Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-05
MILITARY EXECUTION AT THE oxs
&C.. CAPITOL PRISON.
PRIVATE KlssLER HCNa FOR THE AuRpn
OF HIS SUPERIOR oYFIcRa
sELy POSSESSION or TnH CRIMINAL on faH
6ALLoWs

A few minut>s before noon to-day prfvsas
John Ccsrsd Eessler, OF company x. Il3i Il
7. W was executed In the yard or tae Ola
Capitol prison. for ths mnrder OF First Li-ut
Fernando Linzy, company X, ta3i N. w.
Kessier Wa born in Saxon Meiningen, No.
~ years OF sge, and leaves q wifs and one chxS
az his tate residence In Newark. MI. ne
only other relative he hsd wa . brosa.r -
siding in SpfinG0eld. n. J. Prior 70 IA. g.
eution he asked Il he wished his rri.S,-
sent for. and he declined on ihe grcund than s,ev
were poor and he wished 70 spare them th.
expense.
KesrIer was eonric.ed Of murder IN Ala.
court martial. He hsd ben an gagged In .cusa.
sion Of = gun Iarut L,azy inn.rfcrea u s:on
tie disturbance. threasenins kes-isr with =
court martial, and be thereapon made q luny,
NJ Lieut. L with his eeyonct Killing MIN
ed himself for his d-ed, ss4d that La Linxy IA
heretofore punished him for some oarnss- 80
I-inzy was "a bad nan and no christiau." and
he felt that be did RIG BIT an Killing hsmE H had
a hard time OF it with has counr s<les; Lnxy Ia
Ill trfahrd him, and &c thsurht hr would inet
end tie matter and had kilisdLin n dsiibsrAissF
He disiihed the cdinrn Of bui=x hung, an<; vonlS
have preferred 70 dir on the btf n fsld- =
He betrayed no Nervousness ~ The yur o.
death approached; being Of = phlsgmaac, du,i
nature, raftag sis reals and sleeping a. usun
Last night howcvcr, Ia soemea nsore vakes.i
snd at o'clock his morning Ne told Mr. Won
tho jsiisr =, tho prison, that he did not feei
Mr.. Wood kumanely caused him 70 be -.
moTrd from his cell on the second story 70 o.
on The third, during the erectien Of his SaiIcvI
10 spare him the pain Of seeing and hearing tnas
process, ss he must while on the secoad door
He also gave orders for him % have whate yer
articles or food he took fancy 10, but the prie-
oner seemed TO havene particulars choice, eat
Ing rradiiy whaever was set before him.
DrriAy this forenoon, and up To the tine Of
his execution. Chaplain J. b. 9raw, OF The
10Th N. J. volrnteers, and the pastor % TIA
~
this city, were with him, engaged IN PRAYER
and other exercises. He seemed entirely hope.
fIl a. TO his hereafter -
eAt half past eleven O'Clock he WAS conduct
ed from his cell to the gslisw-, which hsd bsru
erected in the Jail yard, and which had NV
vicusly done duty At the executions .! Wood
ward and Powers, in the District jsii yard IL
Is Of large sise, the platform bring some twelve
feet from the ground, with fall of four feet.
The general ARRANGEMENTS for the exccus.oa
were conducted By Cap;: IL. l.. HiEEias. com.
pany A, Seth N. Y. volunteers, commanding M
that post, and were well carried out
drilling rain had began TO tai Is tSe
prisoner was conducted TO the scaioli. which
added much TO the gloom Of the occasion.
There were but few spectators III The yard
but the windows OF the prison on all four sides
Of the incicsure presented close stray OF
OF some adjacent buildings, and ~ their win.
dows.
Kcssler assembled to the platform win p.
markabie eooiness, and was apparently desa-
rope was adjusted about his neck he requested
that IL should be made as tight possible, @
that death should be sure and Quick. His arms
were bantsagcd, and his feet were also lied
together.
The chapiains then spent q few moments
with him in prayer, he repeating the words
alter 'nC N, but as ne did so his eyes wandered
a. IL seeking last survey Of Earth and Of his
How At this ii ne too IN. r. was q slishS
sufusion Of the face, but no other indication
OF srnsilility. His last words - Q
happy"
The white cap was then drawn over his bead.
the fatsl spring was touched, the platform fell
from beneath his feet, and h. hung suspended
in tar air, dS ing, apparently with little pain,
the muscular contraction was very slight, con-
sisung OF q few twitches Of the hands and feet.
His hands were cla- ped. but not tightly, and
bis head had turned 10 the left The knot OF
the cord drew under the right ear. The rope
had been well adjusted, and did not start par
ticle.
After he had hung ten miautes, Surreoa
Fore OF the Capitol prison, examined the body
20 ascertain il life was extinct, and found o
slight pulsation At the heart, but none at the
wrist. Six minutes after there WAS still some
throbbiDg the heart at intervals, but after n
had hung nineteen minutes he W as pronounce 4
G. ad.
Am t.-rHs up atvut Jweuty-ssvsn minutes
the body was cut down and placed in a stained
pine cOftin 20 he buried at the So.diers' Home
burial-sround. Ii lie probable, however, that
an aa'o OF the body will be made previous
The decreased was of medium size, with
Lights h lair, blue eyes, and weighed about rs
pounds.
HI- seif-possession While on the sallows va
the subject Of remark as something extraordi-
nary by those who had witnessed many ex Gu
tions.
"hsHrSGToS MONEY MARKET.-Quotaaon
for stocks, coin and uncurrent money furnished
by Lewis johnson & Co, Bankers:
Buying. Selling.
=. s. Coupon Bonds, 1851 .....IOi lo1k
u - III - otes ...... N3Z lo1S
Z. =. Certificates Inde btedness pa
Quartermasters Checks, paya-
able in Certificates CIV
L. =. Demand Notes .I23aIe4
American Ooid ............ 12c5iS
american Sllyer.----......i2IaI22
Virginia bank notee, 3sa30 discount Tennes-
see, par; South Carolina, Georgia. &c, Is dis
Count.
Gold lower and dull. Government stocks
firm.
SrNGrLAR -AccTrEST.-This morning, as a
;.;.in OF cars was cosaing ont Of the ward at Tire
depot, and passing near one Of the CITY rail nav
cars, coupling parted, the pieces fyinc in Al
directions, some OF them knocking out the nj 20
IN window Of the street car, and some OF the
fragments flying into the EYES OF Mr.. Lochli1
the driver, lnlurluQ his fiCht in A. faap.<f