The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-26
| KEFFER SWINGS
FOR HIS CRIME
Walked Calmly to the GallOYS
and Made a Speech.
AUTOPSY AFTER EXECUTION
BRAIN OF THE MURDERER
FOUND PERFECTLY NORMAL.
lsnecial to The HeraIdl

Especial to The Herald)
Lander. Wyo., Sept 25.-James ke1-
er was hanged in the court house yard
this morning The trap was sprung at
1915 and Refers neck was broken. His
body was cut down eight minutes later
and an autopsy held. The brain OF the
murderer was found to be perfectly
normal, thus disproving the claim OF
Kener and his friends that he was in
sane.
Keffer had been on the verge Of col
lapse for several days, but ne braced up
last night. He slept well and ate "a
hearty breakfast He bade his fellow
prisoners farewell and while Sheriff
Slough was preparing him for the eN-
ecutiOn Keffer told Slough 60 not get
excited Keffer walked calmly to tn
gallows and while the black cap ana
moose were being adjusted he made
short speech in which he said the jury
that convicted him had made a mistake
and would realize it some day
Had Two Trials.
Refer was 81 years of age. He was
born iu Franklin county. kansas, anu
removed with his parents IN ~ 70 ne
Willamette valley. near Portland ne
was poorly educated. He came to TINS
section several years ago and ted NE
of drunkenness and petty crime. slX
years ago ne was badly injured by a fan
from horse and his friends claimed
that these injuries caused temporary IT'S
of insanity and that il was while suffer
ing from one Of these spells tndt ne COM
milted the awful crime
NefIer was twice tried and convicted
both times He took an appeal 70 the
supreme court. but the decision of the
lower court was affirmed early in Aug
ust. Recently Kelfer issued a statement
I'm which he charged the trial Judge win
I being drunk at the time of his triai' thaI
the Judge knowingly permitted one pTe)u-
diced juror 10 serve. that if he committed
the crime il was without his knowledge,
Refers mother died several years ago.
His AGED father. two sisters and one
brother reside iE Glencoe, Washington
county, oregon.
Story of the Crime.
The crime committed bv Keffer was
one of the most brutal and COld-blOOdCC
affairs i'm the history Of the state keI-
Tender Warren. Warren was in the
habit of Keeping considerable sum vl
money In the house, and this fact comins
TO the knowledge OF keVeT he determines
To secure the money Aiming himself
with shotgun one night ketter went to
Warrens cabin. and while the old man
was asleep i'm his bed. blew out his brains.
I Thinking TO give the killing Of Warren
the appearance OF having been the re-
suit of am attack by Warren. Keller
placed a rifle i'm the hands of Warren
after he had killed him. One shot had
been fired from the rifle, but the she'll
which was rusty, showed the shot GO
have been fired some time previous 90
the homicide Keffer did not know this.
} He then dragged Warren's body to the
center of the room. overturned chairs and
| table and did other things to make ID
appear that a deadly strugel5 had oc-
CURED. He then rausacked the cabin
but succeeded in finding only 81. &7ftcr
gave himself up and claimed self-defense
There is another murderer in the COun-
/ " Jail who was today very nervous when
he heard the sounds of the hanging. lie
I is James DOllard. who last month shot
down Frank Bryant and Ross Stringer i'm
the streets Of, Lander His trial will Oc.
cur early i'm November. and. as the crimes
! were cOld-bloOded affairs. there promises
I TO be another legal hanging here insid,
of six months.