Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1856-01-19
nonrrrpoco to enral qntrne A0prtn Gterou 4orop Ao
To this inierrogatory the prisoner with

10 MS lhierFnSdloVy 'uc pTISOueF WIN
uplifted hand responded:
"Wlth my last breath, and in the fuI!
knowledge of the certainty of death, and
the judgment that awaits me, deny all
knowledge of the death of DR.. HadeI and
Henry Graeff. | AIN prepared to meet
their spirits in the presence of God, as
Witnesses OF my entire innocence"
lie then bid his spiritual adviser, the
Sheriff and others farewell, and with firm
unfaltering step, advanced to the fatal
trap, barred his neck for the rope, which
was quickly adjusted by the Sheriff and
the cap drawn over his face. The cord
thai supported the trap in It's place was
then cut and Frederick Miller was sus-
pended from the gaIlows, struggling in
the agopes of death, just II minutes be-
fore o'clock. lie fell about three feet,
but his neck was not dsocaled. The con-
toriions of lis body were painful to be-
hold. In falling, the knot Of the rope
slipped around and instead of being be-
hind The ear it was Immediately above the
eye. He died very hard and from slran-
gulaiion, as his breathing could be heard
by those standing without the hollow
square formed by the military. He twice
smote himself upon the breast, and once
made an effort 10 reach the rope around
his neck, but his arms being plnloned a
boye the elbow behind his back, the at
tempt failed. He continued to struggle
for eight minutes before the body remain
ed molonless. He remained hanging for
twenty minutes and life was then pro.
nounced extinct by DR.. p. A. Healey, the
county physician. The body was then
taken down and decently inferred in aCcor,
dance with his request.
The concourse assembled TO witness
the awful spectacle was variously esiima-
ted al from 5000 10 10000. Itwas com
posed Of persons from the surrounding
country, some Of them coming distance
of over one hundred miles. We saw there
old men whose heads had been whltened
! by the fTosts of three score and ten win
tiers; men in the prime and vigor of life,
yoalh with its high hopes, infants cling
ing TO their mOther's breatS, and young
girls Just budding into womanhood. A
bout one fourth of the entire number were
females, many Of whom morbid curiosi-
~ had brought from distance of twenty,
thirty and forty miles TO witness the death
throes of the murderer, Miller. Some OF
them had walked through snow ten in
ches deep, with the rude winter blast
playing upon them, for twenty miles, and
carried infants IN :heir arms. Womanly
modesty, if rightly appreciated, would
have deferred them from lending their
presence to scene so repIete with hor-
ror. But il did not, and we blush with
shame whilst We record evidence so in
consistent with the ProprieIies of female
conduct We hope we shall never have
occasion to record a similar spectacle.
This execution has worked an entire
revolution in this community, and public
sentiments now wholly opposed to pub
/ he executions.
/ Ii is horrid spectacle, and well calcu-
lated to harden the sens s,bilites of the
young, whist it fails to have a salutarv
Influence upon those predisposed to crime,
In German Bible, loaned to Miller
by Mr.. John G. Treiber, he marked the
Gath Psalm, as being applicable to his
case, and expressed desire to have II
read from the scafod.-Cum. TEL