Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-09-27

cell IN the Jail where he remained until
he was marched to the scaffold to meet
his doom today.
The state was represented by States
Attorney j.. II. McClung, assisted by
Wesley I. Stuart, while Loveswar was
defended by Attorney M. McMahon, as
sisted by James McMuny. The case
was a hard fought one from beginning
to end, u owing to the evidence
which had been produced by the state
there was no chance for Loveswar to
escape the hangman's moose.
On August 6, 1902, at 0 a m. Judge
w. G.. Rice sentenced the doomed man
to be hung by the neck until dead on
Friday, September 10. 1902, between the
hours Of 10 a. IN. and 4 p. m. After he
had been sentenced, Sheriff John II.
Smith returned the prisoner to his cell,
where he had been closely guarded eveI
since.
Among the people who were promin
emily interested in this noted case was
Sheriff John i. Smith, Deputy Sheriff
Frank Smith, Coroner ]. II. McSloy
and States Attorney McClung. They
kept on the trail of the murdered until
he was landed behind h bars.
Loveswar's Two Confessions.
The first story told by J-oveswar was
that he went to the ranch Of the
dered men the night before the murder.
That Puck and Ostrander had quar-
relied over a COW and that Ostrnnder
had knocked Puck on the head with
an ak, and then after he fell shot him
In the ear; he saw Ostrander coming
out of the house, and thinking he In
tended TO Kill him too, he shot him In
the face. as he claimed, In self de-
fese. He then carried him into the
house, undressed both men and placed
them in bed. He then gaddled his horse
and started for Boies' ranch, taking with
him Puck's gun This he threw away
in the grass near II big tree about lf-
teen miles from the scene Of the crime.
This was the confession that he made
on June II to DIR. McSloy, Sheriff
Smith and Deputy Frank Smith.
on June "a the Same men had an
other interview with Loveswar, and
after showing him the way OF his many
contradictory stories, he finally weak
ened and TOLD this, his second confess
sion: We'll, l killed both Of those men
while they were asleep. Now, do you
believe that?" In following up this
line he told how he had gone to the
Puck ranch he ev ming before and
asked George Puck TO advance him SIC
on some horses which he had con-
tracted to sell him (Puck), but which
had not yet been delivered. Puck re-
fused to grant the request, and the con-
versation ended in some words, In
which 1t was stated hat he (Puck) did
not want the horses, anyway.
Men Were HospitabIe.
Then he went out, mounted his horse
and was about to ride away, when Os-
trander came out and invited him to
remain at the cabin all night, saying
that you (Loveswar) hould not pay
the least bit Of attention TO the quarrel
you have just had with Puck" He dis
mounted, unsaddled the horse, and
picking up an ak that was sitting on
the outside Of the cabin went TO picket
out his horse. After completing this
errand he returned to the cabin, sit
ting the TX on tho inside of the cabin
door. A short tmie later they all
went to bed, he sleeping on a cot at
the foot OF the bed Of the two men who
were his hosts. Along about midnight
he awoke and began to think of the
quarrel ne had had with Puck a short
time before. The longer he laid there
thinking Of the trouble, the more desire
he had to avenge himself on the two
men. Noisclessly creeping from his bed
he reached over the sleeping men and
drew Puck's gun from the scabbardr
which hung over the bed. Taking his
own pistol in one hand and that OF
Puck's in the other, he placed them tC
the heads of the sleeping men and fired
both at the same time. When the
muscles in the body of Puck contract
ing caused him to move, he feared
that the shots from the pistols had not
proved fatal, so he went and procured
the AK, which was standing inside the
door Of the cabin, and crushed in the
skulls of the dead men. When this
confession was made he drew a char
showing the place where he had thrown
away the pistol If Puck's. and DR..
McSloy and Deputy Frank smith went
and found the gun in the grass near
the point which Luvcswar had indi-
Gated. The AK with which the crime
was committed was also found, still
bearing spots of blood Of the two muir
dcred men.