Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-03-02
The Assassin of Mayor Harrison Tries
to Justify His Action In Judge
Brentano's Court.
His Harangue When Brought Up For
Sentence-Denies Insanity and
Claims Justification.
Nevertheless, He Is Sentenced to Be
Hanged by the Neck Till Dead on
March %.

having overruled the motion for q new
trial.
Prendergast had entered court in
charge Of a bailiff. Hehad been shaved
early in the morning, and his hair was
carefully combed. The assassin was as
signed to a chair in the place he occu-
pied during his trial. He soon grew
restless and moved about in his chair
uneasily. His face was pale and his
eyes rolled around increasingly. AS the
court addressed Prendergast and asked
him if he had anything to say why sem
tence should not be passed upon him,
Prendergast arose to his feet, nervously
drew a small sheet Of paper, covered
with notes, from his vest pocket, and
Addressed the Court as Follows:
9" don't suppose, your honor, that
1t will do me any good to say anything
to the court now. I have made no
preparation to say anything in par
ticular. I suppose your honor is under
the impression that you have done your
duty, but this plea Of insanity has been
set up by my attorneys without my con-
sent. It was an infamous, a dirty anda
d%isreputable plea, and done against my
objections.
''Now, as for Juror Murray, it is GER
tain to my mind that from the manner
he answered questions he was anxious
to be a juror in this case. There was
something wrong also in regard to sum
came here on a written statement, but
of course the defendant had no control
over this part of the courts work. The
Evening News contained q whole
column about it at the time, and it is not
necessary for us to go into it further
now. We had no opportunity to watch
the proceedings in summoning the
jurors.
Take About the Will of God.
.But that is not the question. At the
very beginning Of this trial, the. court
told me my attorneys would attend to
my case. Nevertheless they did not.
As stated, your honor, before, they set
up this infamous plea of insanity against
my will. But, your honor, the issue is,
did I do right or did I do wrong? Did I
do my duty or did I not? Did I do the
will of God or did I not? This point has
never been touched upon, and I say it is
the only issue before the court.
''Of course, if I did wrong, I should
be condemned. But your honor, if I did
right should be justified and acquitted.
Gas for this talk about the Dacey or
Guiteau case, the court all along ruled
that nc reference should be made to it,
but the attorneys for the defendant con-
tinued it throughout the trial. AS far
as these doctors are concerned, they
came to me without my consent and
without my invitation, and I did not
write them nor give my consent fol
them TO come ana find out whether ]
was insane or not. No doubt the mo.
tives Of these men were humane, but il
was through the ~connivances of Jailo1
Morris that they got into that JAIL"
During the further course Of his re.
marks Prendergast several times com.
pared the martyrdom he was to suffer tc
that suffered by Christ. He was evi.
IDENTIFY very ervou
Just before Judge Brentano began the
delivery of his speech denying the mo.
ton for a new trial, Attorney S. s
Gregory filed a motion in arrest Of
judgment, which was overruled. He
then asked for 80 days in which to file
the case to the supreme court. This
was granted. Prendergast was sen
fenced to hang subsequently in less thar
30days. It was stated, however, that il
it became necessary the court could ex
tend the time and fix a new date for thu
execution. 1t is probable that the bill
Of exceptions will be filed within II
days.
The Sentence of the Court.
Prendergast was ordered to stand u,
during the reading Of the sentence
Judge Brentano said:
Patrick Eugene Prendergast-It rarel,
falls to the lot of the court to discharg,
so painful q duty as devolves upon it il
this case. You stand at this bar con
victed of the crime of murder of a fel
low being, and it is incumbent 0 N me Il
pronounce sentence on you. You hav,
had a fair and impartial trial, and yot
have been defended by counsel who's
zealian devotion in your behalf meri
ZIG AASu0SI 'pCdS0 i6uu compel tue AO
miration of the court. I do not thinl
that can fairly be subjected to tn
criticism that I did not allow you tn
widest latitude in the presentation Q
evidence that in any way tended to es
tablish the defense made for you, an,
you were given the. benefits of all pre-
sumptions which the law says you ar
entitled to have. Despite all this, 20,
have been found guilty in accordanc.
with the well established principles Q
law and evidence governing trials o
this kind.
POSSIBLY a large part Of this commru
nifty would, for the sake. OF the repuua
ton of this great city, upon whom tn
eyes of the world were at the tim
riveted, have been comforted if the yer
dict OF. the jury had established the fac
that your act was that of a mentali
irresponsible person. but the result Q
the trial denies people that comfort.
Not Insane Enough to Escape.
''The evidence did not establish tina
you We're acting under an insane delu
sion which irresistibly ilnpelled you t
rs A. 49, - ;ue - -, .,x,k tsyhj<,h vo,s{SS5