The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-10-29

out to work on the case and Nc
Donald was preparing to follow. The
door was pushed gently open, and in
walked a small, smooth-shaven, poor
addressed man, carrying a revolver
in his hand. He shook like a man
drawn; great drops of perspiration
chased each other down his face and
his tottering limbs seemed scarcely to
hold him up. Looking Mcdonald in
the eyes, he said:
ST did it,
you did it?" asked Mcdonald.
Yes, | did"
Did what?" said the officer as he
laid one hand on the fellows shoulder
and with the other took the revolver.
Il shot Mayor Harrison, and that is
what 1 shct him with" was the reply.
What made you do it?'' asked Nc
Donald
He said he would make me cor
poration counsel, and he did not; that
is what I shot him for
Prendergast was trembling so he
could hardly stand, and the officer
led him to a chair and asked him
few more questions, to which Prem
dergast would only make the reply
he had first given as to the cause of
the shooting. He said after leaving
the Harrison house he had taken to
the street car and started toward the
Desplaines street station, with the OBJ
ject of giving himself up.
1.-THE car did not go very fast" he
said, ''or 1 would have been here
sooner
The cell door had barely closed be-
hind the murderer when an excited
crowd began gathering about the po-
lice station. Patrol wagons ratified up
to the place. cabs and carriages came
by the score and the occupants crowd
ed and pushed their way into the Of
fee.
The personal friends of the dead
mayor, city officials, and the curious
crowded against each other in q wild
endeavor to learn if the story which
had spread like wild fire through the
city. was true. An immense throng
gathered, and laboring men who had
stopped on their way home added their
voices TO the subdued threats of ven
gence, for Mr.. Harrison was popular
with the masses. The streets were
soon filed for blocks and the officers,
as they looked out the station win
dows upon the surging sea of angry
faces, became alarmed for the safety
of their prisoner A hasty conference
was held, and it was decided to re-
move Prendergast to the central sta
ton in the city hall.
The trembling, pale-faced man, was
led between stalwart officers to the
rear door and hurried away in the
darkness. Meantime the tidings of
the murder swept like an electric
shock through the city.
Everybody seemed to gather about
the central station. Bulletins were
posted in prominent downtown places
and about them eager throngs surged
ctr crcr1d cd rNo
were beseiged by eager questioners
and down town business for q time
was at a standstill. Before the pris-
oner reached the city hall the news of
his coming had been communicated to
the crowd.
The murderer was rushed through
the throng and taken by a private en-
trance into Chief Of Detective Shea S
Office. The doors were barred. Officers
hurried from adjacent stations to
guard the place The prisoner, as soon
as he reached the Office, sank ex-
hausted into a chair. His head fell
back and his livid face and staring
eyes presented a CHASTITY picture. He
| is a slender man, perhaps "a years old,
with a beardless and cadaverous face
and a stupid, almost idiotic, express
sion For a time the man refused to
answer any questions, and then in
1
I'm sick, I'm sick.
| Chief Shea told him he was a doc
tor and asked:
s'Why did you kill the mayor?"
well" the man responded feebly
che told me he would make me cor
poration counsel, and did not do it. sc
| 1 shot him. That's all; 1 shot him."
''What is your name?" asked the de-
tective.
"Prendergast, Patrick Eugene, Oh
Eugene Patrick, it makes no difference
which"
Where do you live?"
81 don't know; around here some
where, I guess; L don't live on railroad
tracks, I'll tell you that" he saic
emphatically.
r'he officers experienced great diff
Guilty in further examination but a
last were convinced that the murderer
had been a newspaper carrier, whose
route was in the vicinity Of the mayors
home. For several hours the examina
ton was continued, but little of i'm
portance was developed.
| Other witnesses were examined sanC
the prisoner finally placed in eel
| under the city hall and additiona
policemen stationed about the building
for a nights vigil.
All night long crowds came ant
went about the place. The bitter feel
ling against the murderer became in
ltensifed and magnificent; subdued re
marks about a convenient lamp-poS
and swift vengeance were frequently
At one time during the evening as {
carriage drove idly down the street
a young man shouted: There hi
goes
the retreating vehicle, but some ont
shouted: sPrendergast is still in The
chiefs Office and the crowd returned
Mr.. Chalmers said late tonight re
garding the shooting: Il expressed tt
Harrison the hope that he was no
badly wounded, but he said Tn {
dead man. He repeated this severa
times, and sank SO rapidly we knew
there was no hope for him. The fam
ily, of course, is utterly Frustrated
Young Harrison said to me: I tolt
father long ago something like this
would happen He was too easy il
letting people in to see him, crank
and everybody After we carried Har
rison to his couch" continued CHAIN
ers. she said it was useless to try anC
do anything for him, and his las
words, nearly as / can remember
We're: Give me water-send for Andi,
give me water"
ssPrendergast is crazy" said Corpora
ton Counsel Kraus, who perhaps wa
the closest friend Harrison had. :.
knew him well, and he called at m,
Office and told me he was going to b.
appointed my successor. The man wa
so palpably out of his mind, l did no
consider it worth while to talk ser
liously with him. L spoke to the mayo
about it, and he said he had received
=