The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1860-04-12


We spoke in Thursdays paper of the first
execution Of white person in Minnesota,
which person was woman, Mrs. Mary
Ann Bilunsky, who was executed at 81.
Paul, on the 23d int. This strauglng a
woman to death with rope around her
neck is most horrible, and relic Of bar
barism that We hope to sec speedily wiped
out from every statute book in the Union.
Few such scenes have ever occurred in the
United States, and for humanity's sake,
we coald wish that another would never be
enacted Surely, in the case Of women, if
not IN the case of men. society could be
as amply protected against murder by I'M
prisonment for life as by hanging. The
closing scene in the tragedy at St. Paul
is thus described;
when the prisoner arrived upon the
platform, she was led forward and kneeled
upon the drop. the clergy. jailor and the
sisters, and other ladies, in the same pos
ture around her. About five minutes
were thus spent in reading prayers by the
clergy, in which she seemed 10 take a
deep interest. Upon rising she was asked
if she had anything to say. She spok for
minute perhaps, There was some repe
tition. but the following is very nearly
what she said:
Il die without having any mercy shown
me. or justice. die for the good of my soul
and not for murder. May you all profit
by my death! Your courts of of justice
are not courts ofjus.ice--bu. 1 will get
justice il Heaven. am guilty woman,
l know, but not Of this murder, which was
committed by another. | forgive every
body who did me wrong. 1 die sacri-
fee to law. | hope you may all be judged
better than have been. and by q more
righteous judge. die prepared to NEE!
my God"
Mr.. Hoffman then whispered "good
bye" to her, when she showed some
agitation, aud said, 90, Mr.. Hoffma n,
you promised to stand by to the last."-
He assured her that he was not going to
leave her.
Mr.. Miller. the Deputy Sheriff, then ap-
preached her with the rope, when she ex-
claimed: "Dr. Miller. how can you stain
your hands by putting tha. rope around
my neck--the instrument of my death?"
He assured her that duty compelled him
to do it. aud she made no resistance, and
only said: "Do for Gods sake, put it on
SO 1t will BOT suffocate me-"
1t became necessary in fixing the rope
to lift the veil that was tied about her ne ck
when she said: "Mr Hoffman, do leave
that veil between the rope AMI my neck" ."
He explained in a word the necessity of
its being removed. when she said: Elk it
any way, 80 as not to safocate NO."
After it had been arranged. DR.. Miller
took the black-cap from his pocket, and
proceeded to put it on her head. when she
said: ''Be sure that my face is well COW
ered.''
All this took place in less tine than it
will take to read it, during which she said
several times: "God have mercy--God
have mercy on my soul" Her last words
were: Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul
She was requested to take step forward
on the drop. and then everything being
prepared, DR.. Miller made a motion to
Sheriff Tullis. who pulled the fatal rope.
and in an instant she fell. The fall was
about four feet, and the machinery was so
nicely adjusted that the noise was scarcely
heard outside the enclosure.
There were scarcely any movement in
the body after it dropped; slight con-
vulsive motion and heaviLg of the chest
was all that was observed
The body was allowed to hang about
twenty minutes. during which time prayers
, wero read audibly by the clergy, who re,
mained kneeling on the platform.
The physicians having examined the
body several times, then stated to the
, Sheriff that life was extinct, and she was
, cut down and placed in a plain black cof
fin that had been placed in ffon. of The
, gallows during the whole period Of the
: execution.