Evening star., 1927-10-09


there.
Won Fight i'm Death.
BY his suicide. Scott finally won
his sensational fight to defeat the
courts of Illinois, which time and
again turned down his pleas of not
guilty and decreed that he must die
on the gallows.
Seven times was Scott in the
shadow of the gallows in the four
years since he is alleged to have slain
Maurer.
Scott's conviction followed closely
on his plea Of guilty to the murder
charge. A judge dragged from his
bed one night granted him a stay of
execution a few moments before he
was to have been hanged. All legal
meneuvers possible under Illinois law
were used to keep him from paying
the penalty. Large defense funds
and Scott's wife herself worked tire.
lessly in his behalf.
Awaiting New Trial.
A battery of lawyers and high
priced alienists were enlisted in the
fight to keep Scott from the garows.
He finally was declared insane and
sent to an asylum at Chester. Ill.
1t was not long before officials at
the institution concluded Scott was
in full possession Of his faculties and
should be returned to Jail. After he
had been placed again under the juris.
diction of Cook County and a jury
had found him sane, a date was set
for his execution.
Fate intervened again, however,
and the Supreme Court remanded the
case for a new trial.
1t was while in the jail waiting the
new trial that he ended his life.
Wife Aided Fight.
Mrs. Scott had called on Warden
Fogarty in the afternoon to inquire
about $25 money order sent Russell
by his father, Thomas Scott of De.
troit. 1t was" the largest sum the
father had ever sent the son, Jail Off
Gals said. The warden assured Mrs.
Scott the money order had been credit
ed to Russell.
''Scott did what the law ought to
have done long time ago. That is
all l have to say" remarked States
Attorney Robert E. Grove, when in.
formed of the suicide.
Mrs. Scott had been an indefa tigable
worker to gain her husbands freedom,
even going on hunger strike in De-
troit to enlist sympathy and obtain
more money for his defense.
Scott's early career was promising
and full of variety. An actor at 20,
he headed Canadian firm 10 years
later and was regarded as a million
aire. The firm had been organized
to construct a $50 900. 900 bridge over
the Detroit River. His personal for.
tune vanished when he was forced
out of the organization.
Brother Also Arrested.
He was arrested April 2, 1924, for
the Staying of Maurer, and his brother
was taken into custody many months
later for the same charge. The lat
ter Is now serving sentence in the
State penitentiary on his plea of
guilty to participation in the murder.
Robert denied he fired the fatal shot.
Robert, just before entering the pen.
ttentiary, changed his testimony and
accepted responsibility for Maurer's
death, but officials refused to credit
the confession.
He figured indirectly in one Of the
reprieves granted Russell, just few
hours before Russell was to have
been hanged July II, 1926. Gov. Len
Small granted a weeks reprieve after
receiving a telegram in which Robert
purported to accept responsibility for
the Staying. The telegram was found
to have been sent by Detroit tele.
graph operator.
Again the moose was prepared, but
four hours before Scott was to have
been hanged. his attorney won his
plea for a Sa0itV hearing
Business men and the mayor of
Windsor. Ontario, interceded in Rus.
sells behalf with President Coolidge,
and Detroit clubwomen raised a huge
defense fund.
Scott wrote almost a dozen books
during the time he was in prison
and Jail.