The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-04-12
-FOUR GUNMEN MUST DIE
IN THE ELECTRIC CHAIR

given him by woman who said she
had been arrested and wanted to
reach Frank. REQ said he wanted to
tell the truth. All of the witnesses
declared they had not told their
for their lives if drawn into the case.
Justice Goff In his opinion, held the
testimony Of Witnesses Dresner, Bur
well, REQ and Kalmanson was worth
less and OF nineteen affdaits sub
mitted by the witnesses named
were not even worthy Of considers
ton.
''On the law and the facts the de-
PENDANTS have had fair trial and Z
jury of their fellow citizens has pro
nounced them guilty. Tho court OF
last resort has unanimously affirmed
the conviction. Appeal has been made
for executive clemeney and in these
last moments. a year and five mouths
after the conviction when tho
crime itself is almost forgot
ten and human sympathies are
deeply touched at the prospect OF
four humans paying the highest pen-
atty known to law, strenuous efforts
are made to arrest the judgment OF,
the law. Were these efforts directed
alone to human sympathy. there
would be but on answer. But they
are not directed to human sympathy.
They are directed to human law.
whose sole duty is to administer JUS
ttce and no matter how hard 1t may
seem to be, it nevertheless is justice
to deny the motion
Justice Goff laid great stress on the
fhct that each Of the witnesses intro
duced by the defense had waited until
the last minute to make known their
testimony.
"The impression produced upon my
mind,' he said, was most persuasive
OF disbelief in what they said" On
the testimony of Dresner, the Judge
said: THE only reason he assigned
his refusal to appear In the trial he-!
fore In that no was in fear of HIS lifs.
or whom he was AFRAID he doas net
state and his failure to come forward
as witness until the last hour Is not
given"
Goff expressed the opinion that
Dresner's testimony indicated 1t was
made to fit that OF Jack Rose in the
trial proper and he quoted from
Roses testimony In indicating similar
points.
OF BurwelI, the Justice said the
point on which his testimony rested
was his statement that none OF the
four defendants. pictures OF whom he
had seen, was the man he claimed he
saw shoot Gambler Rosenthal
Burwell never saw one of the four
defendants and the only knowledge
be has of them, was derived from
some pictures purporting to be the
defendants, in clippings from news
papers said the court 1T is unneces-
sary to dwell for a moment on the
utter insecurity OF such testimony as
tending to anything like accurate In
PRODUCTION.
Justice Goff discredited the evi-
dence OF other witnesses in similar
way
Discussing the failure of the wit-
nesses to give their testimony at an
earlier date Justice Goff said. III no
other circums stances existed but that
their silence and delay in coming for
ward until the last moment. noting the
great excitement. widespread newspa-
per comm ent and appeals has taken.
it would in itself be sufficient to
create doubts OF their truthfulness
and good faith The wives OF Lefty
Louis and Gyp the Blood and other
relatives Of the gunmen. waited in
the office Of former Judge Wahle.
counsel for the condemned man un-
til word of Justice Goff's decision was
received, The women became hys-
terical when Wahle told them s e last
hope was gone. From the first they
have believed the men would be
saved. When Lieutenant Becker was
granted a new trial. they were posi-
tive some action would be taken in the
other cases and with the decision to-
night they completely collapsed.
(Continued on page p