The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-07-14

Q01 OVIX01s AAAns0
.,,o early hour Of July ssA, The people beea,
.....,rb,e upon the ground where. sccordisl
:, ,.0ort Eephart would Be hung. The plae,
~, ms on the left bank Of Cedar Creek, up
=. ,o.d leading north ftom Basavia 20 Ab
IL, about hundred yards or muse from ths
a. .h.. spans the creek. E4H
=. rri,er arrived apoa the ground abopt II
. "a already hundred o. moro people
v.;tiug, and the scaaold was In state o.
..,;o, While two men were busy digging the
a ~He - tse
= moon tvo thousand people At least had
..l.,,a to witness the execution, which was a
...,,, perhaps, to the majority; and on the
~, h.pk Of the creek, fronting the scaAold,
IA. rl.ce where the bodies Of the murdered
80, and children had been found, the women
=. .uubered three or four hundred, were seat.
a .re "a Il seemed, were - merry - though
A., nd been invited to bridal scene; but II
.,s a, . distance had been deluded. upon draw
i, near to listen 70 the chatting he would have
,.s,ned then and there, that tender women,
Budhesrted, mild and lovely, can be gay, even
,s.o an eagine Of death stares them in the face;
:. and even when man bangles in the air,
,As. NA is broken by the fall from the trap
dsU Il he gallows, and who hangs suspended
b. n,e until the last vestige Of breath is
.losea out Of him, and his spirit goes to the
said Of shades.
hls o'clock, messenger arrived with the
intelligence that the mob had broken into the
nil q. fairfield, and taken the prisoner from the
psver Of the Law despite the eloquent speeches
,hs, had been spoken in behalf Of legal justice,
md we're fsst approaching.
MaP.M distinguished citizen Of Agency
s.epp upon the scaffold and made short, ner-
vou. harangue to the multitude, in which h. ap-
proved the proceedings throughout, and in which
h. remarked that he professed to be God fear
ing man and las-abiding citizen, but when devils
,me from bell se should send them back.
At Eephart the murderer, the victim,
climbed the ladder and stood upon the engine of
death no more u breathe upon the earth. Time
hsd beea gisea him to make y confession and ~
il bad not expired, be was allowed to sit down,
to p.. rs easily as possible the few remaining
moments Of his fife
Atsq q"arter past he was forced upon the
iz-ioor, q white handkerchief having been
tied around his head TO hide his face from the
2rof the eager spectators.
b calls from numerous voiccs, the handker.
tarf vas removed for few moments, to allow
The multitude to look upon his countcnance, and
10 allow him last look at the bright sunlight
md the beauty Of nature and while he thus
scd his eve caught eight OF his grave which
rrned beneath, and then perhaps volume Of
ihoughts, the thoughts and deeds Of three score
!an crowded his memory, and he breathed, o,
% heavily, to know that the sins Of his life, the
Sorrows and Joys, the light and darkness Of HE
career eliminated then and there. The hand.
irchef was replaced, and unconfessed, without
! word, the rope was cut and he hung suspended
between heaven and earth.
The sight was hard one. There stood man
Of sixty, bare-headed, hare-footed, raggcdly clad,
with ahalser around his neck, about to 60 in his
Makers presence without due form Of Law, with
out trial BY jury, and unpepsred. Perhaps it
vas al right. Time proves all things, and time
may prove the justice or the error Of yesterdays
solemn scene. G.
AGEscY, July 6.