Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-11-05
He Makes a Long and Mournful State.
ment, and Dies a Slow Death by
Strangulation.
PORTRAIT OF L

DhAhAf w hIA@ha"
GRAND Forks, Oak. Special Telegram, Oct
80 -George Miller, the murderer OF Mrs c.
Y. smell and son, was hanged at 1 80 p IN
to-day. Yesterday afternoon he received
the sacrament and refused to receive Wis
itors He went TO bed at IL O'Clock and
slept till 3, when ne was awakened by the
wind, but went to sleep again. Friday
dawned cherries and cloudy. The winds
howled m~ournfully about the jai. a. the con-
demned awoke from his last sleep on earth,
which was at 1880 His last breakfast, con-
sIsUing OF beefsteak, potatoes, toast aud
coffee, he ate of heartily. After breakfast
he had a conversation with a reporter,
and said that he had passed n good
night, with pleasant dreams Rutherford
visited him aud Miller accused him OF taking
part in the crime, which rutherford denied
He smoked almost necessarily during the
forenoon, and ate a light dinner, He did not
wish to see spiritual advisers until on the
scaffold. He said to the reporter that he had
received the kindest treatment at the hands
of the sheriff n attendants, and that he
deserved the fate awaiting him At O'Clock
quite a number of those invited were assem-
bled in the cage room of the jail where the
scaffold was built At I:23 Miller, attended
by sheriff jerks, Reyerends Doran, Davis,
Smell and Gu. RE, entered the room. He
walked firmly and alone up the steps and
took his place on the scaffold, Sheriff jerks
standing behind him The sheriff told him
il he had anything to say now was the time.
HIS DYING STATEMENT.
Miller began in mournful almost whining
voice TO tell of the murder, Rutherford
stood within a few feet looking him directly
in tho ,yas Mllar's utatanapt vyaa tho aana
as he has previously made-that rutherford
did the deed while he was Harvesting the
horses for escape. He went into the house
and saw the woman and child were dead;
got the money, took Sll5 and gave Ruther-
ford 800, and was told by Rutherford TO go
to South America. He said he was TO be eN-
ecuted for a murder which he did not com
NIT, and continued:
Now. gentlemen, everything / have told you
Is true; and as dear as that family was to me l
never could have consented 20 murder them. |
was used there as then son. ] was always
treated well They thought the world OF me,
and ] Of them, but by another mans deeds / am
TO be hanged. | am going TO my grave, and am
thankful | cau trust in God and feel my sins
have been FardOnca. / feel that the other party
shall receive the same punishment that / have.
IL II not because | am down on him, and not for
malice, but 1t IL just what should be done. As
dear as that family vas TO me, | could not 20 in
and murder them: but thank heaven | am will
ing to die. This world would be no pleasure to
me AFTER TINS, anu 1 don I want 10 20 10 the pell-
Tertiary. l am better satisfied TO go to my grave.
! am fully satisfied aud feel that what has been
done is Just. As that family always used me like a
son, slwayf good. always dear in every shape,
never refused me money never refused nc any
thing. Now, gentlemen, | want You all TO remem-
Der that this il the whole truth and nothing else.
viii 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 lasted aboutIen
minutes. Miller swayed to and fro, the rope
dangling at his right side. Twice he took n
handkerchief and wiped his eyes, but shed
no tears. He seemed choked with emotion
at times, and toward the close his voice
almost failed. Rutherford never took his
eyes of Miller's face, but the color came and
went, and his facial muscles twltched nerv-
ously. He asked to make q statement, but
was refused by the district attorney.
THE EXECUTION.
Sheriff jerks then pinioned Milier's hands.
knees and ankles, ana drew a black cap over
his head, during which time Miller banked
the sheriff for his kind treatment The
sheriff placed the moose around his neck,
aud as he adjusted the knot under the left
ear Miller said rthts Is awful IN q low voice.
sheriff jerks quickly stepped from the plat
form at exactly l:45 O'Clock, threw the
lover, the trap dropped, and George Miller
was hanged. He dropped about six feet,
and for o few seconds remained motion
less, then drew up his feet, stretched his
legs quickly, shrugged his shoulders a few
times, and drew up his feet at intervals for
the first eight minutes The part of his face
that was seen under the black cap grew
a ghastly brown, and he swayed TO and
fro for twenty three and one-half minutes,
when he was pronounced dead by the phys
ipisp and delivered into the hands OF Cor
pper RounseysiL Eotling occurred 20 mas
the work OF the execution, and it was pro-
popaesd by many to be the ueatost OF the
E!nd ever seen. Sheriff jerks is given inuch
credit fol- the manner In which he performed
his part The punishment OF Miller will go
a long way TO counterfeit the effect of moi
law in the future. Miller's statement il be-
lieyed by two-thirds of the people here aud
nearly all who heard it from the seaffold.
As circumstances develop In the case thele
is reason 10 believe that Rutherford knew
more than he has told, but unless he chooses
TO tell, it will forever remain a secret
The Crime and the Criminal
The readers ot this paper are
already familiar with the particulars OF the
crime for which Miller was hanged /: was
committed on Jan. %, 1888, and was one
OF the most horrible known outside of the
brutal Indian massacres in the Northwest
The family of Rev c. Y. Smell lived near
fnksrer, Grand Forks county, about thirty
Eve miles northwest OF Grand Forks. Mr..
Smell was WA from home, holding revival
meetings Three children were attending
kOuDOl at bthuu IpILS, anu lilH IAIiU Wls leu
In charge OF George Miller, Mrs Smell and
a son ten years old remained at home. On
the night OF the 9th Miller entered the bed
chamber of Mrs Smell ana with the back OF
an axe dealt them several fierce blows until
lifa was extinct, leaving the bodies npon the
pea Ia u horribly mRngled condition. Tha
crime was discovered On Friday, the aath,
by n~eighbors, who believed something vas
wrong and broke into the house, finding
the bodies frozen in their gore,
as Miller had left them The
criminal had hed-had not been seen since
the night of the 9th, and his fight was
traced from the scene of the murder TO
Grand Forks, where he arrived Sunday
morning and purchased some clothing. He
was next heard u at spoAa. slRn, " hers
"" HE WAS CAPTURED NSCsa
by T. J. Hartley of Braiperd on Feb. 4
While being brought to Grand Forks he
made a confession to Sheriff jerks, saving
that no alone did the murder in a drunken
rage, apd whom becoming sobCr the 'Eorroi
OF the crime drove him frantic He took Che
money ~ the house and made his escape.
te sesersl .lMes told the zane story 9a
Miller Was Indicted. About this time he
made another confession implioiting Henry
Rutherford, and alleged that rutherford did
the killing. and that the object was the 5000
which was supposed 10 be in Mrs. Smells
possession. When Miller was arraiened 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 rumhur,
we're oYerTulGt and efidsnee taken which
proved that the murder was one Of the most
horrible la the annqls OF crime, Judge Nc
Connell, on Sept IA sentenced Miller TO be
hanged on Friday. Oct 30 The case was
appealed and the Judgment affirmed by the
supreme court OF Dakota. A special term of
court was held on Oct "a and Miller in
formed Of the action Of the supreme court
tor the hrst linle Va Gours he mi plicatad
rutherford, but was informed that as there
was nc coIroboTatlag evidence his statement
would not affect his alleged accomplioe ana
that the sentence OF the court would be exc
cuted
MILER's HISTORY.
Very little Is krrown of George Miller's his
tory. His own story is that he was born IN
Toledo. Ohio, ard was ninteen years old
last February. He gave his age as twenty
ala, because he wished 10 take land He left
Toledo when quite young and went 10 Sioux
city, Iowa, where he remained until he came
70 Dakota, which was in the spring of 1854
He arrived in Casselton with his brother and
remained there some time until he came To
Grand Forks county, and went to work for
Mr. Smell on July ~, and remained with him