Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-06-10


court had been fulfilled to its awful
end. young Oliver was found in
thieket on the edge Of the town with
cooked gun waiting for his victim.
lie was, however seen and captured
before he had time to do any damage
His weapons were taken from hiiu.
and be made, so far as heard from.
no further attempts for vengenee
The murder occurred as has been
said in Cassville March l. 1888. Oil
yer was Immediately arrested aud put
in jail at Lancaster Atthe May term
Of the United States court held in
Lancaster that year his case was con-
sidered by the grand jury who indici
ed him for murder
He appeared in open court aud
pleaded not guilty Through mis- at
torney T 2 Bennett he asked for
the privilege to give bail. The re-
quest was denied On the motion Of
his attorney the case was continued
till the September term Hon. Chas.
Dunn was the presiding Judge and F.
T. Munger. district attorney
At the opening of the September
term. the 24th day OF the month. 1888.
Judge Dunn presiding. Nelson Dewey
Of Cassville was appointed district at
torney protein and in the records of
of the trial Moses NJ. Strong is men
toned as district attorney Ii is
therefore probable that both Of these
gentlemen were attorneys for the
United States in this trial I. +.
Bennett was divers lawyer. Harvey
Pepper was sheriff and Louis Rey-
nolds. deputy
The trial lasted about two days
The jurors were Samuel Groshong.
RueI Morrell Peter Fitzgerald. VIM.
I. Richard. d Z. Parrish, VIM. Vance,
James Moore, Robt Chapman. Ed
ward Thwait. John Ferry. Joseph
Wooley, Martin Detandebaratz.
On the third day of the term Oliver
asked for change OF venue which
the judge refused.
The jury brought in verdict OF
guilty on Friday, the 2Sth day OF
September, 1885, and the fifth day Of
the term. The usual attempt TORS new
trial was made without success though
it would appear from the records
that there We're irregularities in the
proceedings that would not be permit
ted in courts of justice nowadays
Judge Dunn sentenced him 10 be
remanded to jail and kept there until
Monday, Oct. %, 1888. when he should
be taken out and hung by the neck
until dead
The hanging was a great event and
people gathered from far and near to
see it. A scaffold was erected in a
little ravine just east of where the
body was found. 1t was placed in
the valley that spectators might the
more easily see from the hill sides.
The condemned man was placed on
a scaffold with trap and at the APP
pointed time Louis Reynolds opened
the trap, the body shot downward
about ten feet and soon was dead.
Oliver made speech on the scat
fold that was long remembered as
characteristic of the mans desperate,
reckless disposition. Although about
to be launched into eternity he show
ed no fear, no care nor sorrow for his
awful deed but in loud voice assert
ed that the shooting was the result Of
a drunken row, when all concerned
were drunk, that the Judge who pre-
sided at the trial was drunk. that the
Jury were drunk, the attorneys were
drunk the sheriff was drunk. and
now he hoped they would manage it
TO have himself the man who was to
spring the trap drunk and have il a
drunken affair from start to finish.
Oliver was buried III a strong oak
coffin or box. Portions OF il are stilI
sufficiently preserved to show clearly
that II was oak. The lumber H. doubt
came from .Black" Miller saw mill
on Pigeon as his mill was the only
place in this vicinity where lumber
could BE obtained
The court house al that time was a
brick structure occupying the site
81 the present building. The iqil
wa made Of hewn log, and was locat
ed west Of the court house not far
from the present jail
The above facts have been CLEANED
chiefly from the racor1a ~ tts ,.,-1 =;