The Alaska daily empire., 1921-04-16
SECURA PAINTS ON SCAFFOLD AT
 FAIRBANKS, AIS.
Alaskan Murderer Pays Su-
 preme Penalty for Crime : After Many Reprieves.
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made by attorneyR interested Tn the case by relatives of the murderer, residing in the states to have a fifth respite granted so that the ease might be carried before the new Attorney General of the United States in the incoming Harding ad, ministratIou. Il
 Homer Bird convicted of killing on September 27, 1898, one J. II. Hurlin about 25 miles above Anvik . on the Yukon River, was the first man to be sentenced to death in Al aska. but his execution was in point of time second, being preceded by that of Fred Hardy. The latter was convicted on September 10, 1901, of killing Con- Sullivan on Unimak Is- land and sentenced to be hanged. He also sued out a Writ of Error and on appeal the judgment of the ttial court was affirmed, Hardy's sentence being carried at Nome on September 19, 1902. .Birdsi appeal likewise was futile and he also paid the supreme penalty at Sitka on March 6, 1903
 Perovich Wins Lenicncy
 The third man sentenced to be hanged was Vnko Perovich, who killed Jacob Jacon in a, gambling house in Fairbanks in the Spring of 1905 He was convicted in August, 1905, and the verdict read that he "was guilty of murder in the first degree and that he suffer death" A Writ of Error was taken out al i most immediately but through de , lays it was not until March II, 1907 | that the Supreme Court affirmed the | judgment of the trial court. The | date of execution was set for Febru | ary l, 1908 and everything was in l readiness for it when, on January | 29. 1908, q respite until March 6 was granted him by President Roosevelt | pending a further appeal on certain technical grounds. On March ,. Judge Reed issued stay of execu 1 ton pending the decision of the Ap- l pelIate Court on the point raised. | Everything was again in readiness for the execution. March 31, 1909 the mandate of the Appellate Court was received affirming the lower courts decision On May 6 tof the same year, President Taft 'cqnmutted Perovitch's sentence to life impris onment. Y
 Others Are Commuted
 How, the Jap, was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sen I, t1,a lari of Frank Dunn or July Ii. 1912 in this city. Though this case was ta ken to the, Supreme Court it was dismissed on May II, 1914, for want of jurisdiction. Thereupon a Writ of Error was taken to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and on May 10, 1915, the judgment of the lower court was affirmed ltow's sentence was commuted to life Imprisonment by President Wilson.
 Edward Krause after having been tried in the local U. s. District Court for a series of criminal offens- es and sentenced to serve some fifty years in the pentientiary, was triel for the murder of Captain Plunkett ! Several other killings were laid al his door He was found guilty as charged and sentenced to be hanged While awaiting execution in the local Federal jail, he made his escape and in being captured was, on the 18th day of Ap,ii, 1917, shot and killed by Arvid Tranzen.
 Dempsey Also Escaped
 William Dempsey. alias William Stewart, alias William Cummings. | alias Jack Smith, alias Jack Mich l ols, but whose true name is William Dempski was tried at Valdez last winter for the murder of Isaac Ev- ans. the Deputy Uunited States Mar shal at Seward and for the murder of Margaret Lavor, a woman of the underworld at Anchorage. For these crimes Dempsey was twice indicted ! twice tried, twice found guilty of murder in the first degree, and twice sentenced to be hanged The execu- tion was to take place on February 20, 1920. Wrts of Error were sued out to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals but before q transcript of the testimony was made Dempsey sentences were commuted to life inl- prisonment
 No reason for committing the sentence has ever been given and the wherefore of it remains unknown Every official connected with the case the trial judge, Pardon Attorl ney and the Department of Justice al opposed executive clemency.
 The then President Wilson last May, commuted his setnence to life Imprisonment. It is thought that Dempseys youth may have appealed