The Saint Paul globe., 1901-03-29
THE sIBLEY COUNTY MURDERER
HANGED AT HENDERSON EARLY
THIS MORNING
AFFAIR PASSED OFF QUIETLY
CONDEMNED MAN PASSED THE
EVENING WITH FRIENDS, AND
IN HAPPY MOOD
HAD NOTHING TO SAY AT LAST
Went to the ScaROId With a Firm
Tread, and Died in Few
Minutes After the
Drop.

| HENDERSON. MINI, March 29-(spe-
c1al.) = Shortly after 1 this morning
Franz Theodore Wallert was hanged In
the courtyard of the county Jail in this
| City for the murder of his wife and four
| step-chndren on the 21st of August last.
| Wallert approached the scaffold with
| out show Of fear, the moose was quickly
| adjusted, the drop sprung and thirteen
| minutes later his lifeless body was cut
down and placed in a coffin.
Save for the constant stream of visit
ors that wended their way to and from
| the court house during the day, there
was nothing to indicate to the casual OBJ
| server that anything out Of the ordinary
was about to take place. The usual
quiet of a country village pervaGed the
entire town. and every one pursued his
daily tasks oblivious, apparently, of the
| fact that the supreme penalty of the
law was soon to be visited upon the
head Of one who, through the barred
| windows of his prison cell, was looking
| for the last time on the awakening
! earth.
The warm spring sunlight flooded the
| valley and ilumined the hills that rose
on either side of the placid river that
| streamed through the dingy prison win
dows and wove great bands of golden
| light that turned the cold passionless
stones into a mosaic that was full of
warmth and color. and when it finally
| sunk behind the Western hills it's crimi<
| son radiance fell upon and glorifed the
scene with it's beauty that must have
/ seemed supernal to the poor wretch who
was beholding it for the last time.
STOICALLY INDIFFERENT
Whether the beauty of the day ap-
pealed to him is, to say the least, doubt
full. During the entire time he has been
inearcerated he has not been heard to
utter single word of regret further
than to say he would not do such
thing again even if he were given his
freedom. From the first to the last he
! has been stocially Indifferent to his i'm
pending fate, and if he has felt the
canker of remorse, he has not given it
utterance in words. The only interest he
has shown in his execution was this
morning when he asked the sheriff to
be allowed to see the gallows upon which
he was to be executed and so far as the
people of Henderson are concerned it can
be said that the interest they have taken
in his fate has been no greater than he
himself has shown.
SHERIFF IN NEW TOGS.
AS the day drew to a close and the
shadows began to fall in the valley,
Sheriff Gasske began his prepara tionS
for the final act, arraying himself in
new blue suit which seemed to have
been made especially for the occasion,
and the most conspicuous feature OF
which was the double row of brass but
tons polished to a brilliancy that would
have excited the envy of the most rigid
military martinez. In reply to requests
by the representatives of the press for
tickets the sheriff said that no one
would be allowed to witness the ex-
ecution whose duties did not compel
Ak, fe aas4If 70 COW
lust what his ideas of his duties are; Sc
far as could be learned from observation
he was particular in obeying the law so
long as it conceded with his own person.
al opinions. AS ar excuse for the eN-
clusion of the newspaper men he plead
ed that he had been forbidden both by
Judge Caldwell and District Attorney K.
J. Mckenzie to allow any reporters
to be present. under any circumstances
This rule was so rigidly adhered to that
but one Of the two men representing the
Globe was within the enclosure. All
the newspaper men, however, got view
of everything that Went on within the
rude structure in which the execution
took place.
JoKED MERRILY.
The condemned man spent his last eVen-
ing chatting with his brother in law and
the death watch until about 10 o'clock
He then 1ntlf1aIeO IlldI lie was SiVSpS d'tU
thought he would lie down for nap. lie
Law down on the couch in his cell, but he
could not go to sleep. In few moments
he arose and resumed his conversation
He was in a particularly vivacious mood
and laughed and talked with his brother
in law and sisters. He joked with MS
visitors as lncrrlly as though the day OF
his death were many years distant.
HIS LAST MEAL.
A little before midnight Mrs. Gasske
the wife of the sheriff, came to his cell
and asked him if he would not like some
thing to eat. He replied in the afhrma-
tive and a meal consisting Of fruit. cof-
fee and doughnuts was brought and plac-
ed before him. He ate with apparent rel
ish, and when it was finished resumed
his conversation with his friends. lit
tie after midnight word was sent to those
holding tickets of admission to the build
ing that the execution would take place
between the hours of 1880 and 1:9O o'clock
The invited guests who had been at
the court house from 1 o'clock In the
evening Immediately left that building
and went over to the one in which the
hanging was to take place. 1t was a few
moments before l o'clock when the pris-
oner was informed that the hour had
come.
The party left the jail at precisely 1
o'clock, the procession being headed by
Father Kertze, who had been the pris-
oner's faithful adviser from the time OF
his conversion to Catholicism. The
father as he walked intoned the
Miserare. Wallert was wearing the black
cap when the party left the jail, and
when he arrived on the scaffod there
was no delay. He walked firmly and eX-
hibited no signs of fear. When he reach
ed the scaffold the cap was pulled over
his face and the moose was quickly adj
ilisted. He was asked if he had any
thing to say, and replied in the negative
At 1903 the drop. was sprung and he
fell about five feet. His neck was not
broken by the fall and he died Of
strangulation At. f:l6 the physician pro-
nounced him dead and the BODY was
cut down and removed to the jail.
For a few minutes after the drop, Wal