Sheriff Laird: Grant County lawman who oversaw the 1888 Perez hanging
Laird arrested a man named Chapin in Georgetown [3]. On the morning of Perez's hanging, Laird asked the condemned man if he wanted anything, and Perez replied, "No, I have had plenty" [2]. Laird also offered to provide a gang from the county jail each morning to sweep city streets if the city furnished brooms [1]. He was a predecessor of Sheriff Whitehill, whose office later found no books of accounts left by any previous sheriff [4].
Sources
- Sheriff Laird offers to furnish a gang from… (1888)Sheriff Laird offers to furnish a gang from the county jail every morning to sweep the streets provided the city will furnish the brooms. This is a good idea, and should be adopted by the council.
- The condemned man passed his last night… (1888)The condemned man passed his last night as though he had a long life still before him. He slept well, ate a hearty breakfast, and when asked by Sheriff Laird at 9 o’clock whether there was anything he wanted, …
- liard arrested a man and has been looking for… (1888)liard arrested a man and has been looking for a woman whom he thinks committed the crime. The couple had been keeping a dive in George- town. Chapin is the man’s name, and Mrs. Miller is the woman.
- We found that no predecessor of Mr… (1890)We found that no predecessor of Mr. Whitehill as sheriff had left any books of ac- counts of public funds in the office.