The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-13
Carter Harrison's Murderer
Swung on the Ga1loWs
This Morning.
SLEPT HIS LAST NIGHT AWAY.
When He AwOke He Put on Black
Clothes and Asked for
Breakfast.
CHICAGO, July 13. 1894 -Prendergsss
was hanged at Il 40 A NJ He died game

was hanged at II 40 A. III. DE died game.
CHICAGO, July 13, 1s94-Up to eight
o'clock there were no signs on the exterior of
the County Jail that anything out of the
every day run of events was about to occur
At that hour, however, twenty-five police
officers from the East Chicago avenue sta
tion under command of Sergeant Sausr, drew
up in double rank at the main entrance.
Sixteen of the number were assigned to
positions at the four corners of the
structure while the remainder were station
ed on the sidewalk before the steps
with orders to keep any crowd that might
assemble at a distance. At this time
there were less loiteFers in the imne-
diate neighborhood than there were
protectors of the peace and as no such
precautions had been adopted at
any execution since the anarchists were
sent to their death, the unusual sight created
comment and aided the assembling of a
crowd. At half-past eight o'clock an addi-
tionai detail of 25 officers from the CEN
tral detail were marched into the jail
yard and double sentries were posted at the
doors and in the corridors of the Court
House through which entrance to the Jail
is secured The press Representatives were
admitted to the jail Office at ten
o'clock, but orders were issued that the
members of the jury and other witnesses
to whom tickets had been issued should not
be allowed entrance for an hour later.
1t was nearly midnight when the con-
demned man lay down on the couch that
had been prepared for him IN the private
room of Jailer Morris. Five minutes later,
according to the death watch, Bailitfs John
Writ and VIM. johnson, he was sound
asleep. Chancellor Mnldoon Of the Cathe-
dral of the Holy Name and Father Barry
called at five O'clock, but Prendergast was
still sleeping soundly, and ne was not dis
turbed At ten minutes after six o'clock
he awoke with start The death
watch gave him CHEEKY greet
ing but he was in suriy mood and did not
Immediately respond He slowly dressed
himself in the suit of black clothes that bad
been brought to him by mis- brother yester-
day afternoon and then asked the guards for
his breakfast.
The crime which Patrick Eugene Prender-
CAST expiated with his life this morning was
one of the most diabolical in the history OF
the city, partly on account of high
official and private standing of the
victim whose friends and ac9uaintances
were to be found in nearly every country
on the face of the globe, AMI party be-
cause the tragedy marred the closing days
of the triumph of the Worlds Colum-
bian Exposition. The tragedy attracted
interest and excited sympathy throughout
the clNllIHeu WOIlu he VI 4iAGt AAAo
death on the night of Saturday, October Is,
1898
At six o'clock he sat down to dinner with
William Preston Harrison. his son and and
his daughter Sophia. While the family
were at the table the door bell
swered found the ill-favo-ed, dirty,
low browed and poorly clad fellow standing
in the archway He asked to see the Mayor,
and was told that he was at dinner. With
the remark that he would call again he
turned and shambled down the walk be-
tween the lawns and out through the gate
into the street.
About half past seven he returned The
Mayor was doing on the divan in the
dining-room When the maid answered the
bell the old man told her that
he was city official and desired
to see the Mayor. Mr.. Harrisons sharp ear
caught the words, Scity Official and, rising
from the couch, he came out toward the
hallway between the library and dining
room The man. in the meantime, had
rushed past the maid servant, and the LATTER
little dreaming what was to happen, closed
the door and returned to the kitchen
What actually tranSplreG IN the next few
seconds only the assassin knows. A few
words passed between the caller and the
Mayor, but the purport of the conyer-
satfon could not be distinguished
by the people upstairs. Suddenly
the sharp crack OF u TeNolSer
rang through the house, then another ard a
third Simultaneously Mr.. Harrison shout
ed, II am shot Preston Harrison bound
ed down the stairway and the assassin
dashed through the hallway and out at the
front door and escaped.
Medical aid was summoned from all dl-
rections.. but the victim was past human
skill, and a few minutes later without re-
covering consciousness he breathed his
last. 1t was about ten o'clock
of the same night that the
murderer walked iuto the Desplaines
street station. some two miles east of the
scene OF the tragedy, and giving. his
name as Patrick Eugene James Prem
dergast. announced to the police that he
had killed the Mayor and desired to
be locked up. At the same time he pro-
duced from his coat pocket the revolver
with which the deed was committed. The
officials at first thought the man was
crazy, but they were cautious enough
to prevent his leaving before they
learned through the telephone that the as
sassination had actually taken place. Prem
dergast was then placed behind the bars.
-Four days after Christmas he was tried and
the jury returned verdict of murder in the
y !.