Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-08-24
NORDSTROM COLLAPSED
As FATAL HOURDREH NIGH.
BOARD so HE MIGHT
BE HANoED.
LOST THE POWER OF SPEECH
AND FELL TERROR STRICKEN
INTO THE ARMS OF HIS
PRACTITIONERS.

Ola LIE, W ASH. Aux. -o.-CndTioS
w. Nordstrom was hanged here to-day
for the murder, November 81, 1891, of
William Mason.
Shortly after $50 Nordstrom was
taken to a room adjoining the death
chamber He wept continually. 1t re-
quired the utmost efforts of five men
to keep him on his feet. When he
was taken into the death chamber he
broke down entirely. crying in a child
ish voice, and praying that his life be
spared. Then he collapsed entirely
and fell to the floor.
Efforts TO raise him and keep him
on his feet were fruitless. Finally
Sheriff Cudahy ordered that board be
brought. To this Nordstrom was tied.
Il required six men to hold him for
the operation. Several times Nord-
strom seemed TO speak. but his words
were unintelligible. The six men who
had held him raised his body on the
board and with great effort succeeded
in getting him upon tho scaffold. There
ne was placed upright while four men
stood on the four sides of the trap
and held him.
In less than two seconds after the
condemned man had fastened the trap
was sprung. This was at 9:49. Nord-
strom was pronounced dead at 1902.
Charles w Nordstrom committed the
deed for which he was convicted. nine
years ago. Nov. 30, 1891
The Nordstrom Case is Celebrated,
having been fought back and forth in
the courts for nine years, During that
time the condemned man has managed
to escape the gallows several times for
one reason or another.
Nordstrom worked during the fall of
1891, for Thomas Mason, a raneher.
near Cedar Mountain, in this county.
He had a dispute about the amount of
s3S5. On the night of the murder,
VIM Mason was sitting down to supper
with his father. Some one fired shot
from outside the window. Young
Mason pitched forward and died in a
short time. Investigation showed the
prints of the murderers feet as he had
stood beside fence corner and rested
his rife on the top rail. The next day
officers took up the chase. The muir
derer was tracked over a long stretch
of country.
Several days later Nordstrom with a
Winchester rifle of the same calibre
with which the victim was murdered,
was arrested on the railroad track
near Cedar Mountain. He told con-
fietng stories. On trial he was con-
vieted The case was appealed to the
supreme court of this State which re-
fused to grant a new trial. Col. James
Hamilton Lewis became associate
counsel in the case. He fought the case
in the federal court on writ of habeas
corpus which was denied. He carried
the matter to the supreme court of the
United States,
And Lost His Case.
He then went to the Superior Court of
King county and asked for commits
sion of physicians to examine into the
mental condition of Nordstrom. This
was granted The doctors pronounced
the man sane. Lewis demanded jury
trial as to Nordstrom's sanity. The
Superior Court denied this. In the Su-
preme Court of this State Lewis's ap-
peal of this question was overruled.
Then Lewis carried this to the Supreme
Court of the United States and he also
applied to the federal court for a writ
of habeas corpus on the strength of in
sanity proceedings. The federal court
refused the writ. Lewis carried this
to the Supreme Court of the United
States also. He was overruled in both
cases. Since that Lewis has applied
TO the federal and superior courts for
a stay of proceedings and been refused.
The entire litigation has taken nine
years Lewis last night, in spite of
his announcement the other day that
he had left the case, was out of the
city looking for writ of prohibition
from some Supreme Court justice. The
Governor had refused to interfere.
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