Whenever any person has been sentenced to death, it shall be the duty of the clerk of the court before which the conviction was rendered to issue an order, under the seal of the court, which shall recite the conviction and sentence and be directed to the secretary of corrections. The clerk shall deliver the order to the sheriff of the county in which the conviction was rendered, and such sheriff promptly shall transport such convicted person to the state correctional institution designated by the secretary of corrections and deliver such convict, together with the order, into the custody of the warden of the designated institution, who shall receive and safely keep such convict until the time of execution, or until otherwise ordered by the secretary or other competent authority. The warden shall notify the secretary of corrections of the receipt of the convict and such order.