Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-08-03
chose Method of

Squdre. constructed of new boards
behlnd the platform was a box-Eke
structure, five feet high and two feet
tnlck. This was filed with dirt. its
purpose being to catch the bullets
alter they have passed through the
prisoners body, to prevent their
glancing from the wall and endanger.
ing The lives of spectators.
Just opposite the death char
across the driveway, which. is 80
teet wide, is low brick building
ABOUT 100 feet long north and south,
used as the prison blacksmith shop.
Double doors opened on the driveway
lhese were pushed aside on tbe dav
OF the execution and a curtain OF
denlm hung in their place. At the
helght OF a mans shoulder Ave round
hoies had been cut at regular inter
Vals' and foot or so higher other
holes of irregular shape appeared
Behlnd this curtain were stationed
the eXecutioners. Their identity was
known only to the warden of the pen-
ltentlary, the Sheriff and few
trusted deputies.
A Wire at the north end of the
blacksmith shop, extending to the OBJ
posite wall, shut off the spectators.
Just outside of the wire were tables
and chairs for newspaper reporters.
Before the arms of the prisoner
were strapped to the chair with new
leather straps he shook hands all
around with the guards, but he could
not see whose hand he was shaking.
His ankles were then strapped to the
lower rounds of the chair.
"The time of the strapping seemed
interminable. After a final test OF
the straps to see that they were Sc
curely fastened, the officials retreated
to the chair and the blacksmith shop,
with its suggestive black holes.
"Mortensen's head alone was free.
1t was slightly inclined forward. He
could not see the curtained ambush
with its threatening black apertures.
Perhaps his strained hearing may
have caught the sound as the black
nosed rifes-five of them-were
pushed through the openings and lev
eled at the white piece of paper
pinned over the doomed mans heart.
The rifles had been loaded by the
Sheriff, four of them with a fatal bull
lets and the fifth with a blank car
fridge. The executioners did not
know which gun carried the blank
load, SO that none would know
whether or not he had helped carry
the death sentence into effect.
Blinded and helpness, the prisoner
must have awaited in awful suspense
the winged death. No one moved or
spoke. The Sheriff gave the firing
signal. A sudden crash came, accom-
panied by jets of flame from the rifle
muzzles. No smoke appeared, as
smokeless powder was used. A ply
stefan Fastening to the prisoners side
found that his pulse had ceased"
The second execution in Utah his
tory was, indeed, spectacular 1t was
that of John d. Lee, who YVES con-
nected with the famous Mountain
Meadow massacre, which is one or
the greatest blots on Utah's history
One hundred emigrants on their way
from the East to California, in 1857,
were murdered by Lee and his band
in Iron County, Utah. Only a few
children of the party were spared.
Lees band was composed of Indians,
and they were helped by Higbee's
battalion of the Nauvee Legion.
1t was 20 years after the deed was
committed before Lee suffered the
penalty for it. Then he was exc
cuted by shooting on the scene of the