Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1910-10-13
Rudolph Wetter Asks for Par
don from Prison
KILLED IDAHO COUNTY MEN
Sentenced to be HunR-Com-
muted to Life Imprisonment.

larlles IN TINS city have received
letters from a Boise attorney who has
been employed by Rudolph Wetter,
now confined III the state penitentiary
to secure him a pardon, asking them
to write letters to the pardon board.
endorsing his application for a pardon.
rudolph Wetter is as cold blooded a
murderer as was ever confined within
the walls Of the Idaho ~penitentiary.
About five years ago without any
provocation whatever, while l.. ID.
VAIN, well known in this city, and
Chris Long, a miner, when i'll in bed,
he shot them to death. He also shot
Longs son, a boy abous fifteen years
of age, in the leg and fired several
shots at another man named Clare,
who escaped without being struck by
the murderer.
When VAIN was killed, he was
sitting by his camp fire, smoking, it
being a short time after dark, and
shortly after he had eaten his supper.
Wetter crawled through the brush
until he was within n few feet
of him when he rose to his feet and
placing a rifle against Waln's head
blew his brains out. He then went
into the cabin where Long was lying
in his bunk too i'll to get up. and fired
three bullets into his body, and then
using his rifle as a club beat his head
to a jelly. Before going into the ca
bin, he shot Longs boy, who was
sitting near the fire with VAIN, the
bullet striking him in the leg; he then
fired at Clare, another man who vas
near the fire, but missed him, and he
escaped. The Long boy escaped into
the brush and lay out all night, UNI
able to walk, and was found next day
almost dead, and was confined in a
hospital for two or three months before
he was able to walk.
The men were placer mining neal
Resort, between the Lakes and War
rem. Wetter, who was of a quarrel
some disposition, and who had made
frequent threats that he would kill
some person whom he disliked, owned
some ground neal where VAIN and
Long were working. He and Long
had some words over the ground, but
Wetter and Vain had never had any
trouble whatever.
Wetter was arrested next morning
with his rifle still in his hand, and
taken to Grangevill,e the crime hay
ing been committed in Idaho county
and tried for the murder Of Long.
lie was convicted and sentenced to be
hanged. His sentence was postponed
and he was taken I o the p~enitentiary
ank another date set for the hanging.
This was at the time the Moyer-Hay-
wood trial was on. The notorious
Harry Orchard, the self confessed
murderer Of Ex-Governor Steunen-
burg, was the principle witness for the
state. While in the .penitentiary, he
became intimate with Wetter and
made a request of Governor Gooding
that Wetter's sentence be committed
to imprisonment for life. In order to
strengthen the request, a number of
afiidavits we're filed in the office Of the
secretary of state citing hal Long
and Vain were desperate characters,
claim Jumpers, and ex-road agents,
On the strength of these affidavits.
Governor Gooding committed Wetter.
A number Of the parties whose names
J were signed to the affidavits, men who
were never acquainted with Vain,
when questioned as to why they made
such affidavits of a man of whom
T they knew nothing, denied all knowl-
. edge of them, and stated they never
) signed the afidavits. Copies have
, been taken of the affidavits as they
appear ON the records of the secretary
of states office, and are being preserv-
ed.
Wetter was never tried for murder
of Vain, and if he is released by the
pardon board, he will be Immediately
arrested and tried for the other cold
blooded murder. A number of the
persons who were in the immediate
neighborhood of where the murder
was committed are where they can be
!, readily found, and Wetter would
simply get another conviction, and
get what he SO richly deserves, to be
hanged. The parties to whom letters
) have been sent in this county, will
!, take no notice of the request of his
attorney.-Weise Signal.