The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-10-02
[Monticello nm dispatch. /

4
Monticello GIl) dispatch.]
A little over a week ago Calvin Holden
and Albert Durham were convicted of
the murder of Harley Russell and SEN
fenced to be hanged Friday, Oct. II.
Public sentiment at the time demanded
and approved the verdict. Now there is
a strong feeling that the two men so re-
Gently doomed to suffer this extreme
penalty are probably innocent, and that
/ the Governor should interpoSe his eXecu-
tive authority.
John Holden and his family lived few
miles east of town on the Hale farm,
which belongs to the father of Young
Hale, of Cleveland, Ohio, that shot his
brother-n-law in Canada. The Holdens
were slow in paying rent and got far be-
hind. Last spring w. E. Ledger, who
has charge of Mr.. Hale'S property, took
the farm away from the Holdens and
rented it to Frank Craig, well-tO-dO
farmer, who wanted it for his sOn-in-law,
| Harley Russell. The HOldens were com
PEELED to move. They came to town and
Harley Russell, with his young wife,
took possession of the farm.
The murder occurred upon the even
| ing of June 21. Russell and his wife
had been to town in a buggy, and had
| started to return. Just outside the town
limits and a little beyond the Holden
house two persons stepped out into the
middle of the road. 1t was dark, and
their faces could not be distinctly seen.
One seized the horse by the bride, while
the other fired into the buggy several
times. The horse ran away, and Mrs.
| Russell stopped it at the Mitchell farm,
where Russell died a few hours later.
His antc-mOrtem statement was that Cal
Holden shot him, while sd man who
looked like the man who lives with the
| Holdens held the Bride" He did not
know Dunham's name, but it was he who
was meant At the trial Mrs. Russell
identified Calvin as the one who did the
| shooting. The two brothers look very
much alike, however. She could not
identify Durham, but she identified his
hat and coat. This is absolutely the eX
tent of the evidence upon which these
two young men were convicted and SEN
tence to be hanged.
/ Mrs. Holden was sentenced to twenty
five years and Ed Holden to fifteen years
in the pcnitentiary.
The State set up the plea of con-
| Spiracy, and thus had all four Indicted.
Mrs Holden was convicted under the
impression that she was the instigatOr of
the crime. Ed Holden was convicted on
| general principles. Judge Vail remarked
afterward that there was no evidence
against Ed and intimated that if he had
asked for a new trial it would have been
| granted, but neither Ed nor his mother
| wanted new trial.
Calvin Holden and Albert Durham
were arrested by the Sheriff the night Of
| the murder, on the strength of Harley
| Russell's antc-mOrtem statement. Sheriff
Miller found them in bed as'eep, and he
says now that he was strOngl y impressed
at the time by their behavior that they
were innocent
Calvin had come home sick during the
afternoon and he went to bed early, an
hour and a half before the shooting.
| Durham was tired with a hard days
work and he fell asleep on the front
| porch He was awakened about 8
o'clock, half an hour before the shoot
ing. by Edwin, who poured some water
| in his face to arouse him. Ed and Mrs.
| Holden advised him to go to bed. 1t was
| unusual for them to display such solicit
| tude. He remembers also that early in
the evening Mrs. Holden had asked him
it he had seen Harley Russell in town
| that day. Durham stumbled to bed and
was soon fast asleep. His coat and hat,
the Identification of which by Mrs. Rus
| sell was the chief point of evidence
against him, were found next day in
| Mrs. Holdens room. His shoes had also
been misplaced Durham had no mo-
tive of revenge to crafty, and was not
intimate enough with the HOsdens to
warrant the suspicion that he would
have assisted them in committing a cold
bIoOded murder
| TIO1J0,. ho,a fponunnt r U ms rio thrna re
that she would have revenge upon Rus
| sell and she said to Durham the day of
the killing. eff Ed don't do it I'll do it
myself" The attorneys for the defense
| knew these things and others, too, which
| have lately become public property, but
| they advised Durham not to go on the
| stand, as it would convict Mrs Holden
| Ind would do him no good. Old John
Holden advised his wife to ask for new
trial 81 don't want any new trial." she
| made reply. "What do you want to do?
| Hang the whole family" Ed said he did
not want new trial. Durham and
Cal Holden insisted upon asking for
a new trial, and they asked for it alone.
Mrs Holden and Ed requested that they
be taken to Joliet at once. The Sheriff
| consented, and they got ready to go, and
an hour later the two prisoners were
| conducted OuU VI Vic jail W OI1O VI Utu'
Just before leaving, Ed said to his
mother:
"Just rest easy. We had the satisfac-
ton of getting even"
"For Gods sake, mother" exclaimed
Cal, as they parted, "tell the truth and
save my life"
"TelI Charley Mansfield and DR.. Knott
| to come with me-" she answered. 81
| have something to tell them"
Cant you tell it. here, mother?" he
| asked.
"No; l wouldn't live two hours if I told
it now"
Mr.. Mansfield, one of the attorneys
for the defense, and DR.. Knott, friend
| Of Mrs. Holden, accompanied her and
| Ed to Joliet in obedience to her request.
Mrs. Miller, the wife of the Sheriff, who
| had won her confidence, had just before
been the recipient of an oral confession
that she and Ed had killed Harley Rus
sell. and that neither Calvin nor Durham
knew anything about it. A tide OF pub
lie sentiment has set in strongly in favor
| of the two men who are condemned to