The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-01-02
LAWS PENALTY FOR PARR|CIDE
WILLIAM FOLEY CONVICTED OF
A DOUBLE MURDER.
Crime Committed By Degenerate
Son In Order to Become Possessed
of Farm.

Liberty Mo-, Jan. before the ar
guments began this morning, William
Foley and his cousin, Miss Amy Rick
etts sat at table talking and laugh
ing, and the prisoner acted as though
he did not fear the result of his trial
for the murder of his mother and sis
ter. Later. during the addresses by
his attorneys, Foley was constantly IN
tears.
This afternoon the jury, after being
out two hours and 40 minutes, returned
a verdict of murder in the first degree
After the>verdict had been read, Judge
Broaddus sentenced Foley to be hanged
Friday Feb. s.
When Foley was brought into the
court room to hear his fate, his face
was ashen, but his features wore the
sullen look that he had worn during
the latter part of the trial. An almost
imperceptible shake of the head was
Foley's only reply when asked If he
had anything to say why sentence
should not be passed upon him. Then
Judge Broaddus proceeded to deliver a
most scathing arraignment, while the
prisoner nervously wiped the perspira-
ton from his brow.
.'At your first trial. said the judge,
IT had very grave doubts of your guilt,
but on the second trial they were
swept away. The evidence has shown
you to be guilty beyond a doubt. 1t is
the most convincing chain of circum-
stantial evidence that ever came under
my knowledge.
''While it looks incredible, the links
are complete. 1 cannot conceive why
you should murder your mother and
sister. You must be one of the most
depraved human beings that ever
walked the earth. 1 cannot think you
VArr
and your God alone know why you
stained your hands with the blood of
those it was your duty to love and pro-
tect''
AT the conclusion of the judges stern
words, Foley sank limp and helpless
to his chair, but grasped the arms of
it a moment later, and sat up straight.
Major Woodson at once filed a motion
for a new trial. which was overruled.
Not one of Foley's witnesses or
friends were near him at the trying
moment. The crowd in the court room
were well pleased, and gave vent to
their feelings by stamping of feet and
applause.
All morning little groups of farmers
gathered on the streets, and it was
authoritatively stated that mob had
been organized to hang Foley, had the
jury failed to do what the residents of
Clay county considered to be their
duty.
Foleys crime-the murder of his
mother, an aged woman, and his sister
Fannie, aged SS years-was most bru-
tai. They lived together on their farm,
four miles north of Liberty. The
father was dead, and the mother and
sister had prevented young Foley from
having the property sold and divided.
On the night of No. II, 1896. the women
We're shot from the outside by Foley
who then broke in the door, and, fol-
lowing the wounded women from room
to room as they tried to escape, finished
the crime, using a revolver and a gun.
Foley was the first to give the alarm,
and tried to cast suspicion on Earl
Hoover, a discharged farm hand. The
vigilance committee worked up evil
dence against Foley, and it was neces-
sary to bring him to Kansas City to
prevent lynching. He was tried in
June, 1897, but the jury disagreed.