The Red Cloud chief., 1905-06-23
Perverted Justice.

Webster county, Nebraska, Frank
Barker committed a premeditated,
cold blooded and most brutal murder
of his brother and brothers wife.
The execution and attempted conceal
ment of the crime were attended with
acts evincing a righteousness and
brutality seldom equaled.
The murderer was arrested and held
10 the district court, wherein, after IA
trial lasting several days in which he
was vigorously prosecuted and ably
defended. He was found of
guilty of murder in the first degree
and sentenced to be hanged.
On behalf of the convicted man, his
ease was removed 10y error proceed
ings of the supreme court, wherein it
was carefully examined and reviewed,
resulting in a finding by that court
that he had had a fair and impartial
trial in which no error was committed
and the sentence of the district court
was affirmed, June l6, 1905, being fixed
Tor the execution.
Yet more pending these proceed
ings the murderer on more than one
occasion confessed the commission OF
the crime, and related its horrible de-
tails, admitting that in giving his evi.
dence at the trial he had freely
periured himself.
An attorney interested himself in
the case on behalf of the confessed
and convicted perjurer and double
murderer and sought to have him
declared insane, in order to prevent
she execution of the death sentence.
The governor of the state and the
warden of the penitentiary, who had
power to institute proceedings to
determine the sanity of such criminals
with the assistance of some of the best
physicians in the state investigated
the matter thoroughly, the governor
says, and concluded that Barker was
sane and there was no canse for such
proceedings, nor to delay the eXecu-
ton of sentence
Notwithstanding this, the attorney
sought a hearing over the heads of
these officials, which was denied him
by the district court of Lancaster
county, but upon application to the
supreme court it held such denial to
he error, and that the hearing should
proceed to determine the present
sanity or insanity of the murderer.
Thereupon the governor, apparent,
ly in a tit of petulanco, granted &
reprieve Of two years to the con,
demned man. The purpose thereof is
not stated in the official document
but it is stated in the public press
that by that time the governors tern
of office will have expired and he neeC
not be bothered more about the case
There is no reason why Barker
sanity may not be determined within
a few days.
Attempt to conceal it as we may, i
is truth that 'the laws delay in pun
ishmeut of crime, and the uncertaint,
whether crime will be punished, ar
the principal causes of resort to lyncl
and mob law; breed contempt of tn
law, and encourage criminals in tn
commission of crime by inculcatin
the belief that they can successfully
evade the law.
This has been amply demonstrate
in every community where lynchin
has taken place, with all it's train {
degrading and demoralizing results.
The fault does not lie in the Law
which must be framed to meet a
GASES 1t lies with those whose duty
Is to administer and execute the la,
That, instead of looking to the Ell
iorcement of the law as it exists, an
she protection and good of ~societ,
iAey for no apparent reason, lose sigh
Of these and of the main fact and pu
pose involved, and constitute then