Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-12-28
The HiIlSboro Wife Murderer
Awaits Hangman'S Moose
In Death Cell.
SEEMS Indifferent
TO FATE AWAITING HIM
Without Any Display of Emotion He
Accepts the Sentence of the Court.
to Whom He Admitted His Guilt,
Bnt Regarded 1t Justifiable and
Thinks Sentence Over-Severe.

Just as cody and unconcernedly as
he took the arrest for the murder of
his wife, and afterwards his incarcer-
alton in the Hillsboro county Jail
and his conviction of the crime, John
D. Roselair, now takes his sentence
to death by the hangman's moose as
he awaits in his death cell at the
state penitentiary for the day set for
the execution to arrive, February IL.
Ro5elair was brought to this city
last night by Sheriff Hitchcock from
Hillsboro, and turned over to War
den Curtis, of the state penitentiary,
and was today confined to the death
cell, where he will remain until tho
time comes for the carrying out of
the death sentence.
History of Case.
Roselair is a farmer, and at the
time of the commission of the crime
of which he was convicted, resided
on a ranch near Hilsboro with his
wife, she being the third, the other
two having left him on account OF
his brutality. Their domestic life
was unpleasant and unhappy; quar-
Tels between them frequent and a
elimination came to this series of
quarrels, which, seemingly, had ex-
tended during their married life of
about a year, in the murder of his
wife. After the murder Roselair
came to the authorities in Hillsboro
and confessed to them that he was
guilty of the murder of his wife, and
surrendered himself up for trial.
Cream Cause of Murder.
At the time of the commission of
the murder Roselair was engaged in
eating his morning meal. Just what
transpired between him and his wife
that morning will probably never be
known, as there were no eyewitnesses
to the crime, but, according to the
confession of ROselair it was caused
by her refusal to provide him with
cream for his meal. When he OBJ
served that there was no cream on
the table, so his confession runs, he
requested her to provide him with it,
and she responded by dashing, or
threatening to DASH the contents of
the pitcher and also the pitcher in
his face. According to his confess
sion, Roselair picked up a large
butcher knife, and, as he raised his
hand to ward off the pitcher with the
cream, he stabbed his wife in the
neck and then afterwards, he said.
he killed her to put her out of her
misery. That is the story. But it
seems that the authorities unearthed
circumstances in connection with the
case which indicated that the wife
had been brutally murdered. and
without the slightest of provocat'on
ON her part; that Roselair had made
her do the work of a farm hand,
and that on the evening preceding
the tragedy she was too tired to milk
their COW, and that this explained
the absence of any cream on the
table the following morning, and
that this so angered Roselair that he
deliberately killed her by stabbing
her to death with a butcher knife.
Made Statement to Court.
When the jury empaneled to try
him for the murder a few days ago
returned a verdict of murder in the
first degree, Roselair accepted the
conviction without change Of coun-
tenanoe or sign of emotion. But af-
terwards, that night in his cell,
shrieked like a madman, and at mid
night, when his guard heard
humping in his cell, he discovered
Roselair endeavoring to butt his
brains out by beating his head
against inc nLG0l haAAo VI nAo NOAAs
It was believed then that he was
feigning insanity, and since that
time his behavior has been rational.
But he accepted his sentence yester-
day morning without any display OF
emotion. and when asked by the
court If he had any statement to
make why he should not be sentenced
he responded by admitting that he
was guilty of the crime. but that he
regarded IL as justifiable, and that
the sentence was oveT-severe.
Talks Freely.
When he arrived in the city last
night In company with Sheriff Hitch
cock he talked freely with the ON
GERS concerning the city, It's streets,
it's business houses; commenting up
on the width of the former and the
beauty OF architecture OF the latter,