The Red Cloud chief., 1894-03-02

CHICAGO, Feb. 24.-Judge Brentano
overrulcd the motion for a new tria! for
Prendergast and sentenced the assassin
TO I've hanged on March %.
As the court addressed Prendergast
and asked him IL he had anything to say
why sentence should not he passed upon
him, Prendergast arose to his feet, ner'
vously drew "a small sheet Of paper, GOV.
cred with notes, from his vest pocket and
addressed the court US follows:
IL don't suppose, your honor, that IL
will do me any good TO say anything to
the court now. / have made no prepare
ton to say anything in particular. ]
suppose your honor is under the impress
sion that you have done your duty. But
this plea of insanity has been set up by
my attorneys without my consent. 1t
was an Infamous, dirty and a disreput-
able plea and done against my objec-
tons.
AT the very beginning Of this trial the
court told me my attorneys would attend
10 my case. Nevertheless they did not.
They set up this infamous plea Of insan-
ity against my will. But your honor,
the issue is: Did l do right or did do
wrongl Did I do my duty or did l notf
This point has never been touched upon,
and | say IL is the only issue before the
court. OF course IL I did wrong ! should
be condc mned. But your honor, II did
right | should he justified and ac-
quilted"
Now, your honor, and everybody, says
that Harrison was a great and good a
I deny this. A good man is generally
faithful to his friends, and Harrison was
not. If he had been a good man he
would not have been hostile towards me.
But this newspaper trust, your honor.
We have been attacked by this news
paper court and if the sentence Is car
ried out you will all be ut the hands
of this newspaper trust. No mans
character or reputation will be safe. l
don't know what will be the result.
Even while ! was in your county Jail
l was threatened with death. This man
Norris, the jailer there, said to me I'll
kill you before you leave this Jail no
matter what the court and the bailiffs do
with you. The sheriff Of this county is
a Republican, while my principles are
Democratic, and that is why this is"
.'Then there is this great grade crossing
issue. II your honor consents to my
death, to my murder, you also consent to
take the lives of these people on the in
famous grand crossings. That Is what
caused me to shoot Harrison, although l
had stood by him in times Of Distress"
Judge Brentano'. Decision.
The court room was filed when the
judge read his decision. Prendergast
was ordered to stand up during tho read
ing of the sentence. Judge Brentano
said:
Patrick Eugene Prendergast: You
stand before this bar convicted Of tho
murder of II fellow being, and il is in
cumbent on me 10 pronounce sentence on
you. You have had u fair and impartial
trial, and you have been defended by
counsel whose zeal and devotion in your
behalf merit the highest praise and com-
pei the admiration of the court. Despite
oil this You have been found guilty in nc
cordance with the well established prin-
ciples Of law and evidence governing
trials Of this kind.
Possibly n large part of this COM
munity would, for the sake Of the re-
putation of this great city upon whom
the eyes Of the world were at tho time
riveted, have been comforted IL the ver-
dict of the jury had established the fact
that your act wa that Of u mentally
irresponsible person, but the result Of
the trial denies the people that comfort.
The evidence did not establish that you
were acting under an insane delusion
which irresistibly impelled You to COM
mission of an act which you did not dis
cern to he wrong and over which you
had not the power to exercise control.
The solemn and painful duty now de-
wolves upon me to impose the sentence
and Judgment of the law, which is that
You, Patrick Eugene Prendergast, be be-
tween the hours of 10 o'clock in the fore
noon and , o'clock in the afternoon OF
thel23d day of March, 1894, in the a
ner provided by the statute of this state,
be hanged by the neck until you are
dead