The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1907-05-21
rich HARVEST
FOR HANGMAN
TEN ARE UNDER SENTENCE OF.
DEATH.
Triple Execution Set for June ~ at
jefferson City, Mo.-Many Appeals
Made to Governor Folk to Exercise
Executive ciemeney.

Jefferson City, Mo, May 21-There
is rich harvest in store for the hang
man unless the governor exercises
executive clemency. There are ten
persons under the sentence of death.
The harvest was recently robbed of
two of its victims--Aggie Meyers and
Frank Hoffman, who killed the for
mer's husband. Their sentence has
been commuted to life Imprisonment,
while still two others for whom the
moose was practically adjusted have
temporarily escaped it because they
have been adjudged insane and are
in one Of the asylums.
These two are Martin Paulsgrove,
who was to have been hanged in De
Kalb county for the murder Of his
sweetheart in Andrew county, and
John NJ, Crane, who was to have been
hanged in Kansas City for killing his
wife
Aside from the four above mem
toned, there are ten persons who must
meet the hangman if the governor
does not interfere, the supreme court
in each instance having affirmed the
finding of the trial court. Dates have
been set for all these executions but
one, and this in the most celebrated
case of them aIl-that of 'I4ord1 F.
Seymour Darlington, whose case went
to the supreme court, where the writ
of error was denied. The mandate
from that court has not been received
however, and no time, therefore, has
been fixed for his death.
In three Of the cases the date fixed
for execution was April IS. One of
these is to be double execution, to
take place May IS, to which date the
governor granted a respite, This is
the case of John Brooks and Amaleck
Brooks, brothers, who killed John
Clements in a fight in Iron county,
The other is Tom Clay. a negro, who
killed another negro in a Columbia
saloon fight. Clay is also to hang
May is.
David Long, Pemiscot county
farmer who killed neighbor named
Still in a quarrel about hogs, has had
four different dates set for his exc
cution. The trial court first fixed it.
and pending appeal to the supreme
court it passed, and Long was still safe.
the verdict, for April is. Governor
Folk granted a respite until May IL,
and before that time rolled around
gave him another respite until June
49,
William Spaugh, jr, has been
granted so many respites that one
must look. back over the pages of the
records to find them all. The last
one expires June 25. With his brother
Arthur Spaugh, he was convicted of
the murder of Sheriff Polk of Iron
county. The case was heard in Rev
nolds county, where the brothers were
granted a severance. Arthur Spaugh
was sentenced to serve fifty-five years
in prison, and has been a prisoner for
months. William was convicted of
murder and sentenced to hang. Tn
granting some of the respites which
have been extended to him it was
necessary to send word to the Rey-
nolds county sheriff by special mes
sengers, and these more than once
were required to make a Paul Revere
ride to deliver their authority of re-
prieve in time to stop the execution
of the laws decree. The Spaugh
WiillG Jctll III lFOnlOH, were
attacked by a mob, which pretty thor
oughly shot UP the prisoners, who were
afterward taken to st. Louis for safety
and treatment.
-Four were added to the number of
the condemned in yesterdays supreme
court proceedings. One of these is
John King, ST. Louis negro, who
Killed his mistress, Hattie Douglass.
The others are Vaughan, Ryan and
Raymond, the convicts who4xilled two
officers at the penitentiary in an at
tempt to escape in November, 1905.
They have been twice convicted in the
trial court and twice in the supreme
court, and have abandoned all hopes
of clemeney. The date fixed for their
execution Is June 27, and should they
be hanged it will be the first triple
execution which has taken place in
this state in nearly half century.
Kings execution is fixed for the same
| date
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