The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-07-13
PRENDERGASTAND HIS CRIME
Cold Bloodcd Murder OF Carter
Narrison. ChirRgo's Mayor.

Patrick Eugene rrendergast. shortly
after s o'clock OF the night " oct Is,
1893, called at 81 Ashland avenue. Chi.
cago, the house Of Carter n. Harrison.
then Mayd4 OF the city.
He asked to see the Mayor. and. when
Mary Hansen. a servant, hesItated about
admitting rim he brushed past her and
entered the hallway.
Mr.. Harrison, who had been sleeping
In the dning-room on The frs. floor of
| his residence was awakened by the con
yeraation and walked out into the hall
way.
He asked prendergast what he wanted
and the scrvau; retired to the kitchen.
Frendersast muttered someth ing about
wanting to be appointed Corporation
Counsel, ard drawing a Sa-calihre re
Nolver, shot Mr.. Harrison four times.
| He then fled. and on the way fired al
and missed Coachman Charles Parth.
who went to the Mayors assistance, and
who pursued but failed to oNertakc the
| assassin.
Mr.. Harrison died within twenty min
| uteS after being shot.
Prendergast. after the murder: I'M
mediately proceeded to the Desplanes
| street station and surrendered.
| He Saiu he had ShOt the Mayor because
the latter had broken faith with him In
failing to appoint him Corporation Coun
sci
Prendergast was indicted. tried and
| on Dec. %, 1893. convicted OF murder in
the first degree. Insanity was the sole
| defense
He was sentenced by Judge Brentano
| to be hanged on March 49, 1894 Under
an Illinois law, providing that a court
| may empanel jury to hold hearing to
determine the sanity or insanity of a
defendant, at any time before execution
and after sentence. Prendergast's coun-
sci obtained from Judge Chetlain, on the
| eve of the day for the execution, Il stay
of proceedings for two weeks. or until
This decision brought upon Judge
Chetlain the general censure of the
press and public. Various legal steps
We're taken to save Prendergast from
death on the gallows but he was finally
| declared sane by jury of experts. and,
as Gov. Altgeld refused to interfere. his
doom was sealed.
The assassination OF Carter H. Harri-
of the century.
Prendergast had not the ,vestige, of a
tack, The dastTdly character of the
crime aroused such Intense indgna tior
in Chicago. and In fact, throughout the
country, that there was at FIRST, talk OF
lynching Prendergast, and the long de
lay in bringing him to the scaffold wal
condemned at home and abroad as ar
outrage upon the name OF the Law.
Carter Harrison was one Of the best
known men In the United States. and
had been for years picturesque figure
In politics.
the closing days of the great Worlds
| Fair, towards whose success, as Mayor
and as a business man and citizen, Mr.
Harrison had largely contributed No
man in Chicago was more popular with
| the people generally.
He was selected as a Cook County
Commissioner IN 1871 and served in, that
nols In the Forty-fourth and Forty
firth Congresses. He was first selected
Mayor of Chicago in 1879 and served
five consecutive terms, running on the
| Democratic ticket.
In 1890 he ran again for the Mayoralty,
but as an Independent, and was de
Candidate and Was eiected He wa.
frequently mentioned as a possible Demo-
cratic candidate for President.
Prendergassst was s,u born ia Ireland. but
old. and was reared In Chicago. The sin.
gle tax theory was one Of his hobbies
and he was a close student Of Henry
that he was a municipal reformer, and
thought If made Corporation Counsel
he could abolish grade crossings IN Chi
cago and solve the problem of elevatins
ali the railroad tracks within the city
limits.
tiouS scholar. tie maze ms llNlng by dis
tributing newspapers and circulars.
Disappointed political ambition was
no doubt, the cause OF his crime. For
some time before it's commission he had
haunted the Municipal Building in chit
cago, and vented his spite by writing
threatening postal cards to various city
officials.
After the murder he manifested but
little concern as to the result of his
trial and seemed to have no apprecia-
ton of the enormity of his crime.
| When sentenced, he lost his nerve for
a time, but he resumed his bravado
lain. ON several occasions he inter
rupted his counsel and made scene in
| court.
He insisted that he was not insane, and
that he did not want any such line OF
defense.