The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-19

SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Cal, Oct.
1S.-Thomas st. Clair and Hans Han
sen, the murderers of Maurice F'itz-
gerald, mate of the bark Hesper, were
hanged in the loft of the jute mill at
the prison at 2:4O o'clock this after
noon. The executions were witnessed
only by United States Marshal Bald
win, four deputies and twelve doctors.
Newspaper men and others were eX-
Guided in accordance with a wish said
to have been expressed by Hansen
Death in each case ensued speedily,
the necks of both men being broken
by the fall. Hansen and st. Clair
spent the morning with Fathers Lagan
and Gallagher. Hansen seemed re-
conciled to his fate and assisted the
deputies to adjust the straps on his
ankles as he stood on the trap. Just
| before the black cap was drawn over
his head he smiled as he looked at the
deputies around him and said: well,
goodbye, boys; l am thankful to you
ALL
st. Clair left a long, rambling state
ment to the press, in which he recited
the incidents in connection with the
murder, and argued that on the show
ing of the circumstances presented he
could not have been guilty of the
murder of Fitzgerald. He says that his
trial was unfair from the fact that
interested persons had caused the
publication of articles in the newspa-
pers which prejudiced the jurors
against him.
The necks of both men were broken
by the fall. The executions are said to
have been as successful as any that
ever took place in the prison.
st. Glars remains were placed in
charge of San Rafael undertaken.
HanSen's body was turned over to an
undertaken from San Jose, where it
VIII be buried by Danish society.
The Crime
The crime for which st. Clair and
Hansen were hanged was murder on
the high seas. They killed Mate Fitz-
gerald Of the bark Hesper and threw
his body overheard. The story of the
murder and the motive on the Hesper
reads like an old time pirate story, in
stead of tale of modern crime.
The bark Hesper sailed from New
| Castle, N. S. W., on the 22nd of De
cember 1892, bound for Honolulu.
Thomas st. Clair, Hans Hansen, Her.
man Sparf- and others were members
of the crew. st. Clair planned a mu-
tiny and the others joined in the con-
| spiracy.
night, seize the vessel after murder
ing its officers, and sail to Chill and en-
gage in coastwise trade. 1t was de-
cided to kill all the officers, beginning
with Norris Fitzgerald, the second
mate, who was not popular. The other
officers were to follow him to Davy
Jones locker by the same route
The night of January IS, 1893, was
| selected for the disposal of the Off
GERS. The starboard watch, which was
| Fitzgerald'S, stood from to II that
night. The watch was otherwise made
) up of st. Clair, Hans Hansen and Her.
man Sparf. There were others in the
! conspiracy, but the case against them
was less strong than against the three
named, and they were used as witness
eS by the government.
Was Black Night.
The murder of Fitzgerald was ac-
complished according to programme. 1t
was a black night and there was
very heavy wind. Fitzgerald was at
tackled before midnight. He was in
weighed by st. Clair to the after part
of the vessel, and there he was set
upon by three of the assassins. One
welded a bludgeon and another a
Ratchet
Those who were still awake on the
vessel at that hour-and one of them
was the wife of the captain-heard
Shrek. The Shrek followed a blow
struck at Fitzgerald with a Ratchet,
and it was the last sound he uttered.
A few moments later his corpse was
thrown overheard. Then the murder
ers took a broom and tried to wash
the tell tale blood stains from the deck,
but they remained, and though the
Ratchet with which the deed was done
was washed, a San Francisco chemist
found the stains of the second mates
blood on it months afterWard.
At midnight on the night of the muir
der, when the port watch went on
deck, the second mate was not to be
found. Some of the sailors who had
been on watch said they had last seen
| him climbing into the rigging. The
blood stains on the decks were soon
| discovered, the murder was suspected,
and the remaining officers went below
and armed themselves. The obstacle
thus offered to the contamination of
the plot intimidated the mutineers, and
they submitted to arrest. Three We're
selected as ring leaders and brought to
this city in irons. ST. Clair was tried
as the leader and actual murderer of
Fitzgerald, and Sparf and Hansen, the
other ring leaders were Jointly tried.
Convictions were secured in both cases.
The Appeal.
An appeal to the United States SUI
preme court resulted in the verdict as
to st. Clair being sustained. In the
case of Sparf and Hansen there was a
point as to the trial courts power in
determining the facts in the case, and
the lower court was reversed as to
Sparf and sustained as to Hansen in
the longest opinion that had ever been
given by the supreme court in a GRIM
inal case. Sparf secured a new trial
and was the first of the accused men