The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-07-02
DEATH SENTENCE
TAKEN STOICALLY
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1OACA1Ll |
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cary u, which action was automatic
ally stayed pending action Of the su-
rycme court on his appeal.
no show of interest in the proceed
ings displayed itself beneath the jail
pallor Of his countenance, and al
though his lips moved perceptibly
after the naming of the fatal date. he
uttered no sound, and turning at a
signal from Sheriff Smith after the
Judge had said that is ALL" walked
down the almost vacant isle in the
courtroom and back to the death cell
in the jail in custody of the official.
Reaching his cell he said to the taller,
Roscoe Holland, who will be his day
watch for part of the time until the
execution, We'll, you won't have to
bother with me,Or feed me, after July
IS" Both a day and a night watch
: has been set over the condemned man
and every human effort will be made
in the local pail to prevent his escape,
suicide. OF other miscarriage of justice.
The crime for which Danner is to
pay the extreme penalty was COM
mitted November IA, 1920, at a camp
ing spot about one hundred feet from,
and within plain sight of; the Yellow
stone Trail, the main public east-and-
west highway in Gallatin county. Ac-
cording to a confession made June 8,
1923, about % months after the actual
5 commission Of the crime, by his wife
: Bertha Danner, who was also his
: stepdaughter and his cousin, Dannel
had walked up behind John SprOuse
his travelling companion, and shot the
top of his head off with a shot gun
D Coming back TO the camp alone, anc
: fearing that Mrs. Sprouse would re
o port her husbands disappearance anc
5 cause an investigation which cOulc
y not but result in the finding of nj
body and banners connection wit
the crime, he struck Mrs. SprOuse o.
the head from behind with a SINAI
) camp axe, telling her with the frs
, blow, and fracturing her skull wit
the second. Both blows were plainl
s. d~escernible when the skull, which ha
been preserved by Coroner E. W. Han
land TO be used as evidence, were eN
IS hibited in court during the course G
9 the trial.
L. Calling to his wife, whom he had b
a this time cowed into abject subml'
lie sion through threats of a slmlla
humping off" as the Indian had r.
ferred to such violent deaths, she pr'
e. duced a "whang" string, a long pie'
of thin rawhide thong, which NJ
IS husband then wound securely arour
the throat of his innocent victim
n order to stife the thrOaty death gu
giles which he feared would be hea'
from the road in the dusk of the eV
We ming. 1t will be remembered that
the trial no particular stress was p
ey by the prosecution on the Fact Tn
Mrs. Sprouse was about to become
ar mother at tn etime of her murder.
Danner's third killing of the q
was that of Sprouse's dog, which pr
sisted in whining and barking for !
missing masters. Danner dispatch
nee the canine also with the hand a.
the after which he commanded his wife
on, assist him in cleaning out a shall
depression filed with muddy seeps
water only a few feet from IN
te' tents. and into which he threw
IA three bodies and covered them W
N stones, dirt and large dead brancl
us. Of trees.
,ht. One of the interesting illogical +
to lures of the case was the dlsg
shown toward Danner by his own q
which, after the commission OIL
was double murder, avoided his lott
ond master and, on the morning Oh
has following day, went to Mrs. Dan
of and each of their children, ana al
va rubbing his nose against their KIN
d a walked slowly and with accu'
Vyo. downcast head out onto the road
left the camp never to return.
" a was found later, however, at the %
who of a rancher near Belgrade, Wnere
on was allowed TO remain.
eek, Credit for the accumulation