Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-01-05

Chicago. Dec. 2J.--Iatrick j.. Prem
dergast, murderer Of Carter IL. Har-
rison, will be hanged for his crime.
The verdict Of the jury said ii and the
people Of Chicago approve it. Strong
as the evidence has been to show
PrendeTgaSt insane, and thus To save
his neck, the jury found him responsi-
BILE for the act and deInan ded that he
pay the highest penalty for his offense
against the law This, however is Il
sorry value compared 10 the life Of Car
rer Harrison.
Nothing since the commission Of his
CRIME has 50 irl.ftated I'rendcrgast AS
comparison between himself and
Guitcau, but in the court room this
afternoon he showed one trace existed
in common between them. He proved
himself rnmanly, IL miserable coward
who would have life at any price, only
let it be life
When Clerk Fitzgerald arose To read
the finding Of the jury, the prisoner
stood clut:hing the back Of IL chair,
his face flushed and his knees tremb-
ling violently
We the jury, find the defendant,
Patrick Eugene John PrendergaSt, gull
~ Of murder III the manner and form
as charged in the indictments and fix
the penalty 1t death, read Fitzgerald.
Then PrendcrgaSt revealed himself
to be an utter coward. His face turn
ed pale, he opened his mouth to speak,
but only IL faint murnur came. He
moved slightly and would have fallen
hut for the assistance Of the balllff
When the jury w;a> pollcd he listened
with ayidity to each and every answer
10 Judge Brcntano'S questions and as
each Juror in turn reiterated the YER
diet, the last yeslige Of courage left
PrcndcTg;u>t.
lie was half led, half carried back to
his cell where. refusing to speak, he
threw himself upon his bunk i'll an
attempt to hide from his fellow prison-
ers whose expressions Of satisfaction
were more emphatic than graceful and
more sincere than polite.
Attorney Trudc concluded his arSu
pcnt for the prosecution about noon.
He reviewed the testimony carefully,
lie said: They had witnesses to prove
that I'rcndcrGast was insane because
IL dwell upon the theories Of Henry
George. The Singlc-tlX witnesses took
the position that PrendcrSaSt WAS in
sane hccuase of his advocacy of GER
tain religious topics 1T times.
The brothers Of the church said that
they thought The defendant insane be-
cause of his advocacy Of single tax.
There You are. one side alrayed
against the other and what does the
evidence amount to-"
In the course of his remarks Trud~
had occasion 10 characterize Henry
George as i migratory and pc>tilential
paranoiac.
Irude closed with an eloquent plea
FOR the conviction OF the prisoner,
whom, he declared, has been proved
sane by preponderouS evidence. The
court then took Il recess till | O'Clock
and promptly III that hour Judge Bren-
tano began his charge 10 the jury.
Prendcrgast buried his face in a
black handkerchief and did not look
UP til, nj the close of the judges charge
the word death was uttered and the
prisoner looked UP for an instant.
Upon tn, question of insanity, which
was the main point at issue, Judge
Brcntano said If the jury believed the
defendant committed the crime us
charged, knowing it TO be wrong, it
was the duty of the jury to find the
prisoner guilty even though they be
lic,cd 1T the time the crime was com
mitted the prisoner WAS not perfectly
sane; but if the jury believed that ut
the time Of the act the prisoner was
not Of sound mind, but affected with
insanity, and that such affection was
sufficient to cause the act, then the
prisoner ought to be acquitted. If the
jury has any doubts rs t. the prison
cr's sanity the law gives him the benc-
fit of the doubt. If the jury believes
the defendant is laboring under Il de
fusion. which has depriN cd the ac-
cused the power between choosing be-
tween right and wrong, then the jury
must acquit him,
At 1:30 o'clock the jury retired to
consider the verdict Nothing was
heard from ii for exactly an hour. then
Bailiff BuSse hurried through the room
TO notify the iailer II bring the priS-
oner into court and few minutes
later the jury filed III and took its
place
As Prendergast took his seat the
Judge said. "Have you agreed upon
the verdiCt?'
Inc twelve men bowed assent and
Foreman Suffer handed the paper con-
tanning the verdict to Clerk Fitzger-
aid When Fitzgerald read. in meas
ured tones, the finding of the jury. the
prisoner was watched by every person
in the room and ii was with difficulty
that he kept from breaking down
Attorney Wade made the usual re-
quest that the jury be polled and then
the prisoner was removed and the
judge announced that the jury was
excused and the proceedings were at
IN end. Before the adjournment of
court Wade made the usual appica-
ton for 4 new trial and the Judge an
nounced that he would hear the mo-
ton at a future date.
The mother Of the prisoner did not
trust herself To remain in court to
hear the result of the trial hllt fingered
around the corridor waiting for the
llrst news 10 come from the court room
When II came she tottered away. cling