The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-20

TT THIN only a few hours OF the
w time when the crack of the rifles
is to sound his doom Peter Nor
/ Jensen declares he is innocent
He sat in his cell i'm the peEitenuary
( yesterday afternoon and with his right
hand raised solemrly, his eyes ablaze
with earnesUness and yet steady. his
voice ringing with intensity. he said.
Gust as sure as the sun shines
above, as sure as there is a God in
heaven, if they take my life tomor-
row, their hands viii be stained with
the blood Of an innocent man"
For months NIOrtensen has refused
J to see a newspaper man. but late yes
Z terday afternoon he set aside this rcso-
| luton and talked with a representa-
l tive Of The Herald. Casting of his
reserve, he showed a glimpse of the
] heart. He spoke of his wife and of
4 his five children, OF the future for
them and for him, of his varying emo
tions during the two years that his
soul has been wrung by the most trying
EOrdeal possible for man. of the differ
| ent phases Of his trial. mis- regrets for
/ things left undone, his lingering hope
/ that ne may yet have another chance,
and his determination. IL the worst is
1 inevitable. 10 face his end with cour-
age, committing 20 Go0-ti-r ssc
I of his wife and little ones. including
/ the babe he has never seer
Why He Was Convicted.
To James sharp's claim Of having
: had a divine revelation, and 20 his own
/ failure to go on the stand, MOrtensen
attributed principally his conviction
/ He intimated that James Sharp. father
] in-laW of James r. Hay, knows more
about the crime than he has told. but
T declined to go into details as 10 what
I the knowledge might be. Reiterating
I his assertions Of innocence ne said he
/ had a suspicion as 70 who actually is
guilty.
There is more than one of Them"
said he.
/ who are they2~ he was asked
{ 81 wouldn't want to say. IF 7 can
I get a new trial L VIII tell some things
that viii surprise everybody, but 7 do
not want TO say now
But your life is at stake" &c was
/ suggested. You have also a wife ana
] five children to consider. If YOU know
! who is guilty of this crime It is your
duty, not only to yourself and to them,
/ but to society. to tell what YOU know
J II have only suspicious said Nor
/ Jensen. II DO not know that they
/ could be verified 7 think there was
more than one in it, but 7 do not wish
/ to accuse anybody. I viii not stain
my hands with blood. no man loves
/ his wife and children more than i do.
/ but rather than that ] viii trust TO
/ God to take care of them and viii 60
TO my death tomorrow an innocent
man."
Agreed to an Interview.
All these things and many more were
said as daylight faded into darkness
( yesterday. A note had been sent iu,
/ u G 90 ~
I acceded to the request. The reporter
! was led through the double gates into
the yard Of the penitentiary. The
( solid steel door that guards the south
cell house was swung back and the
ante-rOOm was entered Levers. bars
and bolts were thrown, the steei-barred
door leading into the corridor was
opened. and the visitor was led past a
/ long tier of cells By Bishop A. g.
briggs, the guard who gained fame
by his Efforts in heading off the recent
break, and who is now one of the three
men constituting MOrtensen's death
watch
Almost at the end Of the row OF cells
could be seen a guard. sitting in
chair 1t was Ed NayIor. former dep
Uty sheriff. and now one OF the men
selected to keep constant vigil over the
condemned prisoner.
Cell Of the Condemned Man.
Behind the grating stood 1IOrtensen-
A key was turned in heavy paddock
There was a rattle as the hasp was
pulled back The grated door swung
open and the reporter grasped the hand
of Peter AIOrtenseu. Guards briggs
and NavlOr were both present during
the interv5ew that followed.
A rough prison pallet and sh0rt
bench constituted the furniture of the
cell in which Peter NIortensen has been
spending mis- last days. TIE baroness
of two of the white walls was relieved
by pictures. AT the foot of the cot was
a board. on which was a photograuh
and n partially finished crayOn en-
largement on which ne had been work
ing with the aid of pantagraph the
zig-zag frame of which stood out
against the white background. Iii was
a picture of young Eirl, which VIII
never be completed III the sentence OF
the court is carried out today as eX-
pected.
Above. on each side. were two en-
fragments Of actress portraits done
by Mortensen. and the photograph
from which was taken the enlarged
picture printed i'm The Herald OF yes-
terd9y-
Pictures Of His Children.
In the most conspicuous place Of an
was a cray0n picture Of three ch dren-
Close to that was another large eraEol
OF a baby. on both Of These STOOD QUE
the artists signature. Peter 4Iortel-