The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1858-11-18
Execution of James Rodgers.


James Rodgers, the youth who killed Mr.
John SWanston on the night of the 18th of
October, 1851, at the corner of Tenth avenue
and Twenty first street, was executed, yester-
day morning, in the yard of the City Prison.
The circumstances of the murder, it may be
remembered, were these: Mr.. SSwanston re-
putable industrious man, by profession an en-
gineer was returning home from market, accom-
panied by his wife, and was met at the afore-
said spot by three youths, rowdies in appearance
who were having little alteration among them
selves One of these youths, while disputfng
with his companions, reeled against Mrs Swan
ston Her husband, rather angrily, told him
not to repeat such conduct, when the young
man demanded, in an insolent manner, the reason
of his interference and after word or two of
expostulation from Mr.. Swanston plunged
knife, which, as appeared from the evidence
elected Oh the trial. he had opened in his hand,
into the body of that gentleman, causing almost
instant death. The three youths Immediately
ran down Twenty second street, towards Ninth
avenue, and Mr.. SWanston's body, in the presence
of his horror stricken wife, was raised, and con-
veyed to the residence they had so lately Quilted
The police Captain of the Sixteenth Ward was
speedily notified of the murder, and immediately
placed officers on the track of the fugitiyes.-
dy,
in possession of sufficient facts to inculpate
Rodgers as the murderer but he had already
fed from the City, and secreted himself at
Woodbridge, New jersey, where his married
sister was residing. At that place he was cap
tured but not until he had left his sisters house,
and tried to hide himself in the adjacent woods.
He was taken to this city by officer Lefferts, and
was brought to trial in the Court of General
Sessions before Judge Russell, on the 18th of
November. The verdict was guilty, and he was
sentenced to be hung on the 18th of January.
During the trial, and the subsequent terrible
sentence Rodgers exhibited none of the traits
of ruffian, bRt astonished all spectators by the
gentleness and almost girlishness of his demeanor
When called to the bar to hear the doom of the
law that was to terminate his life upon the gal
lows, in reply to the usual question. what he
had to say why sentence of death should not
be pronounced against him, y he only said that
if he had committed the deed, he knew nothing
about it. And probably he spoke the truth
For the evidence at the trial showed conclusivey,
that he was, at the time the deed was perpe-
trated, under the influence of liquor, and that he
had imbibed that liquor at the fearful corner
groggerieS Of his neighborhood, where the most
poison is sold
From the time that his fate was announced to
him. he appears to have calmly resigned him
self to it. Attended by the clergy of his Church
he was Roman Catholic-and by Sisters of
Mercy, who with fidelity, fond and truthful as
that due to the closest tie of relationship, daily
assisted his spiritual needs, and saw also that his
temporal wants were well cared for he devoted
himself in an almost unexampled manner, to a |
for death
The rope was cut at 19 minutes to u O'Clock,
and the eulprit was allowed to remain suspended |
until seventeen minutes past - O'Clock The
weight used on the occasion was simple piece
IF iron, weighing $50 lbs The jerk was very
7iolent one, the culprits body swaying to and
70 across the yard, as if it was a mere cork
For the first three minutes he struggled Violent
y; the neck was evidently not broken, and death
vas being produced by the slow process of stran-
gulation. During the first, second, and third
minutes the struggling was violent, the muscles
If the legs arms and breast being very much
'onvulSed. Once ortwice the dying youth raised
lis right hand to his breast and thrust it into his
shirt BOSOM while the left arm hung listlessly by
lis side. During the fourth and fifth minutes all
vas perfectly STILL but on the sixth minute a
,onvulsive heaye indicated that life was not vet
extinct When the body had been suspended
seven minutes the doctors stepped forward and
examiner the pulSe ana IOnnd That 1t had ceased.
A minute or so previously it existed in the right
wrist only, but now it had ceased to beat in
either. Two more convulsive heaves followed
the examination of the pulse and then the body
was motionless. The heart continued to beat
some five minutes longer, however, SO that life
could not be declared to have ceased until the
culprit had been hanging fourteen or fifteen
minutes.
At seventeen minutes past II O'Clock, the bo-
dy was lowered to the ground and placed upon
a mattrass The black cap was removed from
the head of the deceased and an examination of
the body by the physicians followed The face
of deceased was much contorted, and indicated
that his death had been slow and painful one.
The knot of the rope had slipped round to the
nape Of the neck instead of pressing upon the
jugular as was intended, thereby causing death
by strangulation.
The funeral took place from the yard of the
prison. A hearSe and number of carriages
were in attendance, and when all was in readiness
the northern gate, facing on Franklin street, was
thrown open, and the cortege moved out and on
to Cavalry cemetery, where the mortal remains
of Rogers, the murderer now lie entombed
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