The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-27
BLACKS BLACK CAP.
The Murderer of Robert Burnett
is Hanged at Laramie.
STORY OF HIS HORRIBLE CRIME.
He Coveted His Neighbours Claim. and Failing
to Get it Killed the Owner, and
Burned His Body.

LARAMIE, Wyo, Feb. 26.-l Special tele-
gram to THE HERALD. George A. Black
was hanged here this forenoon for the muir
der of Robert Burnett in May, 1889. The
execution was brought off in elegant shape.
Black retired at o'clock this morning and
was called at 6. He awoile twice, the first
time in an hour, when he said to the death
watch: ''You believe l told the truth,
don't yousn Guard Davis answered
'Yes," and advised his charge to sleep. At
o'clock Black raised up and looked about
his cell, but soon fell into heavy slumber
again. George Black, the murderer's
brother, called early this morning. and
there was a painful scene, which was re-
peated when three women friends APP
peared. For the first time since his arrest
Black cried, but he soon regained compos-
ure. Father Cummiskey and two sisters
prayed with Black nearly all the morning
The procession was formed at IL o'clock
Sheriff Yund followed Black and the priest
The prisoners step was firm and his man.
ner collected. The services on the scaffold
were very brief. Black walked to the trap
unalded. The moose was adjusted at once
and the arms and legs pinioned. Sheriff
\ und brought the black cap and asked for
Ills HAL uudl SbdUem61G I'D low,
distinct tones, the reply came: ~ have
nothing to say except l am not the man
who did it" Black reached for the cap
with his head. His jaw commenced to
quiver, but he shut his teeth and drew his
lips together. His eye was Gear The
trap was sprung at l:l0. Black shot the
five feet and a half like the sand bag with
which the gibbet has been tested. The big
knot slipped around to the back and throw
ing his head forward, broke the neck
Heart pulsations were perceptible in six
minutes, but the body was not cut down
until twenty eight minutes had passed.
The usual tremor of the frame was scarcely
noticeable. A grave in the potters' field
contains the body.
Black and Burnett were neighboring
homesteaders. The man executed to-day
was a low browed, villainous fellow, who
coveted Burnett's claim, the holding being
superior in location to his own. To possess
himself of the place he set about to put its
owner out of the way. He lacked the
cunning which is one element of deliberate
planning, but had sufficient malice, cow
ardice and disregard for state and moral
laws to traverse any length to accomplish
his purpose. Burnett's murder was pre-
ceded by cruel and remarkable persecution.
This victim of avarlce was peculiar be-
ing. He lived alone in miserable suualor.
his only purpose In life being the acquisi-
ton of title TO his claim and subsequent
installation of a daughter in the east as
mistress of it, He was aged and weak
minded, superstitious as a,aegro and eccen-.
trio as lionized genus. A strong
and persistent play was made upon his in
firmities. White cap notices with rude
drawings of skull and cross bones and COT
fins were posted on the door of his poor
cabin, but were allowed to remain un-
needed. He was haunted by a flesh and
hlOnd cra0Oly hut chotra1 e.,
such spirits and put an end to this form of
assault by sending rifle ball after the
ghost one cloudy night He was always
armed and combative and plucky Old
Bob was sick nigh unto death
at one stage of the war. On
this occasion the blacks became
very solicituous for his welfare and sent
poisoned pottage, which was promptly
thrown oil the earUhen floor of his habita-
ton. Assassination was attempted, but
came near proving disastrous for the high
binder. Black opened fire ON Burnett
from clump of sgge brush. The eccentric
forced his horse into the cover and cap
tured Black, but strangely enough re-
Trained from harming him. accepting the
flimsy excuse that he and his mount had
been mistaken for an elk A sanguinary
pitched battle was the next incident of this
unequal struggle. Burnett and Black met
in the road and after few words shooting
commenced and only ceased when the elder
man fell off his horse. He was left in the
highway for dead but recovered, and while
few years before this time he was always
ready to enter court on the slightest pre-
text he refused to institute a prosecution
against Black, and the authorities, for
various reasons, ignored the matter.
Burnett disappeared last May. He was
not missed for several weeks and then he
was given about twenty days grace to re-
turn from a hunting trip. Black gave it
out that he had bought the old mans place
and boldly took possession of it, He said
Bob had gone to spend his declining years
with his daughter in the east. The story
was diScredited, but the powers We're slow
to take hold of the case. A search for Bur
nett was suggested by some settlers, but
Black stopped proceedings in this direction
by making il known that he would kill the
organizer of an investigation committee
Officers worked secretly and assidiously,
but nothing developed until August Mrs
Charles Pullman and daughter, members
of a Missouri family that had emigrated to
Wyoming, were berrying in patch near
Blacks place when they made find that
frightened them half to death. Curiosity
led them to rake over an old campfire, and
in the remains they found a charred skull
and human bones, some metal trinkets and
few fragments of clothing. Mrs. Pail
man and the girl ran home with blanched
faces and chatteriag teeth and told of their
discovery to the ''mann of the tribe He
had neither fear nor sentiment, but was
endowed with horse sense and fair judg-
ment, and placing the evidence CT murder
In bucket hurried 70 town and gave the
information and its substantial corrobor-
alton to the prosecuting attorney.
Black was arrested without trouble and
sad he had expected to be taxed with old
Bob's murder, but that he was innocent
and that if anyone knew anything about it
the individual was his ex-hired man
Dwight Rockwell, who had left the country
In the meantime. Rockwell was appre-
hended and became volubility itself.
A speedy trial was had and Black was
convicted principally on the evidence of
his former servant, who told clear story
which was strongly backed by dozen in
eliminating circumstances. 1t was in sub
stance this:
He and Black arranged to go to Burnett's
ranch and become occupants of it by GUST
ing the old man, on the ground that Black
had a prior claim. Burnett was living
down and die not rise when the pair en-
tered his home. He simply ridiculed the
demand saying that such question would
have to be settled in the land Office at
Cheyenne Black drew his six shooter and
opened fire on the defenseless man. Bur
nett begged piteously for his life, but
another sho. silenced him and third was
sent into his body to make sure work The
remains were wrapped in a tarpaulin and
loaded IN wagon and Black, with Rock
well beside him, drove to an isolated gully,
where he proposed burying the corpse
When the place of concealment was
reached, Black said the best thing to do
would be to burn the body, thus completely
destroying all evidence of the crime. Rock
well silently acquiesced and the rude Gre
nation proceeded. Half day was occu-
pied in the work and both men were sick