The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1893-12-30
HIS NECK TO STRETCH
PfendersSt Breaks Down Like the
Yefiest Coward and Poltfoon.
QUICKLY REACH A VERDICT
The Jury Was Out just One Hour
Tho Result OF the Trial
Gives Universal SAT-
isfaction.

CHICAGO, Dec. S.--Prendcrgast, tho
murderer Of Carter Ii. Harrison, will be
hanged for the crime. The verdict of tho
jury has said il, and tho people Of Chicago
approve it. Ably defended as the ass as
sin was, and strong as the evidence adj
duced to save his neck has been, the jury
found him sufficiently sane to be rcspon.
sible for the act and demanded that he
pay the highest penalty for his offense
against tho law. This, however, 10 q sorry
recompense for the life OF Carter II. Har.
rison. Nothing since the commission Of
his crime SO irritated Prendergast as the
comparison between himself and Guiteau,
but in the court room this afternoon he
showed that one trait existed in common
between them. He proved himself IN un.
manly, miserable coward, who would save
his own life at any price. When Clerk
Fitzgerald arose to read the finding of the
jury, the prisoner stood clutching tho back
Of chair, his face flushed and his knees
trembling violently.
1--WE. the jury. find the defendant Pat.
rick Eugene John Prendereast guilty of
murder, in the manner and form ms
charged in tho indictment, and fix the
penalty at DEATH" road Fitzgerald.
Then Prendereast revealed himself an
utter coward. His face turned pale, he
opened his mouth to speak, but only
faint murmur came. He moved slightly
and would have fallen but for the assist
ance of the baliff. When the jury was
polled he listened with avidity to each and
every answer to Judge Brentano's ques-
ton, and as each juror in turn reiterated
~. - l~fs
Prendergast. He was led, half carried
back to his cell, where refusing to speak,
he threw himself upon his bunk in an at
tempt to hide himself from his fellow pris-
oners. whose expressions of satisfaction
over the verdict were more emphatic than
graceful, and moro sincere than polite.
Attorney Trude resumed the closing ar
gument for tho prosecution this morning.
In the course of his remarks he had occa-
sion to refer to Henry George, the great
single tax advocate, whom he character
lied as ''mgratory and pestilcntial
maniac" Trude closed with an eloquent
plea for the conviction Of the prisoner,
who, he declared, had been declared -SAne
by prepondcrancc of evidence.
The court then took o recess till I
o'clock. Promptly at that hour Judge
Brentano began his charge to the jury.
Prcndergast buried his face in black
handkerchief and did not look up until at
the close of the judges charge tho word
death" was uttered. The prisoner then
looked up for an instant. Upon the ques-
tion of insanity, which was the main point
at issue, Judge Brentano said il the jury
believed the defendant committed the
crime as charged, knowing it to be wrong,
it was the duty of the jury to find
the prisoner guilty. oven though they
believed that at the time the crime was
committed the prisoner was not perfectly
sane; but IL the jury believed that at the
time the act was committed the prisoner
was not of sound mind but affected with
insanity, and that such affection was the
efficient cause of the act, then the pris-
oner ought to be acquitted. II tho jury
had any doubts as TO the prisoners SAN
ity, tho law gives him the benefit of tho
doubt. II the jury believed the defendant
TO be laboring under n delusion which de-
prived the accused of the power Of choos-
ing between right and wrong, then tho
jury must acquit him.
At 80 the jury retired to consider their
verdict. Nothing was heard from them
for exactly an hour, when BailiR Busse
hurried through tho room to notify the
jailer to bring tho prisoner into court, and
few minutes later tho jury filed in and
took their places. As Prcndergast took
his seat, the judge said:
"Have you agreed upon vcrdict?''
The twelve men bowed assent and
Foreman Sutter handed paper contain.
ing tho verdict to Clerk Fitzgerald. When
Fitzgerald read in measured tones tho
finding of the jury, the prisoner had fo-
cused on him tho eyes of nearly every
person i'm the room, and with difficulty he
kept from breaking down.
Attorney Wade made the usual request
that tho jury bo polled, and then tho
prisoner was removed and the Judge an-
nounced that the jury was excused and
the proceedings ut an end. Before the
adjournment of tho court, Wade madc
the usual application for a new trial aud
the judge announced that he would hear
the motion mt future date. The mother
of the prisoner did not trust herself to re-
main in court to hear the result of tho
trial. but fingered around the corridors
waiting for the first news TO come from
the court room. When it came an instant
after the verdict was rendered, she
tottered away clinRing to the banister for
support as she descended tho stairs. John
Prendcrgast, the prisoners brother. II he
was in court. left without attracting at
tention. Trude and his associate. Todd,
received hearty congratulations. Preston
Harrison being one Of the first - thank
Trude for his efforts. Before announcing
their verdict the jurymen agreed not to
make public the scenes In the jury room,
and after their dismissal they positively
refused to talk. From o court official,
however. it is learned that the jury was
unanimously in favor of the death
sentence.
"Pleasc ask the gentleman TO excuse
me. l would prefer not TO see or talk
with anybody tonight" This was the
verbal response of Prendergast tom ght.
as he sat In his cell, to written message
to the effect that the associated press
would be pleased TO receive any state
ment Prendergast might be disposed to
make. The reporter who sent in tho
message followed Night Jailcr Foltz into
the cage and heard the reply as above,