The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-01-19
HANGED lNloWA.
Henry Schmidt Hanged at. West
Union for the Murder of lucretia
Peek-ho Recites His Story Upon
the CalioMa.

Henry Schmidt Hanged at. West
Union for the Murder of lucretia
7eek-He Recites His Story Upon
the calloWs.
Henry Schmidt. convicted of the MUIR
der of Mrs. Lucretia Peek, was executed
at West Union, Iowa. Since the arrival of
the prisoner from the penitentiary he passed
most OF his time chatting with acquaintan.
ccs. He exhibited cool courage in the face
OF his impeding doom. He declared he
would not die as Chester Bellows died,
would walk to his death like man who
feared it not. Schmidt is q Bavarian and
is about twenty year old.
As the hour OF execution drew near
Company G OF tho state militia was
called out to guard the Jail yard and
none out those holding tickets were ad-
mitted. About forty persons witnessed
the execution. Schmidt ate his last meal
on earth with keen relish. He was escort
ut 1882, the sheriff announcing that
Schmidt had few words to say.
The doomed boy stood upon
the trap enveloped =. in. his
white shroud. His face betrayed no emo.
ton. Only once did he SILVER from the in.
tense cold. In clear voice he recited his
story which was substantially that below.
At 1926 the drop was sprung, and at pre-.
cisely 10:45 pulsation ceased. His neck
was broken by the tall and death was pain.
less. Three sons OF Mrs. Peek were present
at the execution, two of them coming from
Albert Lea, MIMI and one OF them coming
from the southern part OF Iowa for the
purpose. -
The crime for which Schmidt was hanged
was the murder Of Lucretia Peek ON the
night Of the 4th Of September, 1886. The
vSNsA$y H@SS
Union. and on the night Of the tragedy
a neieh5or named Leonard stayed
with them. Some time. in the
night Leonard was shot by Schmidt,
who had entered the house. The bullet
struck q rib and glanced. The shock awoke
Mr.. and Mrs. Peek. and they sprang up and
found that the house was on fire. Mrs.
Peek proposed to get out OF the window,
and as she placed her hands on tho win.
by some one outside, she became semi ,un-
conscious and remained in that condition
the balance OF the night. Mr.. Peek then
got up and went to work to extinguish the
ire. He was shot at twice, but not hurt.
Nothing further was known positively as
,, to what happened to him. In the
morning his body was found few
rods from the house with his head
~ NAsos eShS WIZ NSou uut1I OCpts
rs. He was tried, and on Oct. 20 convict
ed OF murder. and sentenced to be hanged.
Eleven days later he made a confession in
which no charged that Ellison r. Smith,
Tor whom he was working ut the time, had
persuaded him to do the deed and promis.
ed him $500 for it. He also charged that
Smith killed Mr.. Peek. Smith was trisd
and acquitted. =
Theodore Houston. who with his family
occupied a handsomely furnished fat at
No. 80 Madison avenue, New York, arose,
dressed himself and went into his library.
q lew minutes later his wife found him living
on . sofa semi conscious and bleeding from
pistol wound in his right temple. Doc
tors were summoned. but could not save
his life. He was able to talk about twenty
minutes, but refused to give any informa-
ton in regard to the shooting.
Prot. Maria Mitchell. for twenty yeara
professor Of astronomy in Vassar college,
has resigned because % she says, she needs