The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-30

after the adjournment of court. Our meals
W, were Wei served ana we're an tnaI c1u1e 2-aa
hard on us, still | can't complain AS 10
our ballotins on the verdict, / can't talk
The fact that we were out so short time
ought 10 be enough TO show that there was
not any wide difference Of opinion The
evidence was such that the only thing We
could do was TO convict the man and fix
his punishment at death; | feel that we
leved 10 think it is all over"
A DESOLATE HOME.
Everything was desolate tonight at the
home of Mrs. Prendergast the gray-haired
mother of the condemned assassin. The
little one-story and attick house on Jane
street is an out-of-the-way corner of the
extreme northwestern end Of the city, away
out Milwaukee avenue. near where lamp
posts end, and the bare, unbroken prairie
stretches away for miles. 1t Is an historic
but forlorn neighborhcod, dismally sug-
gestive of another tragic happening that ar
rested worldwide attention. Strange as the
coincidence may appear the home of Prem
dergast's mother, the house where the mis-
erable fellows carcass will probably be
brought after his execution, is but few
squares distant from the habitation OF Mrs.
Spies, the mother OF August Spies, the An
archist. Right into this identical district
was where the corpse of Spies with the
purple mark of the hangman'S rope about
the neck, was brought to a heart-broken,
giay-haired mother, to be returned to earth
of death was known in the vicinity, a black
gOwned aged woman walked slowly up Jane
street from the cable cars. 1t was Mrs
Prendergast, and the neighborS. who knew
her well, noticed that she seemed more
dOwncast than usual. No one spoke to her,
and she spoke TO no one, but silently dis
appeared in her poor little cottage, from
which no amount of knocking would bring
her to the door. Later her elder son, re-
spected young mechanic. hurriedly entered
the house, and afterwards, as hurriesly and
almost unoDServed, departed, the neghbors
said, to his nightly toll for railroad corpo-
No cheerful lights appeared in the win
dows the night came on, and the street
was deserted save for some yelping dogs
and an occasional knot Of people who, un-
conscious of an agonized mother doubtless
praying TO God for mercy on her mercileSS,
misguided offspring-halted in front of the
corner store windows to read the startling
headlines in the newspaper extras, Death
for the assassin" Invariably the comment
on the headlines was, literally or in sub
tance, "serves him right"
ATTORNEY TRUDE SPEAKS.
In an interview tonight attorney Trude
said: 1.-The conviction of this man WILL in
my opinion, operate as deterrent against
the commission of like crimes by notoriety
loving cranks. To illustrate: When Ok
ford fired the shot at Queen Victoria and
was acquitted on the ground OF insanity,
an army Of imitators appeared and Eng
land reveled in saturnalia of blood,
which continued until two of these cranks
mere In Exf e6g and and the tn borneI other
down the spine of these characters, and
they were heard of no more. When Guiteau
was hanged crankS disappeared from
Washington and notoriety- hunters ceased
TO attain public notice with the pistol
an adjunct to the accomplishment Of that
end. BY crankS | mean men who are not
perfect in their moral and mental make
up, but who are able to distinguish be-
tween right and wrong, with the power
n no n
full act. Since the trial of Prendergast has
been in progress cranks have arisen all
over the country, threatening mayors of
cities, chiefs Of departments and men of
means. This verict will operate as life
Insurance policy on their safety: A YER
dict of acquittal on the ground of insanity
would have been the sowing of dragons
teeth, and these threatened mayors in st.
Louis and threatened officials in New York
| losing their lives unless they resorted to
| the use of boiler-iron breastplates:
''Prendergast was ably defended by four
lawyers, two Of whom were men OF marked
| ability. The other two were splendid man
| ayers and gathered together an immense
| sanity My opinion is that the man is sane,
/ at least to such an extent as to distinguish
| between right and wrong. One thing which
largely contributed to the verdict was the
great display of memory and readiness of
speech that occurred when referred TO the
circumstances of the killing of Mayor
| Harrison, when Prendergast turned the pis-
| tol from the breast Of the Mayor to the
face of the coachman who came upon the
scene from a side door, which produced
the effect of making the coachman retreat,
when the defendant took deliberate aim at
| the Mayor and fired the third shot into his
body. He then remarked that he did moth
| ing of the kind, and that if he were hung
| that / would be his murderer. and, in that
connection, displayed great deal of fear
of the consequences. This disclosed a men,
ory of events that occurred at the homi-
| eide inconsistent with insanity"
WADE DISAPPOINTED.
Richard A. Wade, chief attorney for Prem
dergast, was sorely disappointed over the
verdict. He said: II never felt so bad in
nay life 1t was not right to return such a
| verdict. Why, 1t is an outrage on human
| justice that poor insane boy like that
she uld be executed. i will bank my life
| on it that that boy will not be hanged.
| The jury are lot of cringing sycophants
| 1 have and will produce evidence that one
| OF them purjured himself in order to get on
| tMs jury. He said that ne was only slightly
acquainted with Mayor Harrison, but 1
| will show that he not only knew the late
| Mayor, but was an applicant for Office. 1
| o, business men, but don't believe they
ever considered the evidence in the case at
| all: | have made a motion for a new trial,
| not dealt fairly in this case. 1 will prove
that a medical commission of six experts
Vas Vas, formed formed to & 60 to the jail and examine
L
Church, Brewer. Dewey, Meyer Baxter
| letters to the States attorney stating that
| they did not consider Prendergast GRIM
| irally liable, and those letters are now on
| lie in the States attorneys office Church.
| Dewey and Brewer were called by the de-
tense; and Meyer would not testify without
| securing pay
| Attorney Heron was severe in criticising
| Juror Murray for sitting on the jury He
| SAID that he was not well acquainted with
| MI. Harrison, said the young LAWYER.
| but can prove that he was the leader OF
| clan OF which Carter Harrison was a
| member, and that at one time he was the
| recipient OF prize which was awarded To
nm nm at a picnic by the late Mayor We
| hdSe e&cellent reasons for a new trial"
| Dr' II. h Brewer, who was an expert
| WilneSs Tor the defense as to the SANITY
| OF IrendergaSt was interviewed to-nigbt
py a reporter He said: II have no rea
| son 70 change my mind since l testified. I
| tnIhK there never was a clearer case of
| u,ISahlty. Inc verdict is outrageous and
nothing short OF judicial murder '
The members of the late Mayors family
| We're apparently expecting such n verIiict
+, as was given, and seemed TO derive but
| little satisfaction from the fact thar m
| murderer OF the head OF their family wa .
to die for his crime. feeling that only ms
| tice had been done. Carter III. Harrison
| lr, one or the proprietors of the Times i'm
| discussing the verdict this evening said .
| Il not surprised when | heard The
| verdict, because, to my mind, there wa :
| never the least doubt as 10 the mans ra-
| sponsibilty when he committed the act
| / watched Prendergast's actions through
| out most Of the trial. and was impressed
by his alertness at ell times TO detect any