The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-01-02
MONTGOMERY INTERVIEWED

We give below extract from the Sun
day Oregonian's interview with Linn
county's greatest criminal, in which
he now claims to have killed Nc
kercher to revenge the murder of his
parents and to protect his own life. He
bids fair to die with lie on his lips.
Referring to his first interview the
reporter says:
Then his eyes were dull and bleary,
his features were swollen, and his
clothes were untidy aud soiled. Now,
his eyes are as clear and bright as a
baby's; his features are clean-cut and
shapely, and his figure is as straight
as an arrow. Although only IS years
old, he is as large as full-grown man,
and his magnificent physique might
well be the envy of a trained athlete.
He might easily be called q handsome
young man, with his dark eyes and
hair and well-shaped head. He has
an expressive face, too, and seems to
be naturally quite intelligent.
He had been thinking that he was
to be hanged on Dec. 81, and when in-
formed that It was to be on Jan. 81 it
seemed to make little difference to
him. Il am going to hang on January
31,n he said, "and there is nothing I
can say to you that will make me any
friends or set aside the death sentence.
But would like very much to have
the people know that | am not such a
bad boy as 1 have been made out by
the lawyers and newspapers. I did
not kill my father or mother; but I did
kill McKercher. He shot my father
and mother, and would have killed
me, had | not had fight with him
and shot him before he could do it.
No one believes my story now, for, 1
am told, l admitted killing all of them,
when my head was wrong. Now l
feel all right, and my head is clear,
and | can say honestly that l only
killed McKercher. But ! am ready to
die and the sooner 1t is over the better.
will have more peace in the next
world than this, the way Pm situated.
Everybody thinks I killed my parents,
and, even if were free, wonld suffer
more than death by knowing that
everybody thought | ought to hang.
l don't see any way to establish my
innocence, and have given up think
ing about it. Everything is against
me, and / want to die. | don't want
to go to the penitentlary. What's the
use?n
"You thought you were to hang De-
cember 81, didn't you?" asked the re-
porter
Eyes," the prisoner replied, II made
a mistake about the date. You see, l
took so little interest in the execution
| only noticed the date '9lst.' / sup
posed, of course, they would hang me
this month. In fact, when / left the
courtroom after the judge sentenced
me, although he didn't SET the date at
the time, | supposed | was to be
hanged right away off-the same day.
l was surprised when told that / had
some time to prepare for death and,
when informed that / was to die on
the 3lst of January, i thought they
meant December, and was spending
my time as comfortably as possible un-
til lnext Tuesday. But | am to see the
beginning Of the next year, anyway,
and | guess it is just as WELL"
"What do you think will become Of
you when you die?n was asked.
II don't really know what you
mean,n replied the condemned youth,
with a puzzled expression on his face
"Do you believe in future pun
ishment?n was more terse ques.
ton, which the prisoner readily
understood.
"Oh,o he replied, carefully choosing
his words, "the Bible says that there is
punishment in store in the next world
for those who commit crime IN this. y
"Don't you haye some fear about
it?n
"No; why should |? am innocent
of any serious crime, | never mur-
dered anyone, and killed McKerchel
because he killed my parents. l wont
suffer for causing his death. don'l
know anything about the next world
but don't fear 1t in the least. Ii
had killed my parents though, ]
should.o
"Will you go on the scattold without
fear?" was pointed question asked
the strange young man.
" don't see why there should be
Il anything to be afraid or he replied,
l'aI was never scared In my life, and, 4
! hsti % djS b. hAftsltA, I WON'T b I