Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-04-28
Die ON SCAffOLD
THREE CHICAGO CAR BARN BAN.
DTS PAY PENALTY OF
THEIR CRIMES.
NltDfRMtltR LOSES HIS NERVE
HE is CARRIED TO THE scAF-
FOLD AND HANGED FROM :
A CHAIR.
OTHERS DIE WITHOUT A TREMoR
KISS IMAGE OF CHRIST AND DIE
WITH PRAYERS ON THEIR
LIPS.

Chicago, April "a. - Atheist to the
last, but seemingly unneryed com
pletely, Peter Neidermeier, the leader
of the car barn bandits, was hanged
yesterday from chair, contrasting
with his companions in crime, Gustav
Marx and Harvey Van Dine, who
standing erect, kissed an image OF
Christ and died without a tremor
The three executions were separate
twenty minutes apart, the same
scaffold being used for ALL
The crime for which the three ban.
dts paid the penalty was one of eight
murders which the three men are
known to have committed - that OF
Francis w. Stewart, clerk in the car
barns of the Chicago City Railway
company.
Neidermeier had boosted continual
ly Of his courage, but as the last mo
ments approached he collapsed and
was unable to take three consecutive
steps of march to the gallows. II
was found it would be necessary to
Liz him 10 the SCd0OiQs
Entirely contrary to general expec
tation Neidermeier made no effort al
resistance. Saying nothing, and ap
pearing almost in daze, he was
seated upon a chair placed over the
trap of the scaffold. No minister OF
priest accompanied Neidermeier, he
having finally said, when offered a
last opportunity before leaving his
cell, he would die as he had lived. ar
atheist.
On the scaffold Jailer Whitman dis
regarded the custom of asking wheth
er the condemned man wished to say
anything. The shroud and hood were
quickly adjusted. A moment later, al
1895 o'clock, the trap FELL, the chair
being quickly removed from behind
as the body shot downward. The
shroud became partly disarranged
and
Fearful Muscular Struggles
of the dying man continued for fifteer
minutes in view of the witnesses o1
the execution.
The convulsive movements of Mel
dermeicr's body while he was sus
pended at the ropes end led the ply
sicians at first to believe that he hac
horribly strangled to death. After ar
official examination. however, it was
said his neck had been broken. Short
ly before the hanging Neidermeier's
mother had asked to be admitted tt
the Jail, but her request was refused
In the opinion of some witnesses
Neidermeier was half-crazed wher
the death warrant was read He be
came angry and protested against ex
ecution, saying he did not wish t.
disgrace his family.
Peters" said the prisoner, "let me
look at that warrant"
Wanted to Keep Death Warrant.
After excitedly reading the pape,
Neidermeier nervously folded it anc
started to put it in his pocket.
"You can't do that, "said the chie1
deputy. II have to return that to the
court"
Neidermeier looked up quickly, ant
with a CHASTITY smile said: 81 want tc
take this along with me to prove g
case of murder. may want to make
a complaint to st. Peter"
He also entered into a discussion
with the deputy sheriff on murder.
The only requests that the other
bandits, Marx and Van Dine, made
were that they be allowed to bid one
another goodbye, which was granted
Marx and Van Dine Are Calm.
Marx walked slowly to the scaffolt
with several priests, after having con
fessed, repented and received the las
sacraments as did Van Dine, botf
men having been converted to the
Roman Catholic faith following the
death sentence. Marx showed nj
emotion while on the scaffold, and il
a steady voice repeated a litany after
the priests. He fervently kissed the
crucifix and at 11:17 o'clock wat
hanged. His neck was broken.
The execution of Harvey Van Dine
was varied by a curious incident
While he stood on the drop prayins
and waiting for his arms to be pin
Toned and his legs secured, the noost
fell from the cross-piece of the gal
lows and dangled before the eyes O
the bandit about to die. Disregard
ing the moose the bandit continued
praying steadily to the end. Death il
his case. as in that Of Marx, was i'm
mediately evident as not being due IL
strangulation, but to the fall.
PREPARING TO REBUILD.