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Show MKT DKATII 15I5AVKLY PETER M0RTENSEN EXECUTED FOR MURDER OF JAMES R. HAY. Protested His Innocence to the Last and Maintained His Wonderful Self-Control to the Last Moment. PefefMnrtenson. Hie convicted murderer mur-derer of hla nelnhhor, .Inrnea H. Hnr. wns onecutcd nt the Ct-ih atnfe prKon Friday niorntiig. about ion peri'ons bo-Ing bo-Ing present nt the execution. Morton-sen Morton-sen wns shot to denth. meeting his end while aented In a chnlr In a corner cor-ner of Hie pri on yard. Four bullets entered hla bmly, two piercing hla heart nnd two piiv.-!nit directly under It. Ills life wns snuffed nut tn itniHy, j and phy.li'lnna any bin death una absolutely ab-solutely p.-ilnloFS. Mortensen dbit n.ieio nnd proiete. hla Innocence to Hie In'-t. In a statement state-ment be prepared f,,r pre lenfitlnn to tho public through the preus. ho snld, among other thlnns: "To tho world I wnnt to any nnd awenr by the henvmin nbove. by thn onrlh benenth. nnd by nil thlnrrs I hold dear on this esrth. I nm not gullfy of thnt cowardly murder of my dearest friend! I ask. therefore, no mnn's pardon for aught thnt I may bavo dona In llfo." The condemned mnn's lout nlrht on earth was spent In cnlra and peaceful sleep, and hn nte a hearty breakfast on tho morning of Iho execution. MortnnBon did not osk for nor receive re-ceive Ihe services of n clergymnn on the day of tho execution. From his attitude tlio dny previous It wns expected ex-pected tbrit ho would' deslro spiritual comfort during bla lasf hours on earth, but hot onea did ho' oven sponlc ot such a thing. j Peter Morlet.snn, who wns exoeut-efl exoeut-efl for (he .murder of James n. Hay, wns horn In lilcbflold. Utah, .thlrtyr eight ymirs ago. Ills.cnrly ynara were , spent thnro and .when a young man, .he removed to Frovo.. It. was while -living nt Hint plane Unit he mnrrled a Miss Wiitldn .who is ttio mother of fve chlUlren. -. . - .1 Mortnnren lived for a time In Og-. don; and whll thorn enh-uged In th, Juhiher biamntw.' HO ow'iicd il snwtnill' m!nr thoro nt one limn, -which after wdrtl"Mns lle-itroyed by flro. It hns been elniinod since that ho burned tho mill-himself. Slnro moving In Salt I.nlin City Mor-tenr.en Mor-tenr.en hna resided moKt of the time In Forest Pnlo, and prior to his arrest f.r tho murder of liny wnspcorTsldoroit an upright and honorable cltiren. Ilo in suit! to hnvo been a man with a great determination and a strong will, nnd. would genernlly succeed In whatever what-ever he undertook. When ho wns arrested for murder on December 18, 1D0H, his wlfo left Mill nnd wont to Oiiden to rcsldo with her relntlvos. Mortonscn novor saw her since thnt lime. Tho rofunnl of Mra. Morlensen to hnvo nnythlng more to do with her httshnnd hns had a grout Influence on pulilla ecntlmoiiL The general belief Is that she took Ibis step bocausa sho wiiH convinced of bis guilt. The murder of James H. liny, wm committed on Iho nlKlit of December lfl, l'JOl, and Mortentien wns convicted convict-ed on Juno 14, 11)02. liny hnd gone to MorleiiKou's homo to collect a sum of money which Mortensen owod the Pacific Pa-cific I.umber coinpnny, for whom Hay was employed. Mortcnt.cn nnd Hay left the former's homo together, and tlio latter wns nnvor agnln soon nllvo. Ills body wuh discovered latnr, It having hav-ing been burled In n piiKturu. Tho ninn hnd been shot in tbo back of the head. Molto men wns charged with tho crime, mid- niter a hard !c;ul fli;llt. ban paid the penalty with hla llfo. |