Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-29

} tice on the trail OF Henry Miller. alias
Henry John Z0rn, formerly Of the In
stltutton- Miller Was traced through q
suitcase TO the Twin Cities where he
was unprecedented and brought back
Tor trial and convicted of murder in
the first degree.
he had entered the industrial school
office, with which he was familiar,
with the intention of robbing it, Jones
stepped into the room and turned on
the light Knowing he was recognized,
Zorn shot Jones down and escaped.
Following his conviction Miller was
the subject of wide interest throughout
the state because OF appeals made In
I his behalf
In the fall Of 1884 preparations were
made for his execution. The scaffold
was brought secretly from Rosebud
county and erected just south of the
Miles City airport north of the Yellow
stone. Invitations had been sent to all
peace officers in the state to attend
and many were on their way to Miles
City when Governor CoOney issued a
reprieve. So the scaffold went back
to Forsyth
In theh spring Of 1885 after another
hearing, zorn again received the death
sentence and on March II when dawn
was grazing the sky in the east, zorn
was dropped through the trap OF the
same scaffold, erected this time in the
county Jail. zorn merely walked 10
PAGES from his second tier cell door
to the trap and was dropped through
to his death in the presence Of some
so peace officers and witnesses.
The last man to meet death on the
Rosebud county gallows was George |
Criner, negro, who came to Miles City
negress, and crazed by drink on the I
night OF Aug. z, 1885, went berserk /
and proceeded to beat her with an iron
poker and slash her innumerable times
with a knife. Veteran Police Officer I
James Fraser. accompanied by Chief of T
Police Joseph Sullivan. the latter off
duty and unarmed, went to answer a
call that man was beating his wife"
at 800 South Fourth street.
AS the two men started to enter the
house they were met by Criner, who
WreStled F'raSerS gun from him, shot
him fatally and seriously wounded
Chief Sullivan who ran to a nearby
house and telephoned for help. The
call was answered by Sheriff Edgar
fired rifle bullet into the air and
brought Criner out of the house to be
arrested.
Criner was rushed at once for safe
keeping to the Yellowstone county jail
3t Billings where he remained except
Tor his hearing at which he pleaded
guilty of first degree murder and when
he was brought back to Miles City for
MS execution on the morning of Oct.
Is, 1885. The negro accepted his fate
very calmly and told the assembled
officers and witnesses as he stood on
he trap that he was sorry for what /
le had done but that he had made his
)eace with God and was ready to go.
few minutes later he was pronounced
lead.
RObideau Is Last
Frank Robideau, Latin-A American
ancher and laborer from New York
tate originally, while awaiting his exc
ution at Columbus, sat patiently in a
ell in the Yellowstone county Jail at
'illings. After he had tried to confuse
Ulcers into thinking Mr.. and Mrs
Eike Kuntz had been murdered and
heir son, Larry, aged five, had been
ably beaten by pair Of hitchhikerS,
e confessed to the crime and said it
as the outgrowth of an argument
YER some wheat stored in the Wheat
asin elevator operated by Mr.. Kuntz
le asserted he and Kuntz were going
ut to duel it out with guns, but Of
GERS discredited his tale.
Robideaur after his sentence of
cath, also confessed that he and his
rother had murdered man in New
ork state in 1920 over some money
nd that he had hidden out in the
est since that time, save for one trip
ack to the scene of the crime where
e thought he was recognized and =