St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-11-24
KENT AND A ROPE.
The Pair Will Play End Parts
in a North Dakota
Tragedy.
WIFE MURDERER CONVICTED
.svr
Bribed His Hired Man to
Take the Life Of His
Spouse,
WIFE MURDERER CONVICTED
BUT MUST HIMSELF HANG.
The Remarkable Career of
One Of the Seoundrels
Of the Age.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
MANDAN, N. D.. Nov. 2S.-Myron r.
Kent, murderer of his wife near here
March 2, and robber of bank at Me-
dina, o., of $4,000, must hang. The
jury in the murder case came in early
this morning, finding Kent guilty Of
murder in the first degree and ordering
his execution. Jurors in North Dakota
fix the punishment in capital cases.
The real name of Kent is William Pan
coast. When twenty-four years of age
he was cashier of the Commercial Bank
Of Medina, o. He married the daughter
OF wealthy resident of Cleveland. A
few months later Pancosst was missing
and the combination of the safe was
changed. When it was opened every
dollar Of the capital stock and the de.
posits were gone, and
The Bank Wrecked.
He drlfted to Canada, where, as Jud
G. Lane. he worked English capitalists
as leading barrel manufacturer. He
next bobbed up i'll Minneapolis as Ny
ron r. Kent, and married Miss Julia
Laird, a pretty and wealthy girl, against
the wishes OF her parents. They went
to live on farm near Mandan, N. D..
where i'll March last the wife was foully
murdered. The shooting was done by
the hired man, Tom Swedenski, willis
Kent was away from home. At the time
Swedenski insisted that he heard some
one prowling about the horse, and went
outside. While waiting for chance to,
get a shot, he said, his gun was acci-
dentally discharged, the load taking
effect in Mrs. Kenps neck, killing her
instantly.
Swedenski made confession on Aug.
20 last. In which he stated that Kent
had promised him $4,000 il he put Mrs.
Kent out OF the way. The man hung
out for nearly six months that the Shoots
ing was accidental. Then he "caved,D
and gave up the whole horrible con-
spiracy between himself and Kent
against the life of the unfortunate
young woman, and afterwards, at the
request of Sheriff Bngenheimer, put
the confession in writing. This con-
fession was taken In shorthand. The
man was subsequently instructed to
write down his statement, and did so
after some hesitation. Kent
Told Him n Long story
about Mrs. Kent's relatives having in
duced him to go into a California gold
mining speculation, in which he lost
$4,000. Kent wished that Mrs. Kent
was we'll out of the way. as there was
$4,000 insurance OH her life. He led UP
to a proposition that the hired man
should shoot Mrs. Kent with the shot
gun in precisely the manner in which
the crime was committed. Swedenski
says that Kentinstructed him to tell the
boy, Earl, that there were men at the
window. and that if he did the boy
would think he saw men at every win-
dow in the house. This proved to be
literally the case, as the boy stated a
the coroder's inquest that he did see
faces at the windows.
Kent's Career.
Kent was born in Burbank, o., in
1S4S, and spent his boyhood in that
place He studied law In the office of
II. G. Blake. at Medina, O., and was
admitted to the bar. In 1871 he was
elected prosecuting attorney for that
county and served one year. He en-
gagged in the banking business, and in
1872 was made bookkeeper of the First
National Bank of Medina. He married