropped. and George Miller
was hanged: He dropped about six feet,
and for a few seconds remained motion
less, then drew up his feet, stretched his
legs quickly, shrugged his shoulders few
the first eight minutes. The paru of his face
that was seen under the black cap grew
a CHASTITY brown, and he swayed to and
fro for twenty-three and one-baf minutes,
when he was pronounced dead by the phys
ician and delivered into the hands of Cor
oner Rounsevell Nothing occurred to mar
the work of the execution, and it was pro-
nounced by many to be the neatest OF the
kind ever seen. Sheriff Jenksfs given much
credit for the manner in which he performed
his part. The punishmensof Miller will go
along way to counteract the effect of mob
law in the future. Miller's statement is be-
leved by two thirds OF the people here and
nearly all who heard it from the scaffold.
As circumstances develop in the case there
is reason to believe that Rutherford knew
more than he has told; but unless he chooses
to tell, it will forever remain secret
The: Crime ANA the Criminal. "a.
The readers Of this paper are
already familiar with the particulars of the
crime for which Miller was hanged It.
committed on Jan. %. 1855, and was one
OF the most horrible known outside Of the
brutal Indian massacres in the Northwest
The family Of Rev: o. Y: Smell lived, near
inkster, Grand Forks county, about thirty
five miles northwest Of Grand Forks MI.
Smell was away from home, holding revival
meetings Three children were attending
school at Grand Forks. and the farm was left
in charge Of George Miller. Mrs Smell and
q son ten years old remained at home. On
the night Of the 24th Miller entered the bed
chamber ofMrs Smell ana with the back. Of
an axe dealt them several fierce blows until
life was extinct, leaving the bodies upon the
bed in a horribly mangled condition. The
crime was discovered on Friday, the Both,
by ncghbors, who believed something was
wrong and broke into the house, finding
the j. ,9 bodies frozen in their gore,
as Miller. had left them. The
criminal had fed-had not been seen since
the night Of the 24th, and his fight was
Grand Forks, where he, arrived Sunday
morning and purchased some clothing. He
was next heard Of at Anoka. MINI. where
~ ;.f HE WAS CAPTURED 4z.Es'} =t.:r.
by T.J. Hartley Of Brainerd on Feb T.
While being brought to Grand Forks he
that he alone did the murder in drunken
rage, and when becoming sober the horror
Of the crime drove him frantic. He took the
money in the house and made his escape
He several times told the same story On
Sept 4 court convened in Grand Forks, and
Miller was indicted About this time he
made another confession duplicating Henry
Rutherford, and alleged that rutherford did
the killing, and that the object was the 5000
which was supposed to be in Mrs Snell's
possession. When Miller was arralgned he
pleaded guilty, and his attorney objected TO
further proceedings, as the law under which
the court acted was ex post facto as regarded
Miller The objections, several In number,
were Overuled and evidences taken which
proved that the murder was one of the most
horrible In the annsls Of crime Judge Nc
Connell, on Sept ~ sentenced Miller TO be
appealed and the Judgment affirmed by the
supreme c0nrtof Dakota "a special term Of
court was held on Oct % and Miller In
tormed Of tho act10ns of the supreme court.