Sanity proceeding for Patrick Eugene Prendergast
| Sanity proceeding for Patrick Eugene Prendergast | |
|---|---|
Illustration of lead defense counsel Clarence Darrow and others hearing the delivery of the final verdict of the proceeding | |
| Court | Cook County Criminal Court |
| Started | June 20, 1894 |
| Decided | July 3, 1894 |
| Verdict | Jury found Prendergast sane, meaning that was permissible for him to be executed |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | John Barton Payne (of the Superior Court of Cook County) |
After Patrick Eugene Prendergast was convicted of murder in his trial for the assassination of Carter Harrison III and sentenced to death by hanging, a hearing was granted to determine whether Prendergast was experiencing a current state of insanity that (under state statute) would have precluded the state from carrying out his execution. Prendergast was represented by Clarence Darrow, Stephen S. Gregory, and James S. Harlan. Despite Darrow offering a passionate representation of Prendergast, arguing for the jury to find him insane, the jury judged Prendergast to be sane and he was executed soon after.
Prendergast's proceeding marks a rare complete defeat in Darrow's legal career. He is the only client Darrow had defended to have been executed. This was an early case in Darrow's career famed career. Darrow is held by some legal scholars to have been the greatest lawyer of the 20th century.