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Pern '■diotuell a Comict it the Pen!- -tentiaij Escapes. Impnson- -uient Through the Doois ,ot Deatlu■ -I.About ^ 4) vesteiday morning Perry Shotwell aeouviel at the pern eutiarv) was luund hi his cell dead with bis thiOHt cut so that the wind pi] e and car otid nrteiv wete completely severed febotwell ha I been complaining a day ; or twooi not leehug well A skoit tune beforene committal the deed be went to the b irnass shop aad asked lot a kniie a lequest winch was r iused He then went to the stable where bis regular woik w is when he was well surd got a kmle sa\ mg that be was going to niaho pit tine ti imes Upon returning to his cell with his kniie heevidently stood up betore the glass and sti king the knile to the In t m bis neck just below the ear drew it around until the windpipe and artenes were seveied The blood spurted out upon the glass shown g that the arteries must have beeu mstintly and completely severed He lay down upon his cot stretching his b mds at bis sides lhe physicians say that he must havedied within two mmutes alter he u^ed the knife Perry Skotwell, whose liie bis come to so ead an end partly through bis own weakness and partly through a combi uRtion of misfortunes was wed known m this city and county He has a nail brother J E febotwell In i i„ id tWi ti cumy ol Waverlv and another, Conr 11 m i rontier county He had bIbo two own brothers Jaaner and Joseph in Ohio, neai Clncinnau Ho was strictly I rought up by his father who was a Baptist preacher, and he was moderately well educated having taught school lor i time in Illinois He married m Ilh nois niter which be moved to Texas whence be moved to this county When he first came here bewoiked lor his biotbei J E on the farm some time Ho then came to tow u and worked with his team It was about this time that he iirst got mto bad company with the result that he became mlatuated with another woman sent bis wile east on a visit and subse i\ entiv procured a divorce Irom her He then went to Omaha wheie be pro cured a position a3 porter in the Occi dental hotel where it was that he com nutted the deed that biought him to the penitentiary Ono day m March JfeM a urunken butcbei came into the hotel and was ordered out bv bkotwell He went out but staid on the outside using Jool aid abus ve language fetntwall huaily went out wheu he was attacked by the butc hei He 'ot away and letieated but his assiil aut followed him and got him down He wbs a much larger man tl in Skoiweil and the latter imal ly diev his guu and shot his antagonist killing him He was tried anl sentence I to seven ; yeais imprisonment in the penitentiary wbeiehe was taken April b ls$. lhere was mu k dillereuce oi opinion m re card to the justi e of thesenteuee uaanv who were i imilmr with tiie eircum stance.? maiutamiUn that the shooting came cleaily wltlunthe lnut of self defenseHe had male all the 'good time possible »s he was a goad prisoner and had only two years, three mouths and h\e days yet to serve His brother states that he always had a great fear oi death, and he cannot understand how be worked himself up totkepomt of tak mg his own life It is probable that his physical Indisposition set him to brood ing over his present cult; itinstances arid future piospects and that bis relleaious were so uloomy as to drive bun to sui eideThe remains will be taken possession of bv Mr i L Shotwell and taken to Waverh ior burialrr mm w? i, r L T U l 1J III V
Newspaper Details
Lincoln Daily Nebraska State Journal
Lincoln, Nebraska, US
Sat, Aug 08, 1885
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Luann G.
04 Apr 2025
Other Publications Near Lincoln, Nebraska
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