The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1896-11-21
KEN1nS LIFE SAVED
THE CONVICTED MURDERER WILL
ID. NOT HANG.
Upon the Rccomm~ n dat tion of Judge
Mcconnell, Who Sentenced Kent
to Hang, Gov. Allin Conn mutes the
Sentence to Life ImprisOnMent-
Kent Receives the News With His
Usual Compoxure.


Kent will not hang. Gov Allin has
made public his final decision COM
muting the sentence of the convicted
wife murderer from death to impris-
onment for life.
This result has not been unexpected
by those who have followed the case
closely. Judge McConnell's action In
going before the governor and plading
for tho life Of the man he had SEN
fenced to hang is what Influenced the
governor in taking this action. This
case probably stands without parallel
in the criminal annals of the United
States. Twice tried. twice convicted.
twice reviewed by the supreme court,
and twice presented to the governor,
who granted reprieve Of one week
twenty hours before the hanging was
to have taken place, and finally
commutatiOn Of the sentance. certainly
constituted Il remarkable case. Kent
has from the beginning asserted that
he would never hang, that providence
would surely interfere in his behalf.
and has stoutly maintained his inno-
celcc from the first. The position of
the governor in this matter has been
a most difficult one Recognizing the
fact that he must protect the rights of
society OH one side and the rights of
he condemned man OH the other. he
has acted with great tirlnness and dis
erection. The life of Kent previous to
the murder of his wife had been bad.
He was compelled to testify while on
the witness stand that he had deceived
his wife from 1882 to 1892. that lie had
claimed to her that his mother lived in
England and was a woman of prop
erty, that he had deceived her by stat
ing that his life had been clean and
spotlcss up to 1880, and had never told
her Of his first wife. These facts more
than anything else contributed to the
conviction. To Attorney Hildrcth,
who has made such IL desperate fight
for his clients life, all credit is due.
BE Kent guilty or not, Hildreth's ef-
forts to save his life are worthy of
strong ccmmendation. Without any
remuneration whatever. lic has fought
the able attorneys of the prosecution
inch by inch. When informed of the
governors action in committing the
sentence he was nearly beside himself
with joy. AS soon as possible lie
rushed to the telegraph Office and sent
the following telegram to Kent:
"Justicc and truth prevail. Sentence
commuted.''
story of the Crime.
| Kent was charged with conspiracy
in killing his wife at Mandan March
l:I. 1894. The history of the crime has
no parallel in the history Of crimes in
this country. One Thomas Swedensky
was entrappcd into the plot and was
alleged to have been paid n large sum
for doing the actual killing. On the
evening of March II. 1894, Kent left
home. telling his wife lie was going
to Bismarck. He did not return and
OH the night of the 18th Swedensky,
who was the hired man, aroused Mrs.
Kent in the night and told her that he
saw burglars about the house. She
arose, and when standing in her own
narlOr her head was severed from her
body by a shotgun. After the crime
the hired man confessed, and the story
he told is that Kent offered him 81 800
if lie would commit the deed. Six
months after the commission of the
crime Kent was captured in Colorado.
He was tried in Mandan and found
guilty and sentenced to hang. The s,l-
preme court granted a new trial. The
case went to Cass county and again a
jury found the man guilty and Judge
Met Connell sentenced him to hang.
Remains Cool.
Fargo. n. d., Nov. 19.-When told
that his sentence had been commuted
Kent expressed no surprise and was
as cool and collected as ever. In an
interview he became eloquent in his
praise for Gov. Allin, Judge Mcconnell
and Attorney Hildreth.