With help from a pastor,

Mark Olson — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:08:41 -0500

With help from a pastor, Tapper found God before his execution.

Carver historian John von Walter dropped off “A Century of Blessings,” published in 1971, 100 years after Henry Raedeke arrived in the area to preach. Raedeke, who served as a pastor in Carver, as well as for the St. John's Lutheran Church parish in Chaska, ministered to Tapper while he was in jail.

The “Century” booklet included this story:

Hearing of the (murder), Pastor Raedeke went to see the man of death in order to bring him the message of Life. But the man, still clinging to life, would hear nothing of the Prince of Life.

And as Pastor Raedeke offered him a New Testament, the man took it and defiantly flung it on the floor, exclaiming that he cared to hear nothing about Jesus Christ. There was nothing more that the pastor could do but to pick up his New Testament and leave. And he must have left with heavy heart.

But after Mr. Tapper (misspelled as Tappen in the booklet) was tried and the sentence was spoken that he was to hang from the neck until he was dead, life assumed an entirely different meaning.

When he realized that before long he would be standing at the crossroads of life and the meeting place of all ages, this convicted murderer requested that the Lutheran preacher might come to see him again.During the six intervening months form the time of his trial until the time of his death, Pastor Raedeke was privileged to bring this man facing death the message of life. Mr. Tapper not only accepted Jesus Christ as his personal sin-atoning Savior and Prince of Life, but he also became a staunch confessor of Christ. …

The night before his execution, the pastor met with him in his cell for the last time and gave him the Lord’s upper. After receiving Christ’s body and blood under the elements of bread and wine for the forgiveness of his sins, for the strengthening of his faith and for the promise of heaven, the man mad a beautiful confession of his faith.

He said ‘Pastor, you know I’m rally more fortunate than you are. I know that before another sun sets I will be with my Savior in heaven, thanks largely to you. Know that my hour is come and I am will prepared to meet my God. You however, don’t know when your hour is coming nor how well you will be prepared … .

After the body was removed, many of the State officials and doctors who had come form great distances to witness one of the last hangings in the State of Minnesota, came to the pastors and stated, ‘We have witnessed many an execution, we have seen many a man face death, but never, never before in our lifetime have we seen a man face death so calmly and so peacefully.”

Carver historian John von

Mark Olson — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:50:01 -0500

Carver historian John von Walter sent over a photo of the Basler House, the scene of the crime, and it was added to the online article.

The Basler House sat just south of what is now Lisa's Place, currently a vacant lot at the Broadway and Main streets intersection.

Chaska Herald - Chaska Death Trip - Comments

With help from a pastor,

Carver historian John von