The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-08-18

Last week a handsome young wom-
an in her early 30's arrived in Butte
and announced that she had come
there from California with the expec-
tation of seeing two men who MUIR
dered her husband die on the gall
lows. She is Mrs. Stephen J. Prem
att, and the men whose hanging she
expected to see are Steve Byrne and
Theodore C%hronopoulis, who shot her
husband to death at his home in
Butte December 8, 1919.
On hearing of her statement, how
ever, Sheriff Larry Duggan
ed that, excepting for IL witnesses
required by law, no one will witness
the executions of Byrne and his ac-
complete, unless the condemned men
request it. Otherwise, said the sher-
if, the executions will be private.
The murder of Prenatt occurred in
the early morning of December 8,
1919, when he was awakened at his
home, 1717 B street, by four men
who were presumably in search of
whisky they thought he had cached
in his house. Opening the loo at
the knocks of the %intruders, Prenatt
was rushed by three men. Shots were
fired and Mrs. Prenatt rushed for
help. In the melee two of Prenatt's
assailants were shot by him and the
former received mortal wounds. AS
Mrs. Prenatt ran to the yard she was
fired at three times by a man stand
ing on the porch.
SGT 1on,f urich IN ha ric,ndor
STOOD" Mrs. Prenatt said in discuss
ing the matter. II shall not seek to
be present. l am not callous. l have
the adherence of my sex for scenes
of violence. What 1 mean is this:
The crime which these men commit
ted against my husband and me was
so brutal, SO cold-blooded, so coward
ly and inhuman that l could
every feeling of revulsion and witness
their hanging without a tremor.
1T has been many months since
my husband was foully murdered.
The public has had time to forget.
That blessed relief can never come to
me. I see again before my eyes, my
husband opening the door, masked
men spring in Upon him. 1 hear
again the thud of the pistol butt as
LuCy OnldSLCu III LIS ohull. L utdI LuG
shots fired into his body as he lay
helpless on the floor. 1 live through
the scene of being locked out,
through the slamming of the Yale
lock front door, and crouching in my
nightgown IN my front porch while
Andrews fired his shots at me. /
heard, and still hear, the whistle of
his bullet past my breast as shrank
h OH Into tha 1Anrur1v I'D oop
still hear the brutal laugh accom-
panied by the words Well, I guess
we killed him. which the murderers
uttered as they left the house.
There is not a single circum-
stance of the killing hat would JUS
tify, excuse, or palliate the crime.
"Those men came to rob, and if
murder a citizen at his
home, and asleep in his own bed in
the dead of night, because they
thought he had some whisky in his
These people raised money all
over the nation to defend Chrome
poulis, according to the statements
made to me in San Francisco. l was
told they raised $4,000 back east.
Shortly after 1 arrived in Oakland
a man called on me. He said he
wanted the facts. People In
California, he said, had contributed
heavily to the defense of Chronopou-
When I gave him the facts be
said no more money would be forth
coming.
Shortly afterward a second man
came with the first to call on me. He
in to tell me what a good
fellow Chronopoulis had been in an
other state. l answered that no mat
ter how good he had been, he had
killed my husband. He suggested
hat Chronopoulis had merely come
with the others. 1 told him that
J~hronopoulis had fired some of the
that took my husbands life
II think these men should suffer
he death penalty. If they escape
he gallows it seems to me that no
should I'VE hang. No murder
be more brutal, more cowardly
n more wilful."
While reviewing the circumstances
If the killing, Mrs. Prenatt broke
and wept bitterly. She appear
ID to be nervous and historical as
he dwelt on the story of her nus
death.
In the meantime Byrne and Chron-
poulis are in the county Jail and ap-
,arently in the good spirits that have
their confinement; hopeful
hat the governor will commute their
entence to life Imprisonment. AS
he day of the execution draws neal
etitions in behalf of the condemned
len are being circulated.