St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-03
NEEDLESS NECKTIES,
Neither Holden Nor Lentz Will
Experience the Awful
Death.
imprisonment for Life Sub
stituted for the Penalty
Of Hanging.
Grave Doubts That Holden
Was Really the MUIR
derep.
The Trial Judge Secures the
Communication for
LentZ.

was TO have been hung for the murder
of Frank Dodge Friday next, and Will
lam LentZ, the Blue Earth county muir
derer, who stands convicted of the muir
der of man named Schulz. The COM
mutation is to imprisonment for life in
each case. The affidavitS made by six
of the jurors on the last trial of the
Holden case that they would not have
agreed 10 the verdict of murder
in the first degree had they
been aware that the death penalty
would be inflicted, together with the
strong plea and argument made by Hon.
Albert Scheffer yesterday morning, are
responsible for the governors action.
For two hours Mr.. Schetfer was en-
gagged in presenting, in the strongest
possible light. the facts in the case
which have been perverted by repetl-
ton. The true story of the crime, and
the arguments offered by Mr.. Scheffer,
Judge Baldwin and their associates i'll
support of their plea for Communication,
are given as taken from the printed re-
port of the evidence in the case.
New Story Of the Crime.
Holden and Dodge left Morton on
Nov. %, 1888. at about o'clock in the
evening, for Redwood Falls, seven miles
distant: They had livery team from
Browns stable at Morton. Holden, with
the team, came alone to the Exchange
hotel III Redwood Falls about $3.50
O'Clock that evening. He said that
Dodge came into town with him but got
out OF the buggy to speak to a man.
After time Holden went to bed at the
hotel and slept Till the next morning,
when he drove the team back to Morton
and returned himself again to Redwood
Falls.
s. S. Byram and Miss SALISBURY were
returning home from a dance between
and 5 o'clock of the next morning and
found Dodge's body lying beside the
street. The sheriff and the coroner
were sent fOr,and at the inquest Holden
was witness. He stated that Dodge
came into town with him and got out
10 speak to man whom Holden did not
know, but with whom Dodge apparently
bad some trouble. On the evening of
that day Holden was arrested
%, the sheriff of the county
and two of his deputies and Fred l..
Warner visited Holden several times,
gave him whisky to drink. took his
clothing from him in a room without
fire, and used every means to induce
Holden to confess the murder. and to
make statements as to his knowlede of
the death of Dodge. Holden was a
stranger there. He had no acquaintance
or advisor, and was intoxicated by the
liquor given him, and induced to sign
statement to the effect that
Dodge had committed suicide, written
out by Warner Holden had pistol
at this time. After his arrest he hid
what money he had with him in the
Jail bed. Some drops of what was
thought to be blood were found later on
Holden's clothes and the seat of the
buggy. Holden claimed that he was
made intoxicated and frightened into
telling the suicide story by Warmers
repeatedly telling him that unless he
told different story from the first he
would be found guilty of killing Dodge.
The facts previously stated are the only
ones on which Holden's conviction was
based. He proved on the trial where
he got the money found in his posses
sion, also that the blood on his clothes
could have got there during the time
he was butchering cattle. The state
has introduced evidence to show that
spots resembling blood were found OH
the buggy and robe. There is no EVIL
dence to show, however, that the spots
were blood. Frank Dodge was barber
by trade. He was engaged to marry
Capitola Dodge, distant relative. She
had a sister married TO man
named Arthur Converse, who is now
in jail at WATERFOWL, S. ID. This
man was violently opposed to the mar
riage. He was i'll the vicinity of Red
wood Falls at the time of Dodge's death,
where he stad during that night has
never been learned. When Holden was
shown his photograph among a dozen
others he identified it as that of the man
Dodge met in Redwood Falls. The
clamOr for Holden's conviction has been
largely due to the fact that Dodge was
the third man murdered in Redwood
county, and there had been no convic-
ton. The pressure of public opinion
was felt by the sheriff and county at
tOrney, and they have sought to create
in that vicinity public sentiment
against Holden TO cause his execution
The sheriff selected the jury. The
bailiffS he chose argued with the jury
for conviction
While They Were DeIiberating
on their verdict. A little local reputa-
ton outweighS with some people the
life of fellow being. The sheriff and
county attorney have used their official
positions to obtain signatures to petit
tiOnS to the gOuernor to allow them to
hang this man. There is no certainty
that Holden shot Dodge. Holden ap-
pealed to the supreme court on the
ground that his suicide story ought not
to have been admitted in evidence
against him. The court held that it
was for the trial Judge to say as to that.
Holden afterwards applied to the fed
eral courts to release him on habeas
corpus on the ground that chapter 20 of
the laws Of 1889 changed the punish
ment for murder by adding solitary con-
finement until execution. He claimed
the law applied to his case, that it was
eX-pOst factO. ana that the law in force
when Dodge was killed was repealed
If this were so he would have been dis
charged, but it was held that chapter 20
only applied to crimes committed after
Its enactment Upon the evidence it
was uncertain whether or not Holden
killed Dodge, and the law ought not to
take his life when the facts are not be-
Yond reasonable doubt.
The sworn statement made by George
N. Lampbere, OF Renville county. that
the blood spots on the buggy were the
work of chicken hunters who had been
out shooting the day before the murder
with the same rig, had also a great in
fiuence in securing executive clemency.
When the evidence and arguments
had been heard. Gov. Merriam had a
conference with Assistant Attorney
General Childs, at the close of which he
announced his intention of committing
the sentence oil Holden to Imprisonment
for life, as we'll as that of LEM, the
Blue Earth convict. In regard to the
latter case the governor says he COM
muted the sentence upon strong recon-
mendation from Judge Severance of that
judicial district, the county attorney of
Blue Earth county and several members
of the jury.
A Grave Doubt Existed
in the minds of the best Judges as 10
LenZ's guilt. The Communication papers
will be promptly made out and forward,
ed to the sheritfs of Redwood and Blue
Earth counties, who will be instructed
to at once take their prisoners to Still
water. The Holden case has gone
through five cOurtS-frnm the InmeSt In