New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-02-20

III That their condition
" * ~ may be i'm agined.
~ They finally grew
Va ~ crazily quarrelsome,
and on Tuesday Moe
3 ]: !;
nm went into gun store
| INN to buy q shotgun. Lee
I'M w IN was with him and both
EA-I men brought each a
~ M W cheap revolver of q
n, ~ heavy caliber and
ChAoHa MI n [h.~>s O me cartrid ge.
With the revolvers in
UtcAI"~>' their pockets the two
men resumed their drunken spree and visited
several saloons. At one of them they en-
countered the city marshal, Knepton. Moe
made threats in the marshals hear
ing to kill some one, and Knepton took Noes
revolver from him, giving it to the saloon
keeper to take care of. This was about 10
O'Clock p. m. At Ills p. m. Charles Chalin
was standing at the corner of Front street
and Holmes avenue, talking with a young
lady and two young men. Chaln,
station in life as Lee and Moe.
had just returned from trip in the country,
where he had been looking for work. Moe
and Lee came up as Chalin stood talking
Lee walking few PAGES ahead. AS they APP
preached the group, Moe was heard to say
in Norwegian, Now we will have a pig
waltz when within ten PAGES of Chalin,
Moe said in English, 'There we have our
man." Lee came crowding between Chalin
and the other three of the group and asked
Chalin if he was the man who wanted to
run him (Lee) out of town. Chalin said, he
knew nothing about it, and as he spoke, Lee
h inS ms MS revolver, saving: nv I'll show you
through Chains head, and he fell without
uttering sound, and died Immediately.
Every one ran except Lee, who fired one or
two more shots Unfortunately around be-
fore he made off. Moe was arrested half an
hour later, but Lee was not arrested until
the next m orning, when he was found asleep
in the grass near his fathers house, his reyol-
yer still clasped in his hand and only two OF
Its chambers loaded.
NOT SATISFIED WITH GOVERNOR MERRIAM
The general sentiment in Brandon and
throughout the entire county is that Moe is
equally guilty of the crime of murder with
Lee and there has been a considerable
amount of censure against the few people
who have been making an effort for the COM
mutation of Noes sentence. Friday num-
Der of leading citizens whose sympathies
were untavorable TO Moe, on learning that
there was a possibility of the governors
committing Noes sentence, prepared tele-
gram addressed to the governor asking him
not to interfere with the execution of both
prisoners. The people who sent the telegram
were not very loud spoken in their sentiment
oil ehC SuUJcSu llCll CuS Cuc tlulIlSS vi moe
communication was announced to them. Then
a storm OF Indignation went up from a half
dozen throats at once when the sheriff an
noGnced the receipt of telegram to the
crowd in the hotel Office. Such expressions
of Its id shame" and Lees sentence
should be committed, but Noes never"
THE LAST SCENE AT THE sCAFFoLD.
This is a description of the close of the
tragedy:
The Office door was thrown open, the
command to clear the way was given and
the procession crossed the office, crossed the
porch, passed over the rallied platform. and
for the first time in six months John Lee
could look up TO the sky. The sheriff was in
advance Mr.. Wilcox. visibly affected laid
light hand on Lees left arm until thedoomed
man stood upon the drop. the moose soon
Alleges turned on Lee the minute he emerged
from the door of the jail He gave one brief
glance around, and then looked steadily
ahead until he stood upon the trap. His
face was pale, but had not the CHASTITY look
of the morning. He wore black diagonal
sack suit and blue and white checked cotton
shirt. The black cap-in this instance q dark
brown one-was upon his head. AS the sheriff
guided him to this position he stood quite
erect He gave one sweeping glance over the
people below from left to right, and, raising
his eyes, looked for brief instant at the
upper windows of the jail, where were
several members OF the sheriffs' family. Then
they swept the reporters and sheriffs on the
porch, and looked straight ahead. The look
was all over in q small fraction Of a minute.
Deputy Lundgren, the moment Lee was in
position, fastened a strap about his ankles
and another about his legs above the knees.
The work was done expeditiously, and equal
ly quickly the sheriff passed q strap around
Lees body above the elbows. Yet this man,
to be dead in but a few minutes, stood with
out tremor. He was like statue against
the dark background of men on the scaffold,
and not tremor, not twitchlng OF mus
Gle could be observed. twas not "gameness"
1t was not bluff" 1t was simply firmness-
wonderful as it is rare. The sheriff picked up
the rope, at the end OF which was the moose.
1t swept Lees clothes as it raised, and he
glanced at it curiously. AS the sheriff
pulled down the cap, after quickly ad-
justing the moose, which shut out the light
forever from Lees eyes, he said: Re
member what told you. Don't move mus
cle'' The ministers stepped away from the
trap, the sheriff behind it, his right hand on
thelever. The olack figure stood motionless,
the moose firmly about the neck, the knot
tied under the leftear, the rope hanging down
over the left shoulder The sheriff gave one
quick glance at the man. The crowd waited
moved forward, the trap fell. Lees body
shot downward like a plummet and swung
half around, the knot showing just to the
right of the spinal column. 1t had slipped.
The toes of Lees boots touched the trap
upon the ground "Move thatl" or
dered the sheriff, breaking the deathlike
silence which reigned The trap was quickly
dragged from under the hanging man, leav-
ing his boots about three inches from the
ground. Again breathless silence, and all
eyes were intently fixed on the figure of Lee,
perfectly motionlss, the head thrown slightly
forward. Doctors Boyd and McEwan stood
with their fingers on Lees pulse, and DR..
Long felt for the heart. Then theree con-
vulsive movements, and a long wait. Practi
cally dead almost from the Tightening of
the rope it was sixteen minutes and twenty
seconds before Lee was declared officially as
dead The scene on the scaffold takes a long
time in telling; but it was only two minutes
from the time the party emerged until the
drop fell The execution was admirably man
aged and Lee met a painless death.
An extra fast stock train ran into the ca
hoose of fhe reoJ1lar. freipht train STANDING