Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-10
SIX LEGAL HANG|NGS
Governor Cummins Not Likely
to Interfere to Save the Con.
demned Prisoners.
Prospects Now That Six Men
Under Sentence Of Death
Will Hang.
Something About the Prisoners
Awaiting Execution in Iowa
...Capital Gossip.
lines Republican.

! DeS MoineS, June lV.-Aitiio Wv
ernor Shaw had d strong desire to nave
| II said that men are not put to death III
Iowa for crimes Governor Cummins mas
no such feelings and it is reasonably
| certain that during his term OF ONCE
,nere will he at least six legal eXecu-
tons in the state. Contrary 10 oeiiel
which prevails in some not we'll in
| formed quarters, the governor mas
nothing whatever to do with executions
| in Iowa, neither fixing the date, signing
/. "aeath warrant" nor directing the
| plan and manner of execution. ne mas
only to do with such cases Where ne
decides upon interference TO preVehe q
hanging. But it may be safely pre-
dicted right now that Governor cum
lnins will not interfere in any OF the
cases now ready for the hangman IN
Iowa. They are all of such character
that no reasonable man can say that
the Judgment of the respective Jurles
should not be carried out to the letter
| Governor Cummins has not prejudged
vance that he will refuse clemency;
but his policy is to let the law take lts
! course unless there are some very
strong reasons presented to MN why IL
! should be otherwise.
81 believe" he said in discussing this
matter, that we should not lose sight
of the primary object of trials and SEN
| tences, and that is punishment OF the
guilty persons"
! He has issued very few paroles and
| only one pardon since he came into
! office In regard to the six cases before
him in which the death penalty has
been directed by juries. not one move
ment has been made looking to commu-
| tation of sentence. No appeals have
come to the governor to have the ver-
diets of the juries set aside and life i'm
prsonment substituted. Unless such
appeals are made the executions will
come off on scheduled time, so far as
the governor of Iowa is concerned.
$50
| There are six persons in Iowa peni-
| tentiaries under sentence of death at
| the present time, all for heinous Of
| fenses. The latest to join the waiting
colony was Louis Busse, of Bremen
county, who confessed to killing his
wife and then trying to conceal the
| crime by burning the body in a build
! ing BusSe was committed to the peni-
tentiary on April II last and he will
| probably be hanged one year from that
time. 1t is reported in the newspapers
that he will appeal the case. No notice
to that effect has been served on the
attorney general. None of the others
have appealed to the supreme court for
| q new trial. Albert G. Phillips, colored,
and Lewis Brooks who were sentenced
from Buena Vista county. will be the
first to hang and their end will come
next December. They were the central
| figures in the Greenvale bank roberry
and killing of a leading citizen. Chester
| Tyler, who was arrested in this county
and was tried at Newton for the mur-
der of Dr. Failor, will be the next sub
jcct for the hangman, and his eXecu-
ton will come next winter. Richard
Williams, of Mahaska county, who
killed William Sharper in a saloon
quarrel at Bussey, will also be executed
in the winter, Harry Hortman, of
Cherokee, who killed Florence Porter,
will get his deserts March of next year.
In the case of Williams it might be
pleaded that the offense was more
nearly manslaughter. Hortman was
convicted on his own confession and did
not expect the death penalty. But in
not one of these six cases has the gov
ernor been asked to review the evidence
or take any action to prevent execu-
| ton.
Nothing new has Transported in re-
gard to the Sarah Kuhn case. 1T is q
foregone conclusion that her attorneys
will ask for a reconsideration of her
case by the supreme court on the
strength of the dissenting opinion of
Justice Weaver. The notice of the
same has not yet been filed and it is not
necessary to make great haste. But
inasmuch as the court had the case un-
Ger consideration longer than other
cases submitted at the same time, re-
versal is not expected.
Tomorrow Johnson Brigham state
librarian, and Miss Winterrowd and
Miss Catch, of the city library, so to
Boston to attend the meetings of the
American Library Association. Mr.,
Brigham who now stands high among
American librarians, has quite prom
inent place on the program, leading IN
two important discussions. A meeting
OF the National Library Association
will also be held the following week.
movement has been started in Des
Moines for making larger use OF the
city library or rather to make two
branches thereof and the assistance of
Mr.. Carnegie is to be asked. 1t is pro-
posed to establish two branch Libraries.
one in north Des Moines near Des
Moines College and the other in north
western Des Moines near Drake Uni
yersity. Both branches are greatly
needed.
Des Moines ministers of the gospel
have to deal just now with the problem
OF Sunday amusements. 1t VIII not be
denied that the amusements which are
offered Des Moines people Will operate
as counter to the churches Thousands
go to a park each Sunday evening to be
amused for few hours ana these
thousands do not go to the churches.
But as far as the entertainments go
they are unobjectionable and would
arouse little opposition except for the
f !