Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-01-05
real or imaginary, against MI

1a0hoSs
My WI story was incredible to the
point of absurdity, and my counsel
strongly advised me to rely solely or
the plea of insanity-insanity induced
by the intolerable wrong i had sui
fered at the hands of the dead man.
In the end l was found guilty, will
a recommendation to mercy.
l was sentenced to death, and the
governor, in spite of the rider to the
jury's verdict, refused to see any rea.
ion why the sentence should not be
carried out. l cannot honestly say
that those days of waiting for death
by the hangman's rope which followed
my sentence were the most wretched
of my life. During the 25 years wher
/ had worked for revenge and my
soul filled with hate, l had many
worse times.
Now | knew my enemy was dead
and somehow the reason for my own
continued existence seemed to have
passed away also. I
If | did not welcome the awful end
awaiting me, at any rate l did not
dread it.
However, fate-which has played
such queer tricks with me in my time
seemed reluctant to lose such an
amusing toy, and so, at almost the last
moment, interviewed and saved me,
doubtless for further experiments.
l was to die on Friday. On the pre-
vious Monday, at about two in the
afternoon, / was taken to the room OF
the warden. That gentleman informed
me that | was reprieved for one week,
and at the same time warned me to
build no false hopes on this temporary
respite.
What had happened was this:
On the night of the murder Arnold
Grange was believed to have in his
possession banknotes to the amount
of 1,500. Of these only the $500 found
upon me had been accounted for. 1t
was supposed that the banker had
sent off the remainder in payment of
some private debt, unknown even to
his secretary.
Now, however, a mar had been
caught trying to pass one of the miss
ing notes. He proved to be a man
we'll known to the police-Sol Prior,
a daring swindler of the flash type.
He could give no satisfactory ex-
PLANTATION of how he came into posses
sion of the notes, and he was detained
by the police.
One day l was taken into the prison
yard, where q o of men were
ranged up in a line. I was asked if
I knew any of them.
l had no difficulty in picking out my
man. His mustache and beard were
less carefully trimmed, and his face
was even whittier than when he had
faced me in the bankers room, but
should have known him among a thou
sand.
From that moment events moved
quickly, and a fortnight later l re-
ceived a pardon.
The wretched mar Prior stood his
trial and was duly hanged, but before
the end he left a callous confession.
1t was a brief document and may be
given here.
son July IA I was down on my luck,
a promising piece of business having
gone wrong. I was walking across
Hammond square when I noticed 8
window of one of the houses wide
open. A light was burning inside, but
the room seemed to be empty. Nc
one was about, so I climbed on to the
stone coping and got into the room
Then I pulled down the blind. AS / die
so a man appeared from behind the
screen and confronted me. l pre-
tended to be drunk, but he was toe
shrewd. He said nothing, but caught
me by the throat and stretched out
his left hand to ring the electric bel
on his desk. I forced him away from
it and then struck him as hard es
could on the point Of the jaw. He
staggered back and fell and his head
struck on the marble curb in front Of
the fireplace. 7 thought he was only
stunned, but as l knelt down by him
he just gave one groan and expired
I dragged the body behind the screen
and made for the window, but just
then the door opened and some one
said that a Mr.. Phil Mason desired
to see me. The servant, an old man
did not recognize me as I stood back
in the shadow. To get rid of him
said show him in AS luck would
have it my voice did not betray me tc
the old man and he went out. I went
to the window again, but a policeman
was standing just outside talking to
servant girl. Not knowing what to dc
l turned back to the room and at the
same moment that maniac, Phil Ma.
son, came in. Again luck helped me
He took me for the banker at once
I saw my only chance was to bluff it
| tried all | could to get rid of the fell
low, but he would not go. At last, or
the pretext of fetching my secretary.
got away and went into the anteroom
but the window was locked. I came
back and found Mason walking UP
and down the room. While his back
was turned I managed to get to the
window without being seen. I hid be-
hind the curtain and he came within
a yard of me. Then, when his back
was again turned I slipped out of the
window. The policeman was gone and
I got away without being seen. 1t is
true I killed Arnold Grange, but !
swear it was an accident"
The medical evidence declared that
Arnold Grange could not have met his
death in the ann described in the
above confession.
For my own part, having good rea-
son to look with suspicion on circum-
stantial evidence, I should have given
the poor wretch the benefit of the
doubt, and I still think that the ends