Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-02-15
lex MAYOR M'CUE
| dies ON CALLOWS
FORMER VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE,
PAYS THE PENALTY FOR
Staying WIFE.
LEAVES A Statement
CONTRASTING THE CRIME.
Says He Alone Is Responsible for the
Murder-Prays for Relatives and
Children-Story Of the Crime and
the Trial. 3


Children-Story Of the Crime and
the Trial. II
Charlottesville, Va, Feb. 1l-With-
cut 1remor J. Samuel McCue met
death ON the scaffold at 1885 o'clock Fri.
day morning for wife murder. He
walked TO the scaffold without assist
ance, and when asked il ne had any .
statement TO make, replied: None at
ALL Nineteen minutes after the trap
was sprung McCue was pronounced dead
by strangulation. His neck was not
broken.
Makes a Confession.
Hardly had his struggles ceased when
his confession was given out by his
three spiri, ual advisers, Revs. G. l.
Petrie, H. B. Lee and John B. Thompson.
1t read as follows:
y. Samuel McCue stated this morn
ing in our presence and requested us to
make public that he did not wish to leave
this world with suspicion resting on
any human being other than himself;
that he alone was responsible for the
deed, impelled to it by an evil power
beyond ais control. and that he recog-
nized his sentence as just
The BODY will be taken to Brooks
vile, near Alton, for burial
After the execution one of McCue's
spiritual advisers said: MI McCue
left this world with feeling Of bitterness
toward no human being in it. His heart
was wonderfully softened. He was
earnest and tender. This morning in
our presence he offered 10 God a fer
vent prayer for his family; for his
brothers and their wives; for his sis
ter; for his uncles and aunts. and. last
! ly and most fervently of all, for his
children. He called them each By name
He invoked the blessing OF Almighty
God on them all"
Story Of the Crime.
J. Samuel McCue was As years OLD,
and twice had been mayor of the city of
Charlottesville. The tragedy fer which
he paid the penalty created nee in
terest than any other crime thai has
occurred in the state in the past quarter
century. On Sunday night, Ser TENDER
4, McCue accompanied his wife to
church, and they returned HON about
9:15 o'clock. Within Is MINUTES after
they had repaired to their room: to re-
tire for the night the city was aroused
by messages announcing the' murder of
Mrs. McCue. Friends, physicians and
officers hurried to the McCue home.
:r
bathroom. and McCue was lying on the
floor with an abrasion on his cheek and
feigning Inconsistencies. He later as
serted that the attack had been made
by an unknown white man, who had
climbed through window Mrs
McCue had been dealt q blow that
broke her nose and her left ear had
been almost severed by second blow
Death was caused by a gunshot wound
just above the heart. McCue never was
able to explain the presence in the bath
room of a small piece of cotton under
shirt which fitted exactly a torn place:
in the shirt which he had on when the
officers arrived. Two women figured
in the reports that circulated as to the
cause of the murder. and letter filed
with endearing language sent him by
one of his women clients was produced
at the trial McCue had Quar5eled with
his wife number of times. She was
40 years old. and the mother OF four
children. The coroDer's jury held Nc
Cue for the murder three days after it
occurred. and he had since been con-
fined in the Jail, vehemently protesting
his innocence. His trial was concluded
November 5, and he was convicted. the
jury being out only &c minutes.
For years McCue was one OF the most
prominent men in the state. His wife
was a member of the Field family.
Gen. Field was at one time attorney
general Of the state. and later vas nom
mated for vice president on the popu-
list ticket McCue, in addition to his
interest in public affairs. was society
leader. At. the meeting of the State
Bar association, several years ago at the
Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, he
led thesgerman with Miss May Handy,
now Mrs. James Brown Potter, of New
York.
Goes to Scaffold with a Smile.
Washington. Feb. n.-Ausustus l..
Shaffer was hanged in the United States
jail here at 1907 o'clock Friday for the
murder of his wife in August, 1909 The
death warrant was read 10 him few
minutes before noon. and as he crossed
the r0tunda to the scaffoId he smiled
bravely. The execution occurred with
out unusual feature. Skaters spir-
ituaI adviser announced that the con-
demned man had been repen:an< for the
past four months.
Machen a Clerk in Prison.
Wheeling, W. Va. Feb. H. - August
W. Machen. convicted OF postal frauds.