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Fred Hardy, a.k.a. Fred Watkyns
| September 3, 1901 |
Anaconda Standard
(Anaconda, MT) |
page 2 |
|
IS INDICTED FOR
MURDER
Hardy Alleged
to Have Killed Con and Florence Sullivan
EVIDENCE
AGAINST HIM
Watch and Other
Articles Tending to Connect Him With the Crime Found by
the Officerrs -- Is Probably Now on Trial. |
| Special
Dispatch to the Standard
Seattle, Wash, Sept. 2.-- Fred Hardy, who was recently
arrested in Alaska on the charge of assassinating Con
and Florence Sullivan of Butte and P. J. Rooney of
Seattle; on Unimak Island is probably now on trial at
Unalaska. The special grand jury taken from Nome
brought in and indictment of murder in the first degree
against Hardy before Judge Wickersham. The trial
was set for Aug. 28. Hardy claims to be a nephew
of John Wannamaker of Philadelphia, ex-postmaster
general of the United States, and declares that he
served with the 10th Pennsylvania volunteers in the
Philippine Islands, entering as a private and rising to
be first lieutenant in his company. He afterwards,
so he claims, enlisted in the 11th cavalry.
News of the indictment was
brought on the steamer Santa Ana. Hardy also
states that when he was mustered out at San Francisco
last year he had $1,100 in his possession
Commissioner Whipple, before whom he had his preliminary
hearing, it is reported, declares that he had only $585
on him when arrested. Hardy says he had $685 left
of the original $1,100 at that time and accuses the
commissioner of holding out $100. According to
advices the grand jury, before it returns to Nome, will
make an investigation of this phase of the case.
Hardy, who is 25 years of age,
pleaded not guilty to the charge made against him.
His career on the island has been traced down by Deputy
Marshal Sullivan and other officers. In addition
to the testimony of Owen Jackson, the survivor of the
Sullivan party, which has already been published strong
evidence was collected against the young man. In
company with a man named Williams he deserted from the
schooner Arago in Unimak by. The two men
went to some fisher folk and endeavored to secure the
loan of a dory. It seems that at this time they
parted. Williams was successful in getting a boat,
but the party did not have money to make the deposit
which was demanded. He then, it is believed,
crossed the island to the east side of Cape Lapin and
there shot down the three men. He stood on a high
bank above them, it is alleged and opened fire.
This was on June 7. He then returned to the bay,
made a deposit with the fishermen, secured the dory and
rode around by False pass to the northeast corner of the
island, where he gambled with fishermen. There he
stopped in a cabin belonging to two men named Roseburg
and Scott, both of whom were held as witnesses against
him. It was at this place that he was arrested.
When Hardy heard that officers
were after him he tied up, it is claimed, a gold watch,
a diamond pin and a few other pieces of jewelry and hid
them. They were found by Deputy Marshal Sullivan.
The watch bore the inscription "Julius to Florence" the
latter being the first name of one of the Sullivans.
It is also alleged that Hardy murdered his former
partner, Williams. The latter completely
disappeared after he hired the dory. When Hardy
was arrested a gun and a pair of scissors belonging to
Williams were found in his possession.
Hardy parts his hair in the
middle, has large ears, small brown eyes, large nose,
high cheekbones, full face, smooth shaves and has a
habit of keeping his mouth slightly open. |
| Wednesday, October
16, 1901 |
Daily Alaska
Dispatch, Juneau |
page 4 |
|
Wanamaker's
Nephew
Murder Harting
Has Some Wealthy Eastern Connections |
| Fred
Hardy of Philadelphia, who says he is a nephew of John
Wanamaker, has been found guilty of murdering three
prospectors on Unimak Island last June and has been
sentenced by Judge Wickersham to be hanged at Nome on
Dec. 6. Hardy was tried at a special session of
court held at Unalaska and convicted by a strong chain
of circumstantial evidence, strengthened by the
testimony of David Jackson, partners of the murdered
men, who was himself shot by Hardy and barely escaped
with his life. Hardy is 26
years old and served in the Philippine war as private in
the Tennessee regiment. He frequently broke army
discipline and served in the military prison in
California after his return. During trial he was
wholly indifferent, joking and laughing after the jury
brought in a verdict of guilty. |
| Monday, November 18,
1901 |
Grand Rapids
Press, Grand Rapids, MI |
page 7 |
|
DOUBLE FUNERAL
HELD
Of the Two Men
Who Were Murdered in Alaska. |
| The
funeral of Con Sullivan and Florence Sullivan who were
murdered on Unimak island, off the coast of Alaska, last
June by Fred Hardy, was held this morning at 9 o'clock
from St. James' church, and the interment was in St.
Andrew's cemetery. The remains of the two men were
received here at 5 o'clock Saturday afternoon, and
reposed at O'Brien's undertaking room until this
morning. The funeral was a very large one, and the
unusual spectacle of two hearses attracted no little
attention to the long cavalcade that followed.
David Blake of Tacoma and Jeremiah Sullivan of Butte,
Mont., relatives, who accompanied the remains to this
city, are the guests of Daniel Lynch. |
| Thursday, December
5, 1901 |
Anaconda Standard,
Anaconda, MT |
page 4 |
|
WILL BE HANGED
TO-MORROW
FRED HARDY,
MURDERER OF SULLIVAN BROTHERS, TO DIE.
Execution Will
Take Place at Nome. Condemned Man Claims to Be a
Nephew of John Wanamaker of Philadelphia - Indifferent
to Fate. |
| Word
has been received in Anaconda tht Fred Hardy, condemned
to death for the murder of Con and Florence Sullivan of
Butte on Unimak island, Alaska, on June 7, will be
hanged to-morrow at Nome. Hardy, in the course of
his trial, asserted he was from Philadelphia and that he
was a nephew of John Wanamaker. His crime was the
murder of Con and Florence Sullivan, brothers, of Butte,
and P. J. Rooney of Seattle. Hardy was tried at a
special session of court held at Unalaska and convicted
by a strong chain of circumstantial evidence,
strengthened by the testimony of David Jackson, a
partner of the murdered men, who was himself shot by
Hardy and barely escaped with his life.
Hardy is 26 years old, and served in
the Philippine war as a private in a Tennessee regiment.
He frequently infringed army discipline and served in
the military prison in California after his return.
At that prison he was known as "Diamond Dick," so named
for his propensity for reading dime novels. During
his trial at Nome he appeared wholly indifferent to his
fate, joking and laughing after the jury brought in a
verdict of guilty. |
| Wednesday, May 28,
1902 |
Daily Alaska
Dispatch, Juneau |
page 3 |
|
WITNESSES GO TO
ALASKA. |
|
Seattle, May 19 -- Five principal witnesses in the case
of the Government vs. Fred Hardy, charged with the
triple murder of Conn Sullivan, P. J. Rooney and
Florence Sullivan, on Nunivak island, Bering sea, last
June, have engaged passage for St. Michael on the Nome
steamship Roanoke. Hardy, as previously
announced, was granted a new trial, which is to occur at
St. Michael before Judge James Wickersham, June 18.
The first trial, resulting in a conviction of the
accused, was held at Dutch Harbor last fall. Judge
Wickersham and other court officials will be conveyed on
the Roanoke from Nome to St. Michael as soon as
it is possible for the vessel to leave the former port
following the discharge of her Nome freight and
passengers. |
| Tuesday, August 5,
1902 |
Daily Alaska
Dispatch, Juneau |
page 1 |
|
DETAILS OF
SENTENCE |
| The
Nome News of July 18 says:
Fred Hardy, the murderer of Con and Florence Sullivan,
and P. J. Rooney, on Unimak island a year ago, has but
two months and one day to live, unless the President of
the United States should intervene; and extremely remote
possibility.
He stood before Judge Moore at
2:10 o'clock this afternoon and for the second time
heard the sentence of death passed upon him. On
October 29, 1901 his execution was postponed by an order
of Judge Wickersham until today July 18, 1902. The
mandate of the United States Supreme Court, affirming
the judgment of this court reached her Wednesday, and at
two o'clock today acting district attorney J. W. Mealon
asked that Hardy be re-sentenced.
Hardy and his attorneys, P. C.
Sullivan and John Corson, were present. Hardy sat
between Deputies Lowe and Esterbrook. He was pale
from long confinement in the jail but was little
affected, apparently, by his awful position. When
the court asked if he had any reasons to give why
sentence should not pass he answered in a faltering
voice, "No, except that I am not guilty of the crime
charged and there was not sufficient evidence to convict
me."
Friday, September 19, between the
hours of 9 and 3, was then fixed as the day of
execution, and the condemned man was led back to his
cell. |
| Wednesday, October
1, 1902 |
Daily Alaska
Dispatch, Juneau |
page 1 |
|
NOME MAN WAS
BRAVE
Murderer Hardy
Protests Innocence to the Last. |
|
(Special Alaskan Dispatch.)
Seattle, Wash., Oct. 1 -- Fred hardy
was hanged at 10:40 a.m., Sept. 19 at Nome City.
The condemned murderer protested his innocence to the
last breath and died without flinching. The crime
was committed near Unalaska and the O'Sullivan Brothers
of Butte, were the victims. |
| Saturday, October
11, 1902 |
Tucson Daily
Citizen, Tucson, AZ |
page 1 |
|
IT'S ROMANTIC
THIS NOME STORY
Fred Hardy Who
Was Hanged There Left His Fortune to a Well-Known Red
Corss Nurse.
TOLD REAL NAME
He Had Much
Real Estate and Some Securities and Gave It to the Nurse
for Her Kindness. |
| LOST
ANGELES, Cal., Oct. 11. -- Among many stories of
fortunes found in Alaska comes one that concerns Mrs.
Mary E. Hart, a well-known American newspaper woman, who
has not achieved a fortune, but had one thrust upon her,
having been made the sole legatee of Fred Hardy who was
hanged in Nome City, Alaska, September 19, for the
murder of two prospectors, Con Sullivan and his brother
Richard, [sic] both formerly of Butte City, Montana.
Mrs. Hart, in a Red Cross capacity,
visited Hardy while he was in jail, and was kind to him
and sympathized in his trouble.
Hardy claimed to be a nephew of
John Wanamaker. On the night before the hanging,
at 9 o'clock, Hardy sent for Mrs. Hart and told her he
had made her his legatee. He gave her an order on
Linda Hough & Co., of San Francisco, for his trunk,
which contains clothing, a sword and sundry articles to
the value of $500. He asked her to send
photographs in the trunk to his mother. The will
is as follows:
"In the name of God, amen.
I, Fred E. Watkyns, of Lawrence county, Tennessee (Known
in Nome, Alaska by the name of Fred Hardy), aged 26, of
sound and disposing mind and memory, and not acting
under duress, menace, fraud or undue influence of any
person whatsoever, do hereby and declare this to be my
last will and testament in the manner following:
"1. I give, devise and bequeath
all property, both real and personal, of whatever kind
or nature owned by me at time of my death, to Mary E.
Hart, of Nome, Alaska, to have and to hold, said real
property to accrue to her and her heirs and assigns
forever.
Said real property consists of
375 acres of land in Black county, State of Michigan,
recorded in the records of said county at Kalkaska ,
county seat.
"Also, 1,565 acres of land in
Lawrence county, State of Tennessee, recorded in the
records of said county at Lawrenceburg, county seat.
"Said personal property
consisting of some money, the exact amount of which I do
not know, which I believe will be found in the First
National Bank, Logan, Hocking county, Ohio, which said
money was left to me by my grandmother, Meg Watkyns.
"2. I hereby nominate and
appoint Mary E. Hart sole executrix of this my last will
and testament, and expressly declare no bonds shall be
required of my said executrix to act:
"Witness whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and seal this 18th day of September, 1902.
"FRED WATKYNS."
Fred Hardy's true
name was Watkyns. His stepfather's name is Hardy,
and he took his name. He said that he was born in
Lexington, Ohio, in 1876. In 1897, he enlisted in
the United States cavalry and started for Cuba. He
was in the Philippine war, was mustered out at the
Presidio in San Francisco, March 28, 1901. He
claimed that he had $1,800 when he was discharged.
He went to the Aleutian islands on the fishing schooner
Arago, and deserved while ashore for water.
Mrs. Hart will leave
Alaska the latter part of October, and proceed to take
possession of the property named. |
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