The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-30
THE VERDICT.
PrendergaSt Reveals Himself an
Utter Coward.

Chicago, Dec. 29.-Prendergast, the
murderer of Carter H. Harrison, will
be hanged for his crime. The verdict
OF the jury said it and the people of
Chicago approve it. Ably defended as
the assassin was and strong as the
evidence adduced to save his neck had
been, the jury found him to be suf-
fciently sane to be responsible for his
act and demanded he pay the highest
penalty for his offense against law.
This however, is a sorry Iecompense
for the death of Carter H Harrison.
Nothing since the commission of his
crime so irTitated PrendergaSt as
comparison between himself and
Guiteau. But in the courtroom this
afternoon he showed that one trait
existed in common between them. He
proved himself an unmanly. miserable
coward who wished to save his own
life at any price.
When Clerk Fitzgerald arose to read
the finding of the jury, the prisoner
stood clutching the hack of his chair
his face flushed and his knees tremb-
ling violently. we the Jury find the de-
PENDANT Patrick Eugene John Prender-
cast, guilty Of murder. in the manner
and form as charged in the Indictment
and fix the penalty at DEATH read
Fitzgerald. PrendergaSt revealed him
self an utter coward. His face. turned
pale and he opened his mouth to
speak, bat only a faint murmur came
1ie moved slightly and would have
fallen, but for the assistance of the
bailiff. When the jury was polled he
listened with aVidity to each and
every answer to Judge Brentano's
question. and as each juror in turn
reiterated the verdict the last Vestage
OF courage left Prendergast He was
I.,fE Ill i
where, refusing to speak, he threw
himself upon his bunk in an attempt
TO hide from his fellow prisoners,
whose expressions of satisfaction over
the verdict were more emphatic than
graceful and more sincere than polite
Trude closed with an eloquent plea
for the conviction of the prisoner who
he declared had been proved sane by
a prepOnderance OF evidence. The court
then took recess till 1 o'clock At
promptly that hour the judge began to
charge the jury. Prendergast buried
his face in a black handkerchief and
did not look up till at the the close
or the judges charge the word death
was uttered, and the prisoner looked
up for an instant Upon the question
OF insanity, which was the main point
ct issue. the judge said:
If the jury believed the defendant
committed the crime, as charged, know
ing It to be wrong, it was the duty of
the jury to find the prisoner guilty.
even though they believed thai at the
time the crime was committed the
prisoner was not perfectly sane. but
If the jury believes that at the time
he committed the crime the prisoner
was not of sound mind, but affected
with insanity and such affection was
an efficient cause of the act then the
prisoner ought 10 be acquitted. If the
jury had any doubts as to the prison.
er's sanity, the law will give him the
benefit of the doubt. If the Jury be-
heved the defendant laboring under a
delusion which deprived the accused
OF the power OF choosing between right
and wrong, then the jury must acouit
him.
At 1;S0 the jury retired to consider
their verdict Nothing was heard from
them for exactly one hour. Then Rail-
IF Busse hurried through the room to
notify the jailer to bring the prisoner
into court and few minutes later the
jury fled in and took their places.
As Prendergast took his seat. the
Judge said: Have you agreed upon a
Ferdict2 The twelve men bowed a.
sent and Foreman Suffer handed a
paper containing the verdict to CLERK
FitzgeiTld.
When Fitzgerald read in measured
tones the finding of the jury, the pris-
oner had focused upon him the ewes
Of nearly every person in the room ana
with difficulty he kept from breaking
down
Attorney Wade made the usual re-
quest that the jury be polled. ana
then the prisoner was removed and the
judge announced that the jury was ex-
cused 2nd the proceedings at an end.
Before adjOurning court, Wade made
the. usual application for a new trial.
ard the judge announced he would