The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-23
When the moose had been adjusted, he
said in substance:

When the moose had been adjusted, he
said in substance:
Il have only a few words to say to
you. Nothing but gambling has brought
me to this and l am sorry to be In this
position. have not realized fully. un-
til now, what / had to face and / mean
to try to do as I promised and go like
man. l have thoroughly repented
and God Is in my heart. ] have asked
and prayed him to forgive me and
am going off resigned to my fate, and
feeling that 1 have been forgiven my
sin. hope this may be a warning to
young men. 1t ought to be a warning
every gambling hell in the city may be
closed by law and kept closed. This is
all / have to say"
While speaking, the condemned mans
face relaxed and his listeners were i'm
pressed with his apparent sincerity
Sheriff Spalding pulled down the black
cap and DIR. Gilfillan leaned forward
and whispered comfort to the prisoner,
who strained to catch every word and
repeated after the minister: God for
give me for my sins, and save my soul
for my savior'S sake"
The sheriff stepped back and instant
ly pulled the lever, the drop falling at
precisely l 05 a. m. The body shot down
straight and sure through the open
trap and all was over.
Pryde woke bright and early this
morning and cheerily saluted the death
watch, o. c. Foster and Geo. Merriot,
who have been on duty during the past
six weeks. When dressed, he was given
hearty breakfast of boiled chicken
and coffee which he ate with evident
relish. He talked freely of the crime
for which he was soon to pay the death
penalty and appeared resigned to his
fate. He has steadfastly refused to
see anybody but his spiritual adviser
and one or two friends, and expressly
asked Sheriff Spalding to admit no
newspaper men. The press, he says.
has not treated the case fairly. To his
friends, he explained, he had complete
ly repented his murderous act and was
prepared to face his maker During
the morning he asked for pen and ink
and wrote letters to his adopted mother
at Emmington, Ills, his sister at Bis
marck, and a third, which he requested
be not opened until after he was
hanged.
He made known his gratitude to
Sheriff Spalding and the latters depu-
ties, and gave out the information that
he had read carefully the accounts of
Hayward's trial and hanging in the
Twin City papers and intended to show
the people here that his nerve was
quite equal to that of the Minneapolis
murderer.
He showed not the slightest concern
during the erection of a substantial
pine structure in which the scaffold
was being put up and which is directly
beneath his cell. He spent some hours
in conversation with Rev. ]. A. Gill
fllan, the. we'll known Episcopal minis
ter, who came here from the Leech
Lake Indian mission to administer con-
ISOLATION to him and reiterated to the
clergyman that he was repentant and
ready to die. The minister's presence
and his spiritual advise seemed to i'm
press the murderer, although he main
tains a stolid demeaner. Not even the
soft chanting of
NEARER MY GOD TO THEE
which caused the inmates of the sheriff S
household to pause and listen, had any
effect on the youthful convict who
shocked this section of the state in
February by his dastardly crime.
There was no outward appearance
during the day, that anything unusual
was to happen, but towards evening a
crowd of curious spectators focked to
the substantial little Jail and watched
to see what they could of what was
rooted over and boarded, was thrown
up in the space between the jail and
the adjoining wood shed. In the east
end was built a substantial ScaffOld, at
the side of which was broad stair al