St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-23
SHE OUGHT TO SWING.
A Further Lease of Life Granted to Mrs
DruSe by Gov. Hill-HiS
Reasons.
The Horrible Crime for Which the
Woman Nav Have to Suffer
Death.
The Legal Fight in The Train Wreck
ers' Case Begun at Wyan-
dotte, Kan.
Jake Sharp Wants Change of
Venue-A Thief Secures
Pardon.

ALBANY, n. Y. Dec. 22.-GOv. Hill
to-day issued ar executive order postponing
the execution of Mrs. RoXalana Druse.
under sentence of death for the murder OF
her husband from Dec. 30, the date fixed
in the sentence. till Feb IS. The gov
ernor says he does this in order to give the
state legislature an opportunity to modify
the law of capital punishment in its appiI-
cation. and adds that as far as he is con-
cerned the case is closed. and the woman
must suffer the penalty Of her crime on the
day fixed unless meantime the law shall
have been changed. The governor says it
was clear case of murder. and he can find
no reason for interference with the penalty
except the sex of the condemned, which
the law does not take into account.
He SAYS:
1.-The evidence shows that the killing WIS
the most brutal and atrt Gus in its charac-
ter. Briefly stated, the 1actS satisfactorily
explained are as follows: The family con-
sisted of the deceased "a Mrs. Druse, the
daughter Mary, aged l9 years, the son George,
aged 10 years. and Il nephew, Frank Gates,
aged Il years. quarrel had occurred on
the morning of the homicide between the de-
ceased and the defendant at the breakfast
table The deceased was still at the table,
and during the quarrel of words the defend
ant went into another room aud took
loaded revolver which was there and. putting
it under her apron, returned and whispered
TO the boys 10 70 out of doors, which they
did, leaving herself, the daughter and the de-
ceased in the room. Mary then placed a rope
around her father neck while he was at the
table. and the defendant fired the revolver
once or twice at him, woundlng him, and he
fell over sideways in his chair, while the de-
fendant, being unable to make the revo:ver
go of again, called to the nephkw, Frank,
bn int "a "
boy. Gorge, whereupOn the prisoner gave the
revolver TO the nephew, and, under threat of
killing him. compelled him to fire it on two or
times, and the deceased, being hit b., the
shots, rolled of the chair upon the floor. and
then she seized an axe and h.t her husband on
the head with it, and continued hitting him
on the neck until she
CHOPPED HIS HEAD OFF.
She then caused his head as well as the
body TO be taken into the parlor and during
that la, and evening the body was cut up
with an AK and burned in the stove. She
threatened to kill the 10, if they tod what
had occurred. During the evening while
Mrs. DruSe and Mary were burning the body
in the parlOr the two boys were amusing
themselves by playing checkers in the ad-
joining room where the murder had been
committed, thus showing the unconcern and
utter lack of feeling Of the whole family.
Mrs. DruSe had previously made threats
against the deceased and boaSted that she
would be rid of hlm some day. These ana
other facts almost TOO horrible iOr description
mark the case as q plain one OF deliberate and
premeditated murder There SeeWs to be
scarcely mitigating circumstance. The
daughter Mary aided and assisted her mother
in the murder, and after the convection or
her mother she pleaded guilty to murder in
the second degree, which plea, on account Of
her youth, the fact that she was probably
acting under the influence of her mother, and
other circumstances was accepted by the lis
trict attorney and she was sentenced to state
prison for life.