The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-12-04
Mails by the Star of the West.
TWO WEEKS LATER FROM CALIFORNIA
Fire in SAN observation-disclosures a
Sui ri TIA list.


Thew were in the act of distilling alcohol, for
he first time when the column" large y
;opper cistern, containing six hundred gallons t
# alcohol burst. A number of persons were L
collected about, observing the process. t
The following persons were scalded: Mr..
proprietor, slightly; Mr.. Barnett
PROPRIETOR slightly; B. Isaacs rectfier, slightly
solomon Isaacs, foreman, badly; Mr.. Carroll, !
mortally; MIR. Bird, cooper, since
dead.
All these persons were in the room where {
the explosion occurred, except Mr.. B. lsaacs,
who had to run through that room to escape.
Several OF those scalded got out without any
but some of the others were rescued
from the building principally by the exertions
of Mrs. Emily Edwards, brave Creole wo
man from the West Indies.
The building took fire and destroyed forty |
five thousand gallons of whisky and about ten
thousand bushels of grain. The total loss was
about 10000.
EXECUTION OF CRANE AND FREE AT coLoMA.
The Placerville American gives the follow
ing particulars of the execnti IN which took
place at Coloma On Friday:
At an early hour in the morning every
avenue leading into Coloma, the county seat
of EI Dorado, was thronged with peaple eager
Some five or six thousand persons assembled
before the appointed time.
At one O'Clock P. NJ, accompanied by Sheriff
Carson and his assistants, the prisoners came
forth and took their seats quite gayly in
wagon.
Crane was elegantly dressed in full sum
mer suit of white-pants trimmed with blue,
blue sash, with rossette or star upon his
breast, and looked and acted the perfect Ken
lucky gentleman.
Free was also well dressed-light coat, with
red trimming; red sash; black pants, trim
med with red; an elegant low-crowned black
rowdy hat, which he wore a little to one side,
and appeared like an unconcerned jolly sailor
| Arriving at the foot of the gallows, both as
cended with a firm step to the platform. Free
quite gayly (both being entirely unconfined)
skipped upon the drop and round the platform,
smiling upon the arrangement. They were
now permitted to address the assemblage.-
Crane in very gentlemanly manner, and ap-
parcntly without the slightest hesitation, read
in a loud, firm voice his address. He seemed
to regret nothing, except that he had not been
permitted to take his own life long before;
that he was soon to be with his beloved bride
but whom the world called his murdered victim;
and continued to speak for nearly twenty
minutes
I Free said he had concluded not to make any
remarks. as it would only excite the people
present, and stepped back from the edge ofthe
Iscatfold Calls from the crowd to 'go-on! let us
have it' brought him forward. lie then said
'pll give you Micky Frees scaffold song
Commenced, but after singing three lines, stop
ped, saying, Gentleman, can't go through
with it; you must excuse me-
} Crane came forward and commenced sing
oINal,1 &C
own composition, in which Free heartily join
ed.
They were attended upon the scaffold by
: the Rev. James Rogers and the Rev. j. Petit
They were clothed in the habiliments of the
3 grave, and stepped upon the drop without the
, slightest apparent reluctance. The ropes were
adjusted about their necks prayer offered up
to the God of heaven and of earth for mercy
: on their souls, and with the amen fell the
drop and the two murderers.
The last words of Free were: Now, boys
see that this is done up right Cranes last
words were: Susan, receive me; will soor
l be with YOU
E The above is the sequel to two of the blood
est tragedies ever enacted within the border;
of this State, the particulars of which were
published in this paper at the periods of thei
occurrence.
I. Crane was tried and found guilty of the muir
D der of Miss Susan Ne. NEWMAN, near Ring
gold, FL Dorado county, on August 10, bu
she survived until the 18th. He shot her will
; a Colts revolver.
In his confession he stated that he hac
r formed an attachment for her some fifteer
e months previously; that they had been married
4 but only by God himself that another, wht
was sutton to her hand and who was favored
=" moreover, by her parents, had caused all tht
n difficulty. He confessed that bar existed t.
Y his marrying Susan openly, viz: that he had ;
: wife living in the Eastern States.
! Crane was over thirty years Of age; and ha
four children living near Lexington, KY. Ht
was an enthusiast spritualist, and on this sub
r iect was regarded as a monomaniac.
Free had according to his confession and thu
evidence adduced on his trial. led a long career
9 of crime lie married good, true and virtu
i Gus woman, whose precepts and example hac
he followed would have deferred him from
. vice. lie, however, robbed her of all he
S money, and left for California some years ago
n Here he has been known as thief highway
r. robber, and finally, it IS satisfactorily demon
strated that he was engaged in several murder
81 before Justice overlook him. The crime 70
e which he has just suffered the extreme penal
= ty of the law was committed some months age
: He was then in the region of Lake Valley, L
:, Dorado, in company with one Kelly, Wilson
= and others, where they encountered two ira
l. ders. They decided to kill them.
: A New KIND OF APE.-ProessorO wne tht
n celebrated naturalists, describes species ofap
+ recently discovered on the western coast Q
5 Africa named the Gorilla Species the adult
of which attain the height of five feet fv
inches, and are three feet broad across tn
3 chest. His head is double the size ola man
It and its extremities are enormously developed