St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-25
FOUR DIE ON ONE GALLONS.
A Quartette of Brutal Murderers
Hanged.

Harris, EQ Cdrr anu QdiuJ Daiioiu'
colored, and Frank Brenish, white, were
hanged this morning, the colored muir
derers taking the plunge into eternity
together and the white man dropping
alone at 1929, Arrangements had been
made to swing the four together, but
Brenish objected to being hanged with
the negroes, and his desire to Ole alone
was gratified. The executions took
place in the cell corridor OF the Jail and
were witnessed by about $50 persons,
including relatives and friends of the
condemned, deputy sheriifs and men,
bers OF the press. The death war
rants were read by the sheriff at
1880 and ten minutes later the pro-
cession started on its way to the gallows.
The three blacks walked up the steps
with a firm tread, and exhibited no signs
of fear throughout the trying ordeal.
All confessed their crimes, ana said
they had made their peace with God.
The drop fell at II IA, and the neckS OF
all three men were broken. A delay OF
forty minutes occurred and then Bren-
ish, supported by two deputy sheritfs,
half walked and half staggered up the
steps and onto the drop. When asked
he had anything to say, he attempted
to speak, but the wound in his throat
prevented him speaking above Wills
per, and he soon gave it up. He was
Stupefied With Whisky
and exhibited no concern. The drop
fell at 1929, and two minutes later life
was pronounced extinct, his neck being
broken by the fall. The crime for
which Frank Brenish, the only white
man of the quartette of MUIR
derers executed this morning, was
the killing of his wife, Mary Brensh,
on the night of July last. The couple
were married in 1887, and lived together
until a short time before the tragedy.
when Mrs. Brenish left her husband,
owing to his neglect to provide for his
family. She obtained employment as
a ehambermaid at hotel, visiting her
children daily. Brenish waylald her at
frequent intervals. begging her to return
to him, and finally threatening to kill
her if she did not. About 9 O'Clock on
the evening of July 5 Mrs. Brenish left
her home for the hotel, accompanied by
her sister and child by former mar
riage. BreniSh intercepted the party
near the corner Of Union and Third
streets, and upon herrefusing to go home
WIFI ulIu. uICW d lOuS, hOOh- Di"uOe'
knife and buried it to the hIlt III
her neck. She never spoke, and death
was almost instantaneous. Then the
murderer, backing himself against the
wall of building, drew the sharp blade
of the knife across his own throat, in
flicting a wound, the recovery from
which constitutes one of the most re-
markable cases in the annals of sur
gerry. The wind pi pc and esophagus
were severed. and as it was thought by
the physicians he would die in half an
hour, nothing was done for him beyond
administering 0piates. His remarkable
constitution, however, pulled him
through, and with the aid of
TracheOtomy Tube,
he thriyed and grew heavier than ever.
On Sunday, Aug. s, murder and at
tempted suicide occurred which so
closely resembled the Brenish tragedy
of six weeks before that the first might
have been taken as a pattern for the
second. The facts in the case,
the results and the causes
that led to the second tragedy
were exactly the same as in the first.
The victim was Lethe Harris, an oct0-
room of more than ordinary beauty, and
the murderer, Parker Harris, her hus-
band. a muIatto. The woman was in
stantiy killed, and although the slayer's
windpipe was partially severed he was
out OF da niger in few days. On the
very day and at the very hour when the
Jury returned verdict of guilty of muir
der in the first degree against Harris
for killing his wife, another negro was
preparing himself for the gallows by
the commission of similar crime. At
4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 9,
Ed Carr, a negro. entered the station
house. pistol in hand, and announced
that he had killed his wife, Sallie
Carr. He gave as a reason that his
wife was unfaithful to him. He
made no defense, so the trial
lasted only two days, and conviction
was the result. Last Christmas was sig
naiZed by the commission OF two foul
murders. Early in the morning the
body of a colored man, who had been
murdered for his money, was found UNI
der the BAYOU bridge or Elliott street.
He was never identified, nor were his
murderers ever captured. the second
murder occurred at 3 O'Clock III the
evening. when NJ. E. PinkertOn, a street
car driver. was stabbed in the heart by
Hardy B iilard, negro. Ballard board
ed Main street ear near the South
Memphis terminus, and, upon being re-
anested to deposit his fare. advanced to
the front platform, and with the words,
ssHere's your nickel" stabbed Plnker-
ton in the left breast with a knife.
Death resulted in a few moments.