Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-09-15

| weaken. during the several hours that
he waited for the summons to the gall
lows.
Deputy Sheriff 3. g. Patterson was
with the prisoner during the hours be-
tween his breakfast and the execution.
urging him to tell the truth regarding
the murder before the execution, and
to shake hands with his father. Last
night Jenkins and his father were to-
gether, the son angrily asking the
father II he did not intend to help him
out, presumably by admitting his own
guilt. The old man refused and the
son poured out torrent Of oaths and
abuse against him, threatening him
with violence if he were Dut able to
reach him. This morning, however,
Jenkins shook hands with his father
and bade him good bye. He also
stated to Mr.. Patterson that he had.
written a confession OF his guilt and
placed IT In his pocket and that 1T
would be found after, he was dead. He
told him further that he would not de-
clare his guilt on the scaffold, because
if he declared himself innocent his
friends might yet rushsin and save him.
ALL through his imprisonment await
ing execution, Jenkins has held hope
that some power would intervene ITO
save him, and this did not desert him
even on the scaffold, and he died with
a declaration of innocence on his lips,
while in his pocket was letter adj
mftting his guilt and asking the Off
Gals to clear the "old man" Such a
contradiction Of statements and declar-
ations, a man dying upon the scaffold
declaring his innocence with his last
breath and with a letter on his person
admitting his guilt, is rarely encoun-
tered.
Jenkins did not weaken on the way
to the scaffold, as many expected he
would do. He marched out with a
firm step between Deputies Ode and
| Bowman. He needed no support and
walked Through the window in the
court room and down the six or seven
steps leading to the scaffold platform
without Gathering. He carried a cigar
in his mouth and as he stepped through
the window to where he got his first
glimpse of the trap. puffed out smoke
in dense clouds. He stepped briskIy
down to the trap and took his stand
upon it with the moose dangling over
his shoulder. Down below he saw
the Witnesses and called out greetings
to several whom he recognized In clear
tones. He paused for a.moment be-
tween salutations he exchanged, cleared
his throat and began to speak. II see
down there a great many people he
said who are anxious to see me hung.
see a great many young men down
there, and to them I want to say that
liquor did this. Here he stopped,
and his opening statement led the
Witnesses to think that be would fol
low this with a complete confession.
But he changed the tenor Of his re-
marks and broke into violent TRADE
against his attorney. He talked in
this strain for several minutes and
then declared that he was innocent OF
the crime for which he was about to
suffer punishment. He paused, and the
moose was adjusted about his neck and
the black cap pulled down over his
face. Alter the cap had been drawn
down completely over his features he
shouted through its folds In d loud tons
of voice 80 am an innocent man The
lever was sprung and the condemned
man shot down through the trap. The
body swayed slightly and turned as
the rope was Hghtened. The trap