Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-20
DIES ON sCAFFOLD
CONTINUED from Page one.)

Il
moved when a speedy verdict of guilty
of murder in the first degree was re-
| turned against him.
| Smiths trial and conviction was in
| Monroe county, but from the first ii
| was q foregone conclusion that the
| prisoner would hang. He apparently
didn't care how his case resulted. He
had suffered in Jail in the hot sumner
months, while waiting trial on the as
sault charge, he had then sworn to
revenge himself on the Cannadys, he
believed he had done so that he was
Square" with them and ready to take
whatever verdict he should receive.
| An illustration of the stole manner
| of the prisoner was his reluctance 10
! appeal to the supreme court. He was
sentenced in the district court to die
| on the gallows and it was only With
| the greatest difficulty and by use of
pleading and begging that the con-
| demned mans attorneys induced him
| to sign the papers for the appeal of his
case. He said he'd get at least life
imprisonment anyway and that he'd
rather be hanged. Finally. on the las.
| day allowed for filing an appeal. Smith
case went to the supreme court.
Here the verdict of the lower court
was affirmed. This was last fall, two
years after crime had been committed.
Smith. in the meantime. had been con-
fined in prison. Governor Cummirs
was reluctant to sign Smiths death
warrant, altho he was not ready to set
the Judgment of the court aside. He
therefore set the date of the execution
at April 90, 1906, (today), in order to
allow Smith to appeal to the legisa-
ture and to give that body time to In
vestigate and act on the case as it
saw fit. The legislature decided 1t had
no jurisdiction In the case and Gov
ernor Cummins allowed the execution
to take place as he had ordered las,
fall
During the period of his confinement
at Fort Madison, Smith had been a
good prisoner, in that he has never
made any trouble. He never requested
unreasonable attention, never COM
planned nor grumbled. Turnout his
imprisonment he has had the attention
of spiritual advisors of his own race
and chosen faith. His attitude on re-
ligious and spiritual subjects, however,
was the same as on other matters. He
didn't seem to realize or care what the
future held for him. He ate we'll,
slept we'll, spent his time reading or
talking TO an attendant or lying for
hours on his cot, doing nothing. In the
history of the Fort Madison peniten-
tiary, there never was another man
who gave less heed to his own case
than Joseph c. Smith.
Sheriff William Caldwell, OF, Monroe
county, who sprung the trap which
dropped Joseph c. Smith. the negro
murderer into eternity, did not show
the test, which would make most men
quiver-the task of taking a fellow
beings life according to the laws of
the state he serves.
Il am ready to cut the rope that
drops the trap under Smith," said
Sheriff Caldwell few days before
the execution, Il have no conscientious
scruples against it. He called wom-
an to the door of her home and with
the sole provocation that she, tried to
collect a board bill, murdered her. If
Smith does not hang we will have no
protection against crime in Monroe
county"
TO fill an unexpired term after the
death of a former sheriff in Monroe
county. the appointment was given to
William Caldwell, young farmer who
had lived south of Abba. almost at
the moment he took up the reins of Of
flee the task Of choking the life out
of human being devolved upon him.
Caldwell is 20 years old. He does
not look 25. beautiful Monroe coun-
nv girl is his wife. No talk OF the
duties of the officer of the law can ex-
Main away for her the fearfulness of
taking human life. She said short
time ago: .,
81 want my husband to do his duty.
81 do not want him to hang Smith.
sheriff Caldwell went to Fort Mad
icon some time ago and helped ward
an N N. Jones erect the old Prender-
o.st scaffold. The rope and cross arms
,,.ara tested and both found to be
..t,o,,g The rope was tested by tying
- q a weight equal to the weight OF
smith and then sprlnglng Tue ''ap
Arm and rope both STOOD tle Jai.
Other HaNSInSS us sS
rbo nenitentiary and executive Office
uoaords fail to show that moreI IMAM
49,, aaol executions were ever held IN
80 hefore. Several people nave oeeh
o,,aanoned to death, but with the ex-
oantion of two, the sentences nave peeh
ao,,,m,ted to life imprisonment l4e
49,, executions prior to the execution
. ~ we're of James O. Dooley and ).
u cumberland. Dooley was coiivioo7u
=, Adams county of murder ana eAe
tod at Fort Madison. Oct IL. 1881
c,,,,,,barland was convicted In Shelpy
a,,,+,- and executed at Fort Madsoh,
Feb. 8, 1895. ,,+od an
I,atb of these men were executed on
tho same gallows and Snltn pouay
sn from the same tree from whlch
49,, we're suspended more rhan ue.
.cade ago. An Interesting FEATURE %
S,,e execution today and also OF 'hose ..
noa,av and Cumberland, Is that tne
-.a,lows was built after the model Oh
~ gal,ows on which Prendergast, .he
80. -, Of Carter Harrison the elder
was executed. ror+
aison ever since, in anticipation OF
aa,,,nd for their use. Warden n. N.
tones has kept the MASSIVE hiaci.Ae
stored safely away. but get IL OUT 'e.
davs ago and had it put toge1her anu
nerfected for the execution thls i'oon
Take HOLSTERS Rocky Mountain Tea
.,..a ,,ontb Drives away spring tired