The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-02-26
BIERllI
s ll!llIl 4 q Last |PllunSss Into the |Ul.
knloIn--Hs Iak6 Wild Spssth
pon tho GilloIs.

knoxn---Hs lak6 HIld Speech
Upon to Gallons.
sYoU MURDER FOR WAGES
The Taunt Hurled Il The sheria-The
Trap Sprung at asa p. N. and
Death instantaneous.
From February 10Th Daily.
CUSTER Cry, a m.-Early this morning
pour correspondent visited the Jail to see
Lehman. The night watchman said thu
murderer passed q moderately quiet night. But
he issalways quiet, unless when he SHORES, SO
that a person cannot very well tellwhcther he
is asleep or not. Breakfast was handed into
his cell at 8 am. It consisted Of a liberal
supply Of bread, meat, potatoes and coffee,
which he demolished a%yariciously, handing
out the plates clean and empty.
Your correspondent engaged him III CONVEX
rTodllOit, 5ulLCl LAG illttSt iiISilGun GdtlIlR, W TIC IOll
Towing purpose:
How are you feeling this morning Benz
"Oh about as usual. All right
Did you sleep well last night
Eyes most Of the time
Was Mr.. Tracey the Methodist minister
yesterday afternoon?
Eyes he came in for awhile"
He is a pretty nice man. Did you pray
with him Ben?
'Oh yes | wanted to help him out in his
trade
Do you believe in every man to his trader
"Yes the preachers trade is to pray and
that's ali right,
What made the lawyers try to make out
that you are crazy. You are not crazy are
You?
"Oh that's their trade, they wanted to say
something"
Do you think the doctors know anything
about whether you are crazy or not3
mo none Of them know as much as l do
about doctoring, except Dr. Fisher, / guess he
knows a little something. That little fat
doctor from Rapid City don't know a crazy
man when he sees him. He said Jack
Walsh was crazy"
There are but few people from Rapid City
here. Mr.. John Deffenbach is the only one.
1t is stated that the Gate City's contingent
got left CHS morning at Hot SpIings. The
train pulled out before the returned from their
visit to the Kelley institute.
Lehman feels kind. Of shaky. He is not SO
bold. The all absorbing question is the ex-
e%cution, which is sure to take place. The
grave is dug and the sheriff says, that since nj
communication has been received from the
Governor by this mornings mail, the execu-
kilograms sent last November, when Leh-
man was to have been executed originally,
the sheriff has been advised by states attor-
ney Porter to take no cognizance Of tele-
grams, thus nothing earthly can save Leh-
mans life now. Sheriff Wood says he will
take every precaution to prevent balks or
slips of any kind and stated to your cores
pondent that while he would rather take him
to the penitentiary, he will nevertheless per-
form the duties in connection with the exc
cution to the best OF his ability.
Up. m.-Lehman kneeled down with Mr..
Tracey the minister, but did not seem inter-
ested in either him or religion. The sheriff
is busy making preparations for the execution
and appears very firm and collected, consider
ing the situation. The execution will take
place at two o'clock promptly. Lehman
objected to having the new suit Of clothes,
purchased by the sheriff, put on, saying that
he did not want them. He ate a light din
ner and when your correspondent left ap-
peared a little ugly, the result of compelling
him to don the new clothes.
HIS LAST MOMENTS.
Before leaving the cell Mr.. Tracey invited
Lehman to read a verse in the bible, which
he did not care to do. At 1.55 p. M. the
death warrant was read to him, but he
never quivered. He was handcuffed at 2.4o,
led to the scaffold at a.45 and seated on a
chair beside the trap. when his hands were
strapped down to his side and his feet and
knees strapped together. He was then told
to stand up which he did boldly in the center
Of the trap. The sheriff asked him if he had
any..ung to say when Lehman said looking
directly and steadfastly in the eye of the
official l will say to you the audience and
Inspectors, that you and your brother are
both cruel men. You are murder
ing men for wages" The cap was then
drawn over his head and the moose adjusted.
At 2:55 the lever was drawn and with a
heavy dull thud the body dropped straight
down. He was pronounced dead at 3:oS
and the body cut down at 3:I6. During the
interval he heaved three times, drawing his
limbs up convulsively. He never finched
throughout the ordeal, except once when the
sheri.. beckoned two deputies to support him.
when the body was cut down, the assembled
people were permitted to pass by in line.
After this the remains were conveyed to a
room in the Jail where Doctors Taylor and
Phipps removed the brain for examination.
History of the Crime.
Along in the early part of the summer OF
1859, a hard feeling, sprang up between Leh-
man and a neighbor Of his named Anthony
Fuhrman, over the manner in which Lehman
was in the habit Of il-treating Fuhrman's cat
tie when they came to water, close to his
house, which they were compelled to do. II
terminated in Fnhrman coming upon Lehman
one day while he was in the act Of belaboring
the cattle with a club. As was natural,