Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-12-11
THE OLD MOSAIC LAW
ExEMPl|FIED IN UTAt
Nearly Every Murderer in Year,,
Has Chosen Shooting to Other
Modes of Execution.

Nearly Every Murderer in YearN
Has Chosen Shooting to Other,
Modes Of Execution.
Only Experienced Marksmen Ar5
Selected and Disgrace Follows
if Heart Is Not Pierced.
When Peter Mortensen, who was legallS
shot in the yard of the Utah penitentiarsl
recently for the murder of James II
Hay stood upright for the last time, It'd
warden of the penitentiary pianed pied
OF paper about four inches square immed
diately over his heart, says the KansaS
City Star. He was then seated in a chair;
TO which his hands, arms and legs wert
hrmly bound with leather straps A band
OF leather was then placed over his eyes,
STANDING only few feet away the wardel
asked: Are you ready? Mortensen rel
piled by nodding his head. A momen
later the warden dropped handkerchief
and before it had reached the ground til
reports of five rifles rang out, and MOI
tensen, with four bullets in his heart, hal
paia the penalty for his crime
MoftenSen was Mormon. His yicti
was Mormon. He died by a MormI
in inc as 9id as the church institution
Lake; His five executioners we're prisol
guards. They stood in small she'd, In thu
DC ,lsis ct which small holes large enough
10 permit a rifle barrel to entsr, had beei
. ppred. When the guards entered TIL
sntn the rifles stood in a rack FoI
Wtb bab BULLETS The fifth was supplied
Iheir weapon at random No one, Their
lore, i Knows whether he was, in part, NJ
sponslble for the death of Mortensen. I'll
Plan nf n, is sort of a salve to the consciencS
o. the men who are assigned to the di.ead
Iui task of taking the life of a Fellow Il
soiu piG Gna, Every member of the nrina
Sdadu knew MortenSen well. But wlleN
uuly called friendship was forgotten and
s sl,e aesire TO score bulls eye' became
Iol Ine time their paramount ambition.
fooR MARkSMANSHIP A DISGRACEj
a. AT an execution by shooting in Utah i
Is considered a disgrace if every shTiI&
illed does not directly reach the viz
St ae,. am at The men selected for TIM
II Mortensen had lived forty years SascII
ana had been legally condemned to die
az mat Tune he could have selected either
l alId era in the mountains of zion, his
cholce was limited to two-hangjny and
S Sided fa. The third method formerly pro
1 leg by the laws of the state of Descrets
,s,;r Brlgham Young fondly believed
tba a eventually be a republic. free from
MN niinself as its head as dictatcr and I'LL
VICE regent of God upon earth.
that " Is not recorded in the history of Utah
gu tlaI an ak should be the INSTRUMENT.
selected for his punishment. The Ieraa
n, IL ny hanging have also been ref
condemned to die has selected sl,ootins. n
ene method, with but one exception. RI
i eeper az Mas Sg,,. Charles Thiee saloo
had 4, murdered his wife. He was haneeA
~ ~, lhe county Jail in the Mormon capitaif
HE ine tan from the scaffold did not Ereak
death. He was a large and powerful mani
a. no, tne descriptions given of his deati2
s ss,,aaS, MADE the method unpopular with
sueceedlnS Utah murderers.
EXECUTION OF JOHN n T.EE
me first Mormon of prominence Il, apfT
Ter the death penalty for murder NO
1 1ohn ID. Lee, leader OF the Danites. Az
d DE rhiet exponent of the so-called chur@
became an International characfer MY
ing msS the height of the gold excitement II
tIa .sn a party of immigrants, undeA
G 1ise command ;a 1sn OF plainsman known al
' vi us way 70 the land of promise III
some son s,, way the immigrants had earneS
ng EMMY a1iiy OF the = church leaders in Said
them. 10 Lee. as leader of the Danitesj
the task was assigned. A company oS
took the trail and overlook the party Il
a secluded spot in what is now Know
S Who '9 hnlia county MY On the way recruitss
enemies OF the church, Joined Lee and
When he overlook his unsuspecting vicI
mnr s f than a o r ct numbered
| prised while asleep and when the carnage
was over 12o men, women and children
taS dead IN the ruins of their camp. Tho
crime, which is now kpnwn in the histor{
OF the west as the Mountain Meadow masf
sacre, and after years of hard work oh
He chose death by shooting and he satisf
fled the demands of justice within sigh}
OF the spot which the immigrants he had
place.
| MARSHAL WITH NERVES OF STEEL
The United States marshal of the teri
| rltory of Utah at the time of the Led
trial was Colonel William Nelson, YETI
Gran OF the civil war. His principal physt
ical characteristics were nerves of steel
and an fndomitable will. Before going to
Utah he was the editor of a Wisconsin,
| the office Of United States marshal Oh
Utah he has been the managing edito.g
Of the Salt Lake Tribune, When the
| ment had decided to make an example OF
Lee all sorts of threats were made. These
did mob Influence Colonel Nelson. HI
the scene of his crime and there executed
United States troops formed the escorA
and their journey or several hundre6
miles was through a desolate country II
| the shadows of which lurked bands d
desperate men anxious to give battle hy
| the, hope of rescuing the condemned mart
The trip; because of the vigilance 81
out an exciting incident and Lee wat
| bound to a stake and, in obedience to 4
command issued by the marshal, his brcaA
was fairly riddled with bullets.
Since the Lee execution not more thaiA
a score of men have been legally killed
| in Utah. Mortensen, perhaps, was the
most interesting parsonage of the numbeE
and his crime probably the most atrocious.
| The man he killed was his playmate IN
childhood and his friend in manhood. The
murder was done in cold blood and for
| the purpose of recovering money MortenS
sen had paid Hay on a debt owed ~
\ years members of the. Church Of ZioI!
were divided in opinion. One factiolS
clamored for blood atonement, their old
doctrine in a new guise; the other facroL!
| petitionel for clemency. Their appea1
was denied by Governor Heber M. Wells
l a Mormon and the old Mosaic law 50
| noplllar with the people OF Utah. wal
| a gain emphasized when the four buHet1
| MERGED the breast OF MortenSen IN TUG
prison yard recently.
i I'M s.
REASON MADE PLAIN.
Why Cashus Failed to Get Exc
pected Letter.
Detroit Free Press.l
A colored boy about 10 yeats old had
| entered 8, xyarehouse on Atwater street