Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-16
Sheriff of Bremen County Will
Have an Unpleasant Task
to Perform
UNLESS LEGISLATURE ACTS
If Sentence ct the Butler County MUIR
derer is Not COMMITTED Sheriff Par
rott Of WaverIy Will Be Called Upon
to Execute Laws sentence-chanse
Of Venue Placed Duty Upon Him.
special to Times Repuelican.

Waverly, March 16.-Unless the leg
lslature takes action communicating the
sentence of Louis Busse. who was con-
demned to die on the gallows for the
murder Of his wife, the duty of exc
cutting the sentence Of the law In his
case will fall upon Sheriff Parrot.
Of this county. Sheriff Parrott is be-
ginning to take serious note of the I'M
pleasant task that a combination OF
untoward circumstances has probably
imposed upon him. In all fairness 1t
would seem that this task should fall
TO the sheriff Of Butler county. Busse
Is a Butler county product and ms
crime was committed In that county,
but through uhe change of venue that
caused his case to be tried In this
county. Butler county's sheriff es-
capes the od.ious task at the expense OF
Sheriff PARROT, the law delegating the
carrying out OF the sentence to the
sheriff of the county wherein the con-
viction is obtained.
The Democrat in a review of the
case this week In discussing this phase
OF the question, says:
.Mr. PARROT is still hopeful that
something rnay happen to relieve him
OF the task. He does not believe in
capital punishment under any, circum-
stances, and the present circurn-
stances are such as would probably
operate to cure him If he entertained
any predictions in favor Of THAT cruel
method of the laws vindication. he
doesn't like the prominent part as
signed to him q little bit. and were
there any method by which he could
be excused, he would surely avail him
self Of 1t. 4,
fixed for Friday. April goth. Governor
Cummins has wholly refused to inter-
fere on his own part and has referred
the matter to the legislature. The in
tlications are that the legislature con-
siders itself sufficiently burdened with
its own troubles without assuming any
OF the executives, and that 1t will SIM
ply ignore the governors especial man
hesitation Of his confidence in his judy
ment. In that event, Governor Cum
minis will have to take the matter In
hand and oestow his clemency, or
6uSS6 8 uOSIIl Will tOCSul dl .AiS SAiAAS
and in the manner now scheduled.
ITO be prepared for the worst IN
case 1t must come, Sheriff Parrot has
recently been trying to ascertain what
an execution is like. The law re-
uuires that 1t shall occur at the peni-
Tertiary where the intended victim is
confined, but it quite vague except at
the one point of it's contamination, and
this apparently means that Bremen
county's sheriff must personally direct
all the work of preparation. That he
will receive no assistance from War
den Hunter is well assured. Hunter
Is annoyed beyond measure than an
execution on the prison premises must
be had, and as the law assigns him no
part in it, he is certain to offer none.
Realizing that he must bear the re-
sponsibility of the whole affair, II no.
thing intervenes to prevent 1t. Mr..
Parrot recently visited one Of the jail
keepers Of one of the principal cities
OF the country, where executions are
of quite frequent occurrence. Bremen
county's official has never seen a
hanging, even of the unauthorized kind
and while he apprehended that 1t was
not a task for novice to undertake to
direct without careful coaching, he
was not prepared to learn that 1t rank
ed as a science. The past master Of
the grewsome art, whom he sought,
and to whose presence he was able to
gain admission only after much diplo-
matte maneuvering, was at first 10th
to discuss the subject at all, but after
Mr.. Parrot had stated the difficulties
that were confronting him, he relented
and took his visitor into his workshop,
where all uhe paraphernaMa Of his pro-
fession were displayed. Locking the
door carefully behind them, the direc-
tor OF quarter of hundred execu-
tions, rnild-mannered, serious-faced
gentleman, proceeded to give all the in
formation that was solicited. and