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

TWO EXECUTIONS TODAY.
TWO LEGAL EXECUTIONS Of un-
usual interest are set for today in
Utah and Wyoming At the Utah state
prison Peter Mortensen. convicted Of
the murder Of James r. Hay. is TO meet
Geath by shooting, while at Cheyenne
Tom Horn is to be hanged for the muir
Ger ~ Willie Nickel. a boy of IA years.
Both were crimes of an unusually bru-
tal nature, and both cases have had
features that made them of interest
Tar beyond the confines Of the states fl
which the murders were committed.
ln the Utah case an incident Of SER
Eauonal nature was the testimony
based OF tenet Of the Mormon fai,h
of the murdered mans father-iu-law
who. on the witness stand. declared that
Cod had revealed 70 him the guilt OF
the accused, and rigidly adhered to his
statemert- Further interest in the case.
ns'Ge from the circumstances of the
killing and the trial. has been, supplied
by ae attitude OF the condemned man.
whose demeanor throughout the entire
time since his arrest has been so
mog'@dly different from that OF the or
binary criminal as to make his case an
unique one.
ihe case of Horn is likewise a most
unusual one. Horn has borne the repu-
taton of being a hired bravo for years
past He is former scout and from
tersman, and it is believed by many
people o5 Wyoming that he has been
SIN The employ of wealthy stockmen of
lnat state for the purpose Of putting
undesirable men out of the way. No
less than four other murders are laid
at Horns door and Il was the inten-
tiSn OF the Wyoming and Colorado au-
thorities to place him ON trial for the
other crimes had ne been acquitted Of
the murder of Willie Nickel. The kill
ing Of the Nickel boy is said to have
resulted from an effort by Horn to
murder Che boys father. 1T is said
Horn was lying in wait for the father
wher discovered by the boy. and the
murder of the lad ensued Horn. while
confined in the Cheyenne jail. was
trapped into q confession by Deputy
United States Marshal Joseph Lafors
aRd was convicted Of the murder.
The cases have a similarity I'm that
in both instances every legal resource
has beer exhausted fn. The EFFORT to save
the accused men. Both have all along
insisted that they would never be ex-
ecuted. Horn depending on outside
friends to rescue him by force and
M0rtenseu depending on the legal
phases of his case for his salvation.
Great interest has been. aroused dur
ing the past week or two in the case
OF Horn by repeated threats Of rushing
the Jail and rescuing him. That he has
had powerful friends or interests work
ing in his behalf cannot be doubted
and the wyoming authorities have been
so thoroughly convinced that an effort
TO release him would be made that the
state militia has been ordered out to
protect the Laramie county jail Every
precauuon has been taken to insure the
success of the execution. and the
chances for Horns rescue are remote.
M0rtensen's friends have confined
their efforts wholly TO legal channels.
but the stubborn fight put up by his
attorneys SIS remarkable in Utah's his
tory. It is almost two years since Nor
Jensen was arrested and during the
greater part OF that time his attorneys
have been fighting for his life. not
ceasinE their efforts until the very end.
Both Horn and Mortensen have had
every possible chance afforded by the
laws of both states to prove their limo
cence OF the crimes charged against
them. and no one can contend that they
have been hurried TO their death. Tn
each case every motion for new trial
and every aurea1 for commute tfr,- b1-
been denied. Both cases have been
thc.oughly reviewed by the supreme
courts of the two states. and the iudg-
ments have been affirmed. Tn view Of
the wide opportunities afforded both the
condemned men TO show themselves
Euiluess, it would seem impossible that
either is an innocent man, so that the
executions set for today may properly
De looked upon as a vindication Of jus
tice and the right enforcement Of laws
designed to protect human life.
In utah especially there has been a
growing sentiment that the criminal
laws are SO framed that the execution
OF a murderer is practically impossible.
This sentiment has been created by q
long list OF acquittals communications
and light sentences. due largely to legal
technicalites and while the existence
Of such a sentiment would in no meas
IRE justify putting to death an limo
cent man. yet the effect Of the execu-
ton OF a man Of whose guilt there can
be no reasonable doubt win beyond
question tend 20 lessen the number of
homicides Of which Utah has had its
fun share I'm recent years.