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Story: Stephen Dee Richards - Non-Fiction
*This is a real event that happened.
Stephen Dee Richards, who was hanged on the 26th
day of April 1879, at Minden, Nebraska, for the murder of Peter Anderson, was born in the state of Ohio, and came West in 1876, in search of adventure.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: The Confession
Part 3: Second Confession
Part 4: A History of His Killings and Crimes
Part 5: The Execution
Part 3: The Second Confession
Some weeks before the day set for execution, Richards
showed signs of weakening. A feeling of remorse
was apparent in his action, though he steadily
denied this in his talk. On the last Sunday he spent
on earth the writer visited him at the State Prison,
near Lincoln, and there read to him the confession
made in January, as given in the preceding pages.
The only objection he had to it, was the great detail
of the butchering of the Harlson family. He did not
deny, and could not, as he had told Deputy Warden
Nobes a story concerning the terrible affair identical
with that now published. There can be no doubt as
to its truthfulness, and his attempt to palliate the
awful crime, by bringing in other parties is but the
poor excuse of a conscience-stricken murderer, about
to meet his God. When those parts were read to him,
relating the details of the murders committed, his
countenance would light up with fiendish joy. As to
the time (thirty minutes) required to butcher and bury
the Harlson family, he said, " I can put people on
their heads as fast as any other man, but it would require
too lively jumping round to do all that work in
half an hour."
The second confession was given the writer on his
last visit to him (Sunday, April 20), and is here printed
without change of phraseology, the only alteration
from the original manuscript being the proper spelling
of words.
I have just a few words to say, not on my own behalf,
but for my friends and relatives. I am known
to a wide space of the public, better perhaps, as the
Nebraska desperado or butcher, than any other name.
So mote it be, but I know myself better than any
other man can tell to the public.
I shall not endeavor to give you a full history of all
my life at this late day, but will go back to where 1
was arrested, and give a few particulars, and will say
a word in regard to the Harlson family and Anderson,
but will not give the full particulars of the Harlson
family, for I have taken an oath that I would never divulge the secret of the whole affair while I
lived.
It has been stated many times before, but as others
thought it was—not as I knowr it was. As I have
said before, and which is true, between myself and
God, that I had bought her right of the place, and
had paid $350 down—$180 of it some time before I
took possession. The agreement first was, that I was
to pay six hundred dollars for the place, and she would
give me a deed for it; but when she was told four
hundred dollars was too little for her place, with the
improvements that were on it, she wTanted another
hundred dollars. Then I had to give her more or lose
the $180 that I had already paid. I then gave five
hundred dollars, and would leave what grain she had,
her farming implements, forty turkeys, and what
chickens she had, and she would give me one year to
pay $150.
The papers were written out, and everything was
satisfactory to both parties, and I was to take possession
on the 10th of November, and was there nearly
two weeks in the last of October, and from that on
until I was to take possession. On the last day of
October, or about that time, a man by the name of
Brown came there. I had seen him a few times before.
Brown was an assumed name. [Richards told
Deputy Warden Nobes the true name of Brown was
Grillis.
—
Ed.] And on the second day of November,
during the afternoon, a man came who was one of
Brown's friends. I was introduced to him, and everything
passed off pleasantly until about nine o'clock
in the evening, when Brown and his comrade were somewhat intoxicated, and we were all in conversation
about one thing and another, till Brown's partner,
as he called him, called me a d—d s—n of a b—h,
when I knocked him down, and would of given him
something of a thrashing, when Brown interfered,
and, pulling his pistol, said if I hit him again he
would shoot. Then Mrs. Harlson interfered, and everything
quieted down, when Brown said " somebodyhad
to leave there, and if she wanted me, the d—
d
brute, around there, why, he would not stay there;"
when Mrs. Harlson said, " For the Lord's sake not
to have any trouble, for they would leave in the morning,
and, whatever we done, not to do any shooting,
for it would rouse the neighbors." We were all up
but the children until between two and four o'clock
on the morning of the 3d of November, when during
those hours things were in a continual uproar. I was
at the time, I think, the most conscious one of the
outfit, as Brown and his partner were under the influence
of liquor, and I know things were warm for a
while. There were nine shots fired during the two
hours, and I fired four of them, and would have fired
more if 1 had had them; but I had nothing but a
small pocket pistol, five-shot, and only four loads in it.
This was on the morning that Mrs. Harlson was
killed, but I never said that I done it all, nor never
will say just all I know about it. What I said when
I was arrested in Jefferson County, Ohio, was to one
of my old schoolmates, who came in and asked what
.they had me charged with. I answer.ed him in a
joking-like way, ancf said: " With the killing of two
or three whole families, I guess."
Then 1 told trim how Anderson and I came together.
I said that a Swede and I had come together
in a fist-knock, and I did knock Anderson down with
my fist twice, and had not thought of killing him at
any time.
When I knocked him down the second time, I said
to him: "Pete, you had better let up on this job,
when he remarked, " I'll be d—d if I will." Says I,
" Pete, I don't want to hurt you." " I will die before
I will give up," said he.
He then made a step across the room, as though he
was after an axe, which sat a few feet from him, when
I turned about half around, and saw a hammer laying
on the window sill, close by where I was standing. I
struck him once, knocked him down; spoke to him
afterward, and he answered me in a kind of muttering
tone. Some of wharhe said I understood, and
will remember while I live; and while he lay there I
heard a wagon drive up. Looking out under a window
curtain, I saw it to be one of the neighbors. I
crossed the room on tiptoe, locked the front door, the
only one of the house, and sat down andj^watched
Pete. He was breathing very hard. The neighbor
knocked, but I did not go to the door. He walked
all around the buildings, and called Pete several
times. I watched him drive away, and thought to
myself, " Have I killed Pete?" and thought^what I
would do with him. I went out and hitched up the
team to go to my own place, as Pete and I were both
going down that afternoon, when I looked across the
prairie and saw several men coming in a wagon, as
though they were coming to Pete's place. Then the thought was to hide Pete somewhere. I went to the
house, and then went down cellar, and thought that
the best place I saw to put him. He was yet breathing
very hard, and I said to myself he will never live
to get well, but I don't want to hit him again only to
keep him from being heard till I get away. I carried
him to the cellar, where I hit him twice more,
for I did not want to cover him alive, nor leave him
laying on the floor. I covered him under a pile of
coal in the cellar.
The parties then were within a few rods of the house.
I got in the wagon to drive away, when one of the men
who had a shot- gun beckoned me to stop. I waited
until he rode up and told me what he wanted. I asked
him what he took me for? He said something was
wrong, and he wanted to see Pete. I thought what to
tell him and would tell a lie to keep from being caught
right there. He asked me to turn around, which I did,
and told them that I would unhitch if they said so, till
they saw Pete. They thought it best that I should
unhitch, and while unhitching one of them asked me
for the key to the house, and I handed it to him. They
all went in and I thought if I ever got away now was
my time. I mounted on a horse and left. I went to
my own place, washed and changed my clothes, and
started for Red Cloud, about 65 miles southeast ofmy
place. This was on Monday the 9th of December,
1878, and was about 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon
when I started for Red Cloud, on the Republican River.
I made two stops on my way, first at Bloomington,
next at Riverton, and got to Red Cloud about
half past three o'clock in the morning. Took the train
from there to Hastings. I stayed there from Tuesday
morning till Friday, then started East for Ohio to see
my folks. I was expecting to be arrested at any time.
I carried a pair of six shooters in readiness from the
time I left Hastings, Nebraska, till I got to Wheeling,
W. Ya.
Stephen D. Richards.
We hereby certify that the foregoing confessions of
S. D. Richards were made in our presence at the Nebraska
State Penitentiary, and that none others have
been made by him while in custody here.
H. C. Dawson, Warden.
0. J. Nobes. Dep'y Warden.
Lincoln, Neb., April 25, 1879.
Next Part: A History of His Crimes