The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-04-15
WILL HANG
Joseph Soular and William Yer
riH to Hang for Their
Crime.


Of their peers several weeks ago. were
scatenced by Judge Moer tie the death
penalty last Friday.
The hour set for the sentencing Of
the boys was O'Clock, and long before
+. this every available space in the court
room was filed with morbid specta-
Tors. Judge Moer gave his sentence
IN a clear and distinct tone and con-
DENIED the two murdeFers 10 death by
the gallGws.
SECULAR. upon being asked as TO
whether he had anything TO say why
the sentence should not be pronounced
upon him said: '.Y-e-e-s, your honor
The principal witness in this case IS
the man Eho has led me to this de-
structioa. When 1 was only boy OF
Is years OF age, he led me into bad
company. 1 hardly knew right from
wrong. was young and foolish, and
he TOOK advantage Of my yOuthfulness-
He keBt company with g bad girl.
He asked me to write letters. and"
Here he stopped short. for therewas
a lump in his throat, and it was be-
lleved he would fail. though Under
Sheriff Sheppard stood within q foot
to catch him if he did. He, however,
did nothing OF the kind. He simply
reached over TO the judges desk and
took d glass Of water. Then, clearing
his throat, he broke the painful
silence of the court room by continu-
ing:
..He-I mean Fish-made remarks
to me about marrying the girl if he
had money enough; then / told him
that I knew Samuel DeMars had
money, and I would try TO get it, and
we would have a good time at the
wedding. He told me-a- IA it
would be good thing if I'd succeed.
but not TO hurt him, which had no
intention to do.
.sYogr homer he continued, rather
hesitatingly. IF ne fish had been
an honest young man and told me
not to do any such thing, and told my
parents the foolish ideas [ had in
nv head. 4 Should never be on this
floor pleading for mercy.
your honor, it passed from my
mind when I saw him Fish in the
evening: and he brought it up to me
again, asking me If / had changed my
mind. So. you see. he was very viii
ling that | should do it. Your honor,
I had no idea whatever of hurting the
poor old man till 1 got out in the
woods. and don't hardly know now
how il was done. 1t seems to me just
like g dream
.-Eow. your honor" concluded Sou
lar. whose fatllsr and mother, just
within the rail. with Kerrills 5 mother,
sat weeping as though their hearts
would break, '-for my broken-hearted
parents and myself, kindly ask you
TO have mercy upon me-
The quiet that prevailed between
the interval that elapsed from the
time Soular had ended his remarks
and the moment Soular's attorney.
Baldwin. began to supplement them
with another plea for clenency was
very impressive. spoiled only by the
hysterical crying Of the parents The
occasion was pathetic, and there was
more than one wet eye among the
largest and motliest crowd of specta-
tors that was ever contained in St.
Louis county court The lawyers.
even. used to all varieties of scenes.
were affected. Soular looked down at
his slippers and listened abstractedly
to what his counsel was saying.
Mr.. Baldwin said that all he could
do was to request the court to exer-
else its discretion and to infiict the
life sentence in lieu OF the death
penalty. The extreme youth Of the
prisoner, he argued, should help TO
give him life. Re said that justice
would be as well subserved by sending
the prisoner to the penitentiary for
life as by sending him TO the scafIold.
The prisoner. he stated, was but Il
wears old at the time of the crime
He then dwelt on the moral intellect
Of Soular, and said that death could
not be inflicted by law upon a person
convicted of murder who was under
l6 years OF age, and pointed out to his
honor reasons why he should temper
Justice with mercy
During the appeal that was made