Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-06
CLEMENCY FOR MUROERERS
Governor 0ummins to Decide Whether
Death Penalty Shall Be Inflicted.
RESULT WILL SET PRECEDENT FOR STATE
Man who AliEhts from Train After
Bidding wife Goodbye Falls
Under the wheels aud
IL KILLED.
tFrom a Stan correspondent


DEs MONIES. Sept. b.-Cspecial.)-Th
last hearing in the case OF Louis Busse was
held this morning before Governor Cum
minis. the lawyers Of the defense appearing
with n plea for the communication OF the
death penalty to life Imprisonment, and the
state appearing to defend the action OF the
Bremen couAty Jury in Judging the man
worthy OF death. Busse was represented
by r. A. Dawson and D. r. Gibson OF
waveriy, by Senator Craig and his brother
Frank. The prosecution was represented
by Il. j. Burling OF Clarksviile, and r. s.
Scales OF Bagiey.
While the fight WAS for the commutation
OF the sentence one OF the questions at
issue will be whether the death penalty
shall be imposed in the state OF Iowa It
has been years since man was convicted
and sentenced to be hanged. but two men
now face the gallows in the state and the
decision OF the case OF Busse Will probably
decide both.
Following the argument Governor Cum
minis took the matter under advisement
desiring to make thorough examination
of the evidence In the case before making
a decision that would determine in part at
least the future policy of the executive of
the state.
The crime for which Busse stands con-
victed is the killing of his wife. AS he
| himself claims In confession made before
| his sentence he Drained his wife with a
chair, cut her throat with his pocketknife,
| saturated her clothing with kerosene and
covering the body with a feather tick satu-
| rated with oil, he set FIRE to the homo,
| containing a sleeping child of the woman
in addition to the body Of the woman.
| Only the timely arrival OF the neighbors
prevented the death of the child and the
effacins Of all evidence of the crime.
In connection with the Busse case the
\ fate of Joseph Z. Smith, the Buxton miner
who killed his landlady Mrs Ida Csnady,
will be heard rext Monday.
Dea MOines Schools Begin.
The public schools Of Des Mones and
throughout the state started this morning
for their years work. It Is estimated that
the first days attendance in the city schools
of Des Moines alone is close to 1900 About
| an eighth OF the number are high school
pubils. There has been an unprecedented
change in the teachers Of the state through
out the summer the change being in the
removal of some teachers from the state
and the consequent shifting OF positions.
Petition Names Published.
The latest development in the fight of the
BdlOOn ana dDtl-BdlOOn interests was the
publishing of the names OF the petition sign,
ers in the local prohibition organ thi,
morning. A scramble to get names of the
petition followed and a number OF men who
claim they had not signed the petition were
confronted with their signature.
Has Asked for Carnegie Medal.
DR.. IA. Writ, pastor of st, Johns Luth
eran church OF this city forwarded tn,
newspaper descriptions and letter recon-
mending the awarding of a Carnegie media
to George Graeser of Des hoines A weeI
or two ago, Graeser, at one time the stai
tackle on the Drake University football
team, stopped a team of runaway horses
which were plunging down the main stree
Of the city. DIR. Writ believes the actor
saved a number of lives
County Buys steam Heat.
Arrangements have been almost completed
for the heating OF the Polk county cour
house from the supply OF the Des Moine
heating company. Since the voters turne,
down the proposition to build a heatinj
plant and a jail, the board of supervisor
has been casting about for some mean
by which to heat the building and the us
OF the heat OF the company was the onl,
way available.
Said Good Bye and Died.
While descending from the train at Sig
Quincy, where he had bade his wife goodby
when she started on a trip to Portland
Reese Jones, slipped and fell under tn
wheels OF the train. His body was groun
to pieces under the wheels OF the cars
The train was stopped and the hysterica
syife accompanied the remains to the hom
where the funeral will be held.
Another CaFbOlIc Victim.
The remains of C. NJ. Smith, probabl
OF Jefferson, Ia, were found at a late hou
this afternoon at his boarding house 4
this city. He met his death by the carboli
acid route He was seen about the hous
Sunday but the exact time OF his takin
/. the acid and his death are not known.