The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-11-18
MURDERER PAYS
CRIME PENALTY
ON THE GALLONS
Calmly Walks to the scafold
and Awaits the Drop-Was
Depraved Criminal.

tor, the confessed murderer OF John
w. Christie. his wife and daughter.
Mildred Christie. and Michael Ronayne.
was hanged here this morning at 8
o'clock to meet the laws delnand. The
prisoner walked to the scarold in the
court house yard and calmly awaited
the placing of the moose about his
neck:e h just as the clock In the
court house tower struck the hour of
3 o'clock. he uttered the words: May
God forgive my sins and bless you
ALL" and shot down through the trap
to his death. The body was u down
at $40 o'clock. life having been pro-
nounced extinct several minutes be-
fore by the attending physicians.
The prisoner slept but little last
and smoking. but he showed no symp-
toms of nervousness, having slept
soundly most OF the day yesterday.
He ate a hearty breakfast this morn
Ing and was ready for the trip to the
scafold when the sheriff appeared n
read the death sentence to him. Vic
tor had admitted within the past few
days hat he was a member OF the Ger
man Evangelical church, but up to that
time 1t had not been supposed hat
he was afiliated with any religious Or
der; The parents Of the murderer a
sent money to a for his burial and
h main will be inferred here.
A crowd of people gathered as early
as $3.50 o'clock this morning to get
sight of the murderer as he passed to
n enclosure, and many climbed tele-
phone poles. where they could see the
hanging, but there vas no demonstra-
t1on of an kind except a few quiet
words of approval over the prompt ex-
ecution of h most depraved criminal
who has ever been harbored within
the state.
THE Murdsrer's Confession.
Depraved to the point of fiendish-
ness was h quadruple crime murder
for which Emil Victor today paid
cording to his own confession he went
to the farm Of John w. Christie near
Rudolph the night Of July 2 for the
purpose of robbery, 1t having been re-
ported that Christie, who was a grain
buyer for the Van Duzen Elevator
q considerable sum Of his company's
money to pay off checks.
Victor, In his confession, admitted
that he entered the barn at the Chris
tie home. struck h old man on the
head with a hammer as he sat milking
him turned about to find the little
Michael Ronayne boy watching him.
He shot the boy down and then ran
to the house, where he met Mrs. Chris
tie coming out. alarmed at the shots
in the barn. He shot her and drag
ging her body inside the house, shot
her again. The daughter came out Of
her bedroom in her nightdress. and
Victor fought with her for a few min
utes. when h girl, her clothes stripped
from her: gave up. and sat down on the
bed. telling the human field that he
might as well kill her ~ the others
were dead. Victor reloaded the re-
volver n shot the resistless girl
through, the head. He rified the house
but found only about s17 in money. q
revolver, a watch, a couple Of jack
knives and other small articles of con-
lily. N.sN = ~ lA''
He made his way across III fields to
Melette. a few miles south. hiding his
revolver, together with a revolver Of
Christie'is which he fourd in the house.
in a field, where they were found later
by the authorities upon information
which was secured from Victor by q
fellow prisoner. From Melette he went
to Worthwhile with two men. with whom
he was acquainted.
The three spent sometime in Melet-
te drinking before starting for North
vile, and were intoxicated when they
left. Victor at once went to the bar
ber shop OF hts arrival at the latter
town. and there he was arrested with
in a few minutes.
At his trial the crime was admitted,
the only evidence submitted for the
defendant being for the purpose Of
proving that he was a degenerate and
not entirely responsible for his act.
Victor was only Fl years old at the
time Of committing the crime.