The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-06-27
THE EXECUTION or MUMrORD.

willfu murder OF VIM. r. Mumford in New Orleans
by Gen. Benjanlin Franklin Bntler II is furnished
by the Heralfs New Orleans correspondent. under
date OF June 7, as follows:
We have no lack Of excitement to-day. What
with raising the Stars and Stripes on one pubIi,
building and hanging man for hauling them down
from another, besides the arrival Of three steamars
from New York and Philadelphia, viz the Hack.
stone, the Roanoke, and the Suwance we Iave hal
pretty lively time of IT,
sent yesterday by the Connecticut the order Of
tien. Butler for the execution Of Wm II, Mumford
convicted Of an overt act OF treason in pulling
down tue American flag from the Mint after il had
been raised there by Flag Officer Farragut The
solemn tragedy provided for by that order was
enacted this morning. and the soul of The rash
ana guilty man stands now before its Maker
was with the doomed man frequently previous to
his execution, and obtained from him tome par.
tculars OF his life which, this is the first in
stance in the history of our country where a man
has received the punishment of death for trca.
son, will possess strong interest for your read
efs.
On Thursday night, Capt. Stafford, Assistant
Provost Marshal, acting in place of Col. J. H.
French, who was confined to the house by sickness
waited on Mumford and read to him the Generals
order for his execution the Neeond morning fol.
| lowing He also urged the prisoner with gre at
earneStnnss not to indulge " the hope Of a re.
prifve, but to devote the lbcr< time left him to
s.eking o.. nisrsessiaa Of siesl for ssas,.
HuInford listened to him with respectful attention
but maintained the most stoid composure, merely
protesting his perfect innocence of the charge
| against aim.
The next morning visited him and found him as
cool and collected as though there was nothing TO
mar the prospect OF long and happy life in store
! Tor HIM conversed at length with him, and found
! his mind to be in the most selfcomplacent frame.
He repeated over and over again. that he inno-
cent of the crime imputed to him. and that he had
labored hard to prevent rotous conduct since orrr
| occupation of tins city, and claimed that he he'd
saved the life of OF our soldiers from the hands
OF an fniurlate mOh. He said },r1 for a,,
innocent man to die feon's DEATH but that he had
no fear, ard should meet his fate without trembling
Three times, he said. he had met the King of Ter
rOrs lace TO face and never sent for minister nor
offered prayer for himself and he did not care to
see clergyma i'll his present strait not that he
held the cloth III contempt, looked upon churches
with disfavor, but he had a religion of his own,
| which he had practiced through life, and which he
had perfect confidence would carry him safely to
heaven, or whatever place was appropriated to the
/ other good men in this world. Said he, 81 never
committed an Intentional sin in my iife and have
! always done unto others as | would be done hy
and when, tomorrow, ! am 10 longer in this world
you can say that as just and good man as there il
| IN the city of New Orleans has gone frcm your
midst lie expressed great affection for his wife
and children. for whom only he cared to live
In tue evening his wife and children visited him,
and afterwards Rev. Mr.. Salter, Chaplain of the
Thirteenth Connecticut regiment called with the
| hope of administering some consolation Mumford
received him pleasantly and conversed freely bu:
coa'd not be persuaded to accept his minis rations
ii'us,h HC cApItSoeu himself tS pleased with the
interview. This morning called again on him.
and found his wife and three children with him. bid
ding him the last long farewell. H., had s!ept
throughout the whole night and was quite free from
nervousness Mrs. MurltuTd is delicate, respecta-
BILE looking lady, and the children are quite interest.
ing. The Oldest is Il girl of fourteen years of age,
and the others boys OF six or seven wears of
age The interview was. of course extremely af-
ectlng and the prisoner, for the first aud only time
broke down ard groaned pieously. Chaplain Salter
came 10, and at the request Of Mrs Mumford en-
gagged III an earnest prayer for the soul of him who
would soon be beyond the kno,veslge Of man
Mumford preserved Il respectful attention and an
peared not dispeased After his family left he con
inted for some time excited and paced the room
and protested his innocence, but by the time that
he wax ordered TO prepare to leave the prison. his
emotion had ceased and he again entirely self.
possessed
At Il little before ten O'Clock, an army ambulance
was before the prison door, and attended by Il
guard, Mrmtord was placed i'll it, accompanied by
Chaplain Salttr. The procession was then formed,
with Captain Mageo's company of cavalry IN AL
vance. Capt. Stafford anG his Deputy Provost Mar-
siiais following then companies Of tn. LII n
Maine regiment. under command af Col Kinll,aIl
with the e,ri1ufsnce IN the centre The line of
march was taken through Fulton street. up past
Jackson Square, through Canda and Esptanad;.
streets, to the U. s. Miut.
The procession followed by an immense
crowd that had surrounded the Custom- House from
itn early hour in the morning In front of the Mnt
there were probably ten thousand people, a fair
proportion being women, with infants at their
breasts The house-tops in the neighborhood were
also covered with curious observers The scaffold,
which was of very simple construction, had been
cree. from the pOrtico right in the centre of the
front of the Mint. The prisoner, with his escort,
was taken up to a room a floor level with
the rortico and then allowed to rest some time
The chaplain again ende.vorpd to induce him to
rely on higher power than his own righteousness,
but without any success. He reiterated his thor
OuGh confidence in the of his whole life
to insure his future happiness. III about half an
hour he eNyeiOppu n ipuc- 40. .;urr lack
douieo, his collar and cravat We're removed his
arms pnioned, and he then conducted to the
gallows He stepped upon it with great tirinness
and without the least hesltancy Cap.aa Stafford
read the order for the execution and then gave the
prisoner permission to address the crowd He made
a long rambling speech, which was q mere repeti-
ton of his assertion of innocence and of his peculiar
views on his future existence, ana closed with an
appeal TO his hearers to initiate him in bringing up
their children righteousy. The crowd received his
remarks in perfect silence and did not any time
make the slightest demonstration although the
night before the rowdies Of the city held meeting
and voted that Mumiord should not be l,iug They
certainly chose the wiser part in not interfering with
the administration of justicc.
black silk mask then put over Mumford' y
face the moose adjusted to bin neck the hood drawn
over his head and at five minutes before eleven
O'Clock, Capt Stafford waved bis handk erchief three
times, the drop fell, and the unfortunate man WAS
| in the linitless shore of eternity.
His coolness wonderful. In speaking his
voice perfectly steady, and when the hood wa.
drawn his head could not discover so much d,
| a trenor Of his hands. The fall which was about
four feet dslocsted is neck hut owing to Sigh
accident the knot was disriaced and worked up ,,n
der his chin, leaving the windpips partly free TIL,
result was that muscular eontr action did not
for ten minutes, though it was at no time violent
The body hung for 10 minutes, when Dr. w T
Black, surgeon Of Gen. Shepley's staff, who, will
DIR. Geo. A. Blake, of the United States Saniiar,
| Commission, in attendance on the execution
ascended ladder and ascertaned that the hear
ceased to beat. The body was then allowed to hans
nearly twenty minutes longer, VIXEN it cut dowl
and placed in plain pine coffin Tho crowd thel
dispersed quietly.
Al five O'Clock in the afternoon Of the day of tn,
execution, the remains were taken from the Mint
| and under an escort from the 18th Maine regimen
and followed by their carriages, cont aiming the be-
| re;.ved family and few friends were borne to tn.
| Frc,nsn's Cemetery and deposited in tomb wi,er,
three children of deceased had been previously bu
! ried.
The following brief sketcI, Of the life of Mu,nfort
| is mostly from his own lips He was born of a very
respectable family in ouslow county, N. c., on tn,
| 9th December. 1919. and wa< consequently at III.
| time OF his death in the I'D year of his age NheI
hut three years OF age his father died. leaving hin
| about S50,00O While yet a boy he went to Florida
and remained there during the Florida war; return
! ing to his home in 1872. In lS42 he left his HON,
! and Vent up the Red river, where be married al
estiuabIe lady, acquiring considerable property
| with her. In 1874 he came to this city, where h,
remained until 1876 when he went to Mexico rs al
Orderly Sergeant in tho Third Louisiana reginen
OF Gen. Persifer +. Smiths brigade.
Shortly after he arrived in Mexico he broke hi
| leg, got sick, and discharged frcm SERVICE
/ Since then he has followed gambling as pretes
sion, and noted for his proficiency III card
that planters would cene 10 the city and furnsl
im.meney to play with. giving him half OF all h.
| could win. lie was wild rs q boy, and in manhood
sauandered his and his wife's fortunes, icavin,
| his family al his death in dependent circumstances
! He was uneducated. but not uhinteigent, and
think his impulses were generally kindly. Ia per
SON he was of'middle height abou. five feet seven
broad framed, but quite thin, darkscagpIexiou .ane
| eyes, stra gbt, glossy black hair, and Alarge to,v
! ing brown beard and moustaebe His iace wa
deeply pi.ted with small pox. Before his death b,
that his heard sh0utd