St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-11-16
JAY HICKS HANGED.
Han Who Killed Cattleman
Meyer Gets His Neck
Stretched.
THE DESPERATE WEAKENS.
To Make Sure Of Death He Is
Left Hanging Twenty
Five Minutes.
The DESPERATE WEAKENS.
STORY OF HIS AWFUL CRIME.
Shot an Old Man Dead to Sc
cure a Paltry Sum Of
Money.
tpecisl 10 the Globe.

EICS40i ~ tiS 64ODe.
CHAMBERLAIN, S. D.. Nov. 15.-One
Df the most cold-blooded crimes ever
committed in the state was lawfully
avenged today by the hanging at Stur-
gis, Meade county. of Jay Hicks. Some
time in October or the early part of
November, 1898. Hicks went to a man
named William Walker, who lived near
him in Meade county, and told him that
he (HickS) knew where he could make
raise; that there was an old man in
the vicinity who lived alone, had cattle
and money, and that they could ''hold
him up very easily. The old man re-
ferred to was John Meyer, wealthy
old cattleman. By persistent urging
Jay Hicks secured the consent of Walk
er TO participate in the attempted rob-
berry. Robert Hicks, brother of jay,
also consented to aid in the robbery of
the defenseless old man. The men
raised sufficient money between them
to purchase a 44-caliber revolver, and
on the evening of Dec. II last the three
men started for the home of their in-
tended victim. Before arriving al the
place the three men disguised them
selves as best they could. Meyer was
found in the yard feeding cattle, and
upon the pretense that they
Wanted Something TO Eat.
the men prevailed apon him to enter the
house and prepare supper for them.
Jay Hicks was the directing spirit in all
that was done, and but for himself his
companions would not now have their
souls stained with the blood of a harm
less and in0tfeRsive fellow creature.
Upon entering the house Jay Hicks re-
moved a handkerchief from his face,
and, probably having at that time made
up his mind 10 kill the old man. MADE
no further attempt TO cOuceal his identi-
ty. After supper had been prepared
and the men had eaten, their host took
his place at the table and ate what was
to be his last meal. Finishing his sup
per, he arose and commenced removing
the dishes from the table. At this june
ture, according to the testimony of
William Walker, who subsequently,
turned states evidence. he heard the
click Of a pistol in the hand of Jay
Hicks, who whistled and then said:
Here, old man; throw up your hands,
Meyer appeared not to have heard the
command, and it was repeated. This
time Meyer heard the words, and, throw
Ing up his hands, said:
"Oh, Jiy God;
"What does this mean?" Hicks pulled
the trigger an instant later, a ball
passed through the body of Meyer and
he fell to the floor. While lying there
severely wounded Jay Hicks demanded
his money, and, after repeated pro-
teStatiOns on the part of the old man
that he had no money. Hicks placed the
muZZle of The pistol within six inches Of
his head and again fired. sending a ball
through the old mans head, killing him
instantly. The demons had already
searched the house and pockets of the
cattleman, securing a trifling sum of
money, and. after the murder, took
Goals OF fire from the stove, gathered
wood, piled it over the Goals, took the
Kerosene can, poured oil over the wood
and around on the floor, set a match to
1t and went out of the house on run.
They intended to burn the house and
body of their victim, and thus conceal
their crime. But the fire went out
shortly after, the evidences of the crime
were discovered, and some shrewd work
on the part OF the Meade county Off
cialS fastened the crime where it prop.
erly belonged. Robert Hicks is now
serving life sentence at hard labor in
the state penltentiary, and Walker is
serving ten-year sentence in the same
place. The hanging today is the clos.
ing chapter in the bloody crime.
The condemned man was barely able
to walk TO the scaffold, which has been
lett standing since the date was first
set for bis execution in August. He
had nothing 10 say on reaching the
scatfOid except to ask the forgiveness of
the sheriff, whom he unmercifully pum-
meled and almost killed in making his
sensational escape from the Jail last
spring. Hicks was allowed to hang
twenty-five minutes, as one doctor
claimed his neck was broken while
another cOntradicted it. 1t is the first
hanging that has ever token place in
this county.