This week in 1923

“Forgiveness. The most bitter of my friends are forgiven. I am ready to go, and the day of reckoning will come. That cannot be avoided. If only I could make them understand, but I can’t. May the Almighty God protect all that I leave behind and see that even to my enemies no harm shall befall.”

— George Gardner, convicted of murder, firing squad, Utah.
Executed August 31, 1923

When Gardner’s former business partner, Joseph Irvine, and a police officer arrived to retrieve property that Irvine claimed was his, Gardner invited them into his home and then opened fire on them both. His examining psychologist called him “irresponsible and only 60 percent normal” because of a traumatic childhood. Three appeals were undertaken to further determine his psychological state, but he was found to be sane.