Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-11-19

application was made to the governor
Tor communication Ut sentence and was
refused. Another appeal was taken
to the supreme court, on the ground of
error OF the trial judge In passing sent.
ence. The appeal was dismissed and
stay OF execution refused.
Again an appeal was made to the gov.
ernor and a.reprleve Of one week grant
ed, on the representation Of Judge Mo-
Connell. The case was again argued
and now comes the final cal
vstion for Kent.
Kent's hired man, Swidensky, was the
one Who fired the fatal shot, and in his
confession be claimed that be was hired
to do 20 by Kent, Who LETT home before
the murder. Svidensky said that Kent
him how to do tho deed. and
to toll st the inquest that be heard burg
lars trying to break into the house and
accidentally shot Mrs. Kent. Sv,densky
claimed that Kent dictated this story to
him and he wrote it 10 Bohemian in tho
"little black book" and learned it BY
heart. The murder was committed and
carried out in detail, almost identicslly
with the plans arranged, 90 that there
was very little variance from the bona
fide confession when made, and the story
written in the famous black book. From
the moment of his arrest up to the end
Kent positively denied being implicated
in the crime and insisted that it was q
plot hatched by Hoy and Erhllchman,
the two Minneapolis detectives, who
worked up the case against him. At
the first trial in Mandsn Kent did not
20 90 the stand at all, but at the second
trial in Fargo he did, thus giving the
prosecution an opportunity to introduce
evidence as to his past life, which un-
doubtedly had much to do with the con-
viction. Swidensky was sentenced to
imprisonment for life, and has already
spent about q year in the penitentisry at
Bismarck.
BISMARCK, N. D., Nov. 17.-(Spscial. y
The Kent case continues to attract
great attention. Governor Allin will
probably announce his final decision
today, and although he has made public
no intimstlon of his intention IN the
matter, it is safe to predict that the SEN
tenoe OF death will be commuted to life
imprisonment.
Judge Mcconnell arrived yesterday,
and he 10 in company with Judge Win
chester, who presided at the first trial.
At noon both we're closeted with the
governor. Winchester takes the same
position 90 Mcconnell, namely, that the
evidence was principally circumstan tial.
and not sufficiently strong to remove all
possibility OF doubt, and that it is better
to err on the side Of mercy than to hang
g possibly innocent man. Should the
governor commute, az predicted, there
will be few to complain, for public senti-
ment is almost wholly with the con-
demned man, even in Morton County,
where the murder was committed, and
where the feeling has been strong
against Kent, there has been marked
change in his favor.
Swidensky, who confessed to the com
mission of the awful deed and received
life sentence, is employed in the harness
factory at the penitentiary, and evidences
no interest himself in Kent's case, SEEM
ing to be content with saving his own
neck. In case the governor commutes
the sentence, Kent will in all probability
be employed IN the same room with Swi-
densky, a. all lifers are worked together
within the prison walls.
In addition to the Erlichman letter
the governor today received long letter
from Frank Lard of Minneapolis, Kent's
brother-in-law, protesting against the
communication of the sentence States
Attorney Voss OF Mandan was
also on hand yesterday morning to pro-
test against executive Interference. In
his statement to the governor Judge
Mcconnell said:
Now that have a chance to have a
personal interview, shall use that tele-
gram as basis for celebrating some
what my feelings. First as to the black
book: 1t will be observed that that is
claimed by Swidensky to have been
written before the homicide 1t will be
observed that it goes into minutia. The
events that did transpire took place as
therein sentered, even to the manner in
which the woman was actually killed
It describes the manner of the action of
the different members of the household
that night. How the different ones
walked about the room, about the eun
u k1~ - 49, =