Finally Enough Trials to Hang Him: Murder in Gales
Outskirts Press, Inc. has published Murder in Gales: A Rose Hanged Twice by Patricia Lubeck. The author's most recent book to date is a 6 x 9 paperback in the United States state and local history category and is available worldwide on book retailer websites: Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The author's webpage at www.outskirtspress.com/MurderinGales was launched simultaneously with the book's publication.
This is a true story about two families, the Lufkins and the Roses, who were neighbors living in southwestern Minnesota in the late 1800's. William Rose fell in love with Lufkin's beautiful daughter, Grace, but her father put a stop to the budding romance. This sparked the bitter feud between the families.
In the spring of 1888, Moses Lufkin sold his farm and moved in with his niece, Fannie Slover and her family. They lived in the town of Gales, Redwood County. On the evening of August 22, 1888, Moses was conversing with the Slover family while seated on a lounge with his back against the window. Suddenly a shot was heard and Lufkin placed his hand on his heart, collapsed, and was dead within ten minutes. Eli Slover rushed to the window, saw a man fleeing the scene, and thought it was William Rose. Two days later Rose was arrested.
The evidence presented was entirely circumstantial, and Rose was acquitted at the first two trials. At the third trial, the jury brought in a guilty verdict, and Judge Webber sentenced Rose to hang. Appeals to the highest courts were made, but to no avail. Governor Merriam set the date of execution for October 16, 1891. At the gallows, Rose gave his last speech, declaring his innocence and stating Eli Slover was the man to watch.
At five a.m. Sheriff Charlie Mead pulls the lever, a crash was heard, and Rose's body lay in a heap on the floor. The rope had snapped in two. The deputies picked up Rose's limp body, carried him to the gallows, and adjusted another noose around his neck. The trap got sprung a second time and this time the rope held, launching Rose's spirit into eternity.
Now, over 120 years later, people who've heard this story, still claim an innocent man was hanged, not once, but twice. Such a terrible miscarriage of justice is now a part of the past. But there is a piece from this story that still stands at the Redwood County Museum in Redwood Falls. It is the small, one-room jail where Rose stayed the day before his execution. This treasure from the past has been preserved by the Redwood County Historical Society and is on display during the summer months.
Murder in Gales: A Rose Hanged Twice is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the United States state and local history category. Wholesale distribution through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and online availability through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere, Murder in Gales meets consumer demand through retail and library markets. Murder in Gales can be ordered by retailers or wholesalers for the maximum trade discount price set by the author in quantities of 10 or more from the Outskirts Press Direct bookstore at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore. ISBN: 9781432791292: $16.95
About the author: Patricia Lubeck, Curator of the Redwood County Museum is active in preserving and promoting Redwood County history. She has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara which focused on anthropology, psychology and sociology. She is a member of the Sons of Norway and the Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association. Patricia has a passion for history and enjoys visiting museums and historic sites.
For more information or to contact the author, visit www.outskirtspress.com/MurderinGales.
Patricia Lubeck is a MN Master Naturalist!!!
