Death Row All Stars Read online

  On May 11, 1912, a number of women in Rawlins followed Rev. Conrath’s example and took up the matter of securing a commutation of the sentence of Joseph Seng. A petition to Governor Carey beseeching clemency on his part in the matter began circulating. The May 19, 1912, edition of the Rawlins Republican reported that practically every citizen in the city had signed it. According to the article, the ladies agreed that if Seng were guilty he should be punished for his crime, but they believed for his mother’s sake his sentence should be changed to life in prison. “Seng has been a model prisoner while in the penitentiary,” the report noted. “And those who have met him speak of him as an exceptionally fine man to have been guilty of the crime of which he is convicted. The universal sentiment seems to be that life imprisonment is sufficient punishment for him.”

  Rev. Conrath forwarded the petition and telegrams pleading for Seng’s life to Rev. Masson in Allentown. According to the German-­language newspaper the Allentown Friedensbote, “Reverend Masson was the only person Joseph confided everything. He wrote the spiritual advisor about playing baseball and offered that although his talent on the field might get him stays of execution it would not overturn a conviction. Rev. Masson encouraged him to offer the appellate court more of a reason to spare his life than a batting average. Seng wrote of the job he had with the railroad and mentioned that William Lloyd and others, objected to the way he “handled the hobos at the rail yard.” Seng was emphatic that Lloyd tried to kill him when they crossed paths in the summer of 1910. Rev. Masson told a reporter at the Allentown Friedensbote that Joseph was “innocent.” The June 4, 1912, edition of the paper noted that the reverend shared with them that Joseph’s action was a “deed that occurred in self-­defense.”

  Seng’s version of the incident was also included in a later story about the accused in the August 12, 1919, edition of the German newspaper Darmstädter Zeitung. Seng confessed to the clergyman that on the evening of the alleged crime he witnessed William and Alta Lloyd arguing. “William had a strong grip on her upper arm and was leading her through the park. She was struggling to break free, but couldn’t,” he explained. “I tried to stop him and we ended up in a fight.” The gun Joseph was carrying fell to the ground, and somewhere in the commotion that followed the gun was picked up and went off. The first bullet ripped through William’s midsection and he dropped hard to his knees. Joseph was stunned and scrambled to his feet. That’s when he saw Alta holding the smoking weapon. She was horrified. He pried the gun from her hands and tossed it aside. William was still alive and Alta was crying hysterically. According to Joseph’s account relayed to Rev. Masson, he was so preoccupied with Alta’s hysterics that he almost didn’t see William pick up the gun and stand up. When he did notice, the gun was pointed at Alta. Joseph took the gun from William and shot him in the head.23

  Alta was frantic. She hurried to her husband, dropped to her knees, and with the hem of her dress tried to stem the flow of blood pumping from the wound.24

  Joseph Seng had never told the court this version of what had happened with William Lloyd the night he was killed. He made no attempt to alter the record even when he was assured of his fate.25

  Chapter Nine

  Seng at the Gallows

  In the summer of 1911, the grass around the baseball diamond at the Wyoming State Penitentiary was a brilliant green. The slabs of canvas at home plate and at all three bases were faded white and dented by cleats that had tramped over them or slid into the sides. The walls surrounding the field were covered with scuff marks from fly balls and home runs. Ivy vines crawled along the stone backdrop in spots, breaking free to the other side.

  By the summer of 1912, the outfield grounds were discolored and dominated by weeds. Only a handful of photographs existed to show that the Death Row All Stars had ever played there. Some of the pictures featured team members circling the bases after smacking the ball hard. “All baseball loves a hitter,” a reporter at the Wyoming Tribune wrote about the game in April 1912. “The skill of a pitcher is rejected. The successful defensive work of infield and outfield, the one-­handed stop or the running catch must ever arouse enthusiastic cheers; but when all is said and done, the wielder of the big stick is the giant that stirs the imagination and the hero worship of the fans.

  “No thrill equals that which comes when a home player sends the ball ringing off his bat safely to the outfield. As the number of bases gained by such a hit increases, so does the excitement mount. When one of those drives wins a game, its maker is a hero—the fan can conjure no reward that is adequate. Those low in spirit whose countenance is lifted by such an achievement cannot fully express their appreciation for helping them to see, if only for a moment, beyond their despair.”1

  Professional baseball clubs like the Boston Rustlers and the St. Louis Browns, teams that ended the year of play with a 0.300 record or worse, could set their sights on improving when the 1912 season began. Not so with the All Stars. Once the ball club was disbanded in 1911, there would never again be a baseball team at the Wyoming State Penitentiary organized and managed by the warden. Inmates could gather players together for solitary games but would never again be allowed to compete outside the walls of the prison.2

  By the time the 1912 baseball season rolled around, Warden Alston’s thoughts were more on keeping order at the facility than playing the game. Prisoners were refusing to work, and many had been disobeying orders and had been placed in solitary confinement in the prison’s dungeon. According to the May 8, 1912, edition of the Wyoming Tribune, Rawlins was thrown into a high state of excitement when ten convicts burrowed out of that dungeon. “The appearance of the men from the break in the dungeon wall at about 11 o’clock last night prompted the summoning of the guards,” the article reported. “It resulted in the immediate capture of eight of the ten convicts. Two of the convicts, however, got over the prison wall and as of noon today have not been captured, although a posse was sent to scour the country immediately upon a count showing that two men were missing.

  “While none of the convicts captured in the yard were armed and were placed in their cells without difficulty, it is believed that the men who got away must have had some assistance, as no trace has been obtainable of either of them.”

  The baseball field where the Death Row All Stars once played has weathered with time. Courtesy of author

  Inmates who continued to be unhappy about the demise of the penitentiary baseball team and who were upset with what many convicts referred to as inhumane treatment and conditions at the prison wrote letters to Governor Carey asking that he “appoint an impartial non-­political body of men to investigate the conditions at the prison.” 3

  That spring and summer, Governor Carey was preoccupied with a variety of matters around the state, from encouraging voters to attend church services on Mother’s Day to attending an oilmen’s convention in Casper. He delivered speeches in Riverton and Cheyenne on a proposed irrigation system for parts of the region and campaigned for his son’s (Robert D. Carey) run for Congress.4 In between events the governor contemplated how to respond to the unrest at the penitentiary. His political and business adversaries, Senator Francis Warren and Otto Gramm, were aware of the issues at the prison as well. Both kept a watchful eye on the governor, ready to make public any errors in whatever decision he might make regarding the problem. Senator Warren was traveling throughout Wyoming, campaigning for reelection and explaining to his constituents that in spite of the news reports, he was not on board the Titanic when it sank.5

  Gramm was also campaigning and hoping to get reelected to the office of Albany County secretary. Less than two years had passed since Governor Carey had removed Gramm as the head of the penitentiary’s lessee program and forced his resignation from the Wyoming State University Board of Trustees. From the time of those events, Gramm had worked tirelessly to regain the confidence of voters, and he knew he could benefit at the polls if the governor an
d Warden Alston were not able to ensure the safety of the citizens by keeping inmates from escaping. A negative backlash could lead taxpayers to think Governor Carey’s administration was corrupt and cause them to doubt the action he had taken against Gramm.6

  Joseph Seng was scheduled to hang on May 24, 1912, and all stays of execution had been exhausted. Letters from family and friends had reached Governor Carey, desperately trying to persuade him to reconsider putting Joseph to death. Allowing Seng to live, however, would further fuel the rumors about gambling on the Death Row All Stars. Anna Seng, Joseph’s mother, could not bear the thought of her son being led to the gallows. On May 12, 1912, she made one final attempt to get Governor Carey to change his mind about the harsh penalty set before Joseph. “Understanding this is mother’s day which you instituted in Wyoming to honor the worthy mothers of the people of your state,” Anna’s telegram began, “I appeal to you to relieve my affliction by commuting the death sentence of my son to life imprisonment. I pray your honor to make at least one mother happy and will appreciate your clemency at the moment of my greatest distress. Mrs. Anna Seng.”7

  A letter from Joseph’s younger brother Frank arrived at the governor’s office the day after Anna’s message. He, too, hoped to influence the governor’s decision.

  I am a boy twenty-­three years old begging you for the life of my poor brother, whom I love as you love the members of your own family. A brother to whom I am indebted for a thousand and one kindnesses, Joseph Seng.

  I do not know what the circumstances are surrounding the crime he committed, but I cannot believe that our Joe is bad enough for a fate like that. Governor, he has not a friend between Wyoming and Pennsylvania. Our family is a large one and we all have had to shift for ourselves. Poor Joe has made his own way since he was a little boy, and has never been a burden on his mother and father.

  Our people are honorable, but we have no means. I am working for $15 a week and having my expenses to pay out of that I am not able to save much even to send to my mother at home. So that Joe has not had a cent to help him in his trouble.

  Joe has never been called vicious; as I knew him he was anything else. I have not seen him now for six years. Won’t you take into consideration, Governor that Joe made his own way since he was a mere child, with no one to train him, no one to direct him! Governor, save us this terrible ordeal! We have all had a hard life. We have never known the luxuries, and very few of the comforts, but our mother and father have tried, at least, to train us to be honest and straightforward.

  There are twelve children in our family and this is THE FIRST CRIME THAT HAS BEEN LAID AT OUR DOOR. In God’s Name, Governor, save us from this awful blow. Anything but the gallows as a heritage. We would not even be able to have his body sent home to Allentown, Pennsylvania.

  I am enclosing mother’s picture taken with one of her grandchildren. This is Joe’s mother, Governor, and my mother. She is an upright Christian woman and this thing will KILL HER! Can you not for her sake modify the decree that will end her life in disgrace because one of the flock, who thinking it manly to go out into the world and earn his own way, has gone wrong?

  Joe is not a degenerate, Governor! I do not know what the crime is but I would without knowledge say that it was committed in the heat of passion or in defense of his life, for Joe, as I knew him, would not harm a kitten.

  Governor, in God’s Name Save us! Hopefully, a prostrated brother, Frank Seng.8

  Governor Carey responded to Anna on May 16, 1912. “Dear Madam,” his letter began. “Your telegram has been received, and it together with all of the papers which have come to me, has been filed with the Board of Pardons for their consideration.”

  The Union Pacific Railroad carried the mail, including Governor Carey’s response to Anna Seng, on an outgoing train in mid-­May 1912. The vehicle made a regular stop in Evanston, Wyoming, before leaving the state for points east. Alta Lloyd had returned to the state in early May 1912 with her one-­year-­old child and was in Evanston awaiting the outcome of Joseph Seng’s fate. According to her descendants, Joseph was the father of the child.9

  After William Lloyd’s death, Alta had traveled to Davenport, Iowa, where William’s funeral was held on August 8, 1910. He was laid to rest at the Oakdale Cemetery beside his brother, who had passed away two weeks prior to William being shot. According to the August 5, 1910, edition of the Davenport Democrat and Leader, William’s mother was “prostrated with grief over the double affliction that had fallen to her lot within a week.”

  William’s obituary, along with the news of the incident leading to his death, was printed in the Davenport newspapers. The August 8, 1910, edition of the Davenport Democrat and Leader referred to William as “one of the best railroad detectives on the Union Pacific system. The unfortunate man was shot and killed by Joseph Seng, a former detective who three days previous had been discharged by Lloyd. On the evening of the shooting, Lloyd and his wife were approaching Mr. Lloyd’s private car when Seng approached them and after a few words drew his gun and fired three shots into the body of Lloyd. He then emptied the three remaining shots into the ground.

  “Seng made no attempt to escape. He did not appear excited and told a bystander to inform an officer, warning others to keep away from him. Special city officer James Downs was soon on the grounds and Seng immediately gave himself up to the officer. Seng is reported to have made a very damaging statement previous to the shooting and it will prove premeditation on his part.”

  Alta had provided her own version of what happened the night William was killed to the editor of the Davenport newspaper the Daily Times. It was one of a handful of recorded instances she spoke of the event to the press. “She stated that on Thursday evening at 7 o’clock she and her husband were walking down near the railroad offices where Mr. Lloyd had been employed,” the August 8, 1910, article read, “when they met a man by the name of Joe Seng. The trio stopped and conversed. Suddenly Mr. Lloyd turned to his wife and told Mr. Seng that he didn’t wish to say anymore to him at that time. Mr. Lloyd and wife then resumed their journey, walking toward the railroad offices, Seng followed closely behind. Suddenly, Mr. Lloyd wheeled around evidently to say something, when Seng pulled the trigger.”

  Alta told the Daily Times reporter that William had a gun of his own, but that she didn’t get a good look at it until it fell at his feet. According to Alta, the couple was on their way to the Leonard Amusement Co. Carnival when the altercation occurred. A large throng of people gathered on the scene moments after the shots were fired. William was transported to his railroad car, where he survived for thirty minutes before succumbing to the bullet wounds.10

  The last legal execution held in Wyoming had been the hanging on November 29, 1903, in Cheyenne of Tom Horn, a bounty hunter found guilty for the murder of a young man named Willie Nickell.11 In preparation for Seng’s execution, construction workers at the penitentiary were restructuring the gallows that had last been used eight and a half years earlier. When Warden Alston wasn’t dealing with numerous grievances from inmates and directing the state road contracts the convicts were honoring, he was overseeing the gallows project.12 A new law dictated that executions should take place at the state penitentiary, and the builders were modifying the construction of the gallows to follow a newly designed system by which the condemned stepped on a platform and hanged themselves.13

  The mechanics of the contraption, designed by architect James P. Julian, were arranged so that when the prisoner stepped onto the trapdoors, a plug was removed from a pail of water that acted as a counterbalance; when the pail was emptied, the trap would be sprung and the condemned would be dropped into eternity. Bags filled with sand, approximately Joseph Seng’s weight, were used to test the mechanism. According to historians at the Wyoming State Penitentiary, it could take as long as thirty minutes for the counterweights to rise after the device was activated.14

  On Thursday, May 23, 1912, final pre
parations were being made for Seng’s execution. Barring any last-­minute reprieve, Joseph was scheduled to be hanged at two forty-­five the following morning at the penitentiary. Fearful of any uprising in the general population, Warden Alston ordered all inmates to be locked in their cells at noon on May 23. Alta Lloyd occupied much of Seng’s thoughts in the last twenty-­four hours of his incarceration. He confided to his spiritual advisor that “securing Alta’s welfare and safety once and for always was his only interest.”15

  The Wyoming Tribune reported that Seng “seemed composed” while waiting for his life to come to an end. Prison guards assigned to watch over inmates on death row observed Seng calmly playing cards and drinking coffee. According to them, “he behaved as if his approaching death was the merest incident.”16

  News that the governor had decided not to interfere with the execution sentence didn’t alter Seng’s collected demeanor. He didn’t seem surprised by the announcement, only resigned to his circumstances. He spent the last hours of his life staring sadly at a picture of his mother and writing letters to her and his siblings. While Seng was writing, a double quartet composed of prisoners sang hymns.17

  Shortly after dinner on May 23, the Rev. Father Long of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Cheyenne and Will Reid, editor of the Carbon County Journal, visited the condemned man. Seng spoke about the night William Lloyd was killed and stated that “many of the witnesses who testified against him told differently than what happened, while the witnesses who could have testified to the causes leading up to the shooting were not brought into the court room.”

  “The trouble which culminated in the shooting was not over the loss of his job,” Reid later wrote that Joseph had told him. “Seng had tendered his resignation before he was discharged; but that it dated back to a quarrel which the men had some weeks before over a woman.”18