The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-03-05
Of Streeter, the Medi-
M murderer.-(are0t Excitement
through the Country.


through the Country.
The impending execution Of frederick F.
Streeter, who murdered the Coy family, in
Medina, on the night of the second of July
last, and was, upon conviction, sentenced
to be hung on Friday, February 26th, be-
tween the hours of 10 A. NJ. and p. NJ, has
created widespread excitement. To this
the peculiar and extraordinary circumstan-
ces of the case have greatly contributed
The peculiar atrocity Of a treble murder Of
a married couple and their only child, a
boy of seven-the attempted arsOn-the
bold robbery-the curious. romantic and
most wonderful identification of the GRIM
inal-the story Of the trial-the incidents Of
his cunning escape and the extraordinary
re-capture-anI above all, the extraordi-
nary character and bearing of the prisoner,
whose life was romance, and whose en-
lire demeanor, though inconsistent, extrav-
agant and unaccOuntable, was nevertheless
wonderfully collected and firm-all this
tended most powerfully to create and TO
ment All almost uncomfortable excitement
as the day set for the final and closing act
Of the mysterious drama rapidly made its
approach.
Friday dawned gloOmily upon Medina.
1t seemed that Nature, as if in sympathy
with the awful sOlemnity of the occasion,
had cloaked herself in mourning. Snow
had fallen, the winds were chilly, and the
sun was mantled from sight in gray and
sOmber clouds, and would not smile. In
spite OF the bitter weather, and the fearful
ly bad roads, however. thousands upon
thousands of people from adjacent towns
and counties, from Cleveland, Akron. Ash
land, Wooster, and even from Toledo and
Cincinnati, came pouring into the quiet
village, remote as it was FROM railroad and
travelling facilities, until it seemed that Me-
dina should instead have been called Mecca,
new and awful shrine. The roads were all
the morning crowded with the pilgrims,-
| in every manner of vehcles,-on horse
back ,-on foot. Strangers gathered all
along the sidewalks OF the still streets,
which, with their places OF business closed,
| wore, but for the crowd, a Sabbath aspect.
Swarms Of people congregated about the
hOtols, on the Court House steps, about the
scaffold and especially about the Jail.
The bitter and vindictive spirit of the
| people present was especially manifest
They were largely composed of the natural
attendants upon such an awful! ceremony
the roughs and brutes of the country
around-who were loud and coarse enough
in fierce invective. Women. too, cOngre-
gated in the crowd, and, when they spoke,
surpassed the men in fierce vindictiveness.
Said one virago, standing under the seat
fold, in the morning: .'Ah. hope the rope
will break-he ought to be hung twice. =
Another one: Hanging is too good for
him;' and third: II long to see him
kicking up there. AND these are but ran
/ dom utteranceS.
| Many of refinement, sensibility and hui
manity, however, also swelled the vast
crowd, but, being less noisy, were less no.
ticeable.
As AN illustration of the overwhelming
tide OF public sentiment, it may be men,
toned that during the night preceding the
execution. the high fence which, in accord
ance with the law had been erected around
the scaffold, was tom up and burned
down-and that everybody expected and
nobody was indignant ut the acts.
Streeter spent almost all OF his last night
of life in writing letters 10 his wife, mother
and sisters. The contents of these letters
are not of interest To the public, and into
these sacred secrets the public has no right
to intrude. Each contained fresh protesta-
tons Of innocence.
During the morning he conversed ration
ally and coolly with visitors, never for g
moment losing his perfect self-possession
and ease of manner. At half past eleven
he had prayers in his room, the Rev. Mr.
Cement officiating. Soon after he was
of black. over which fell his white shroud
prepared with grotesque and CHASTITY care
The white cap upon his head added to his
sepulchral appearance. A brief minute
suifficed him for a calm leave of his sister
and he was ready for departure from thu
Jail.
+ swarmed the street and Jail yard, ad acen
roofs, windows, steps. and fence, and wa.
hungrilv waiting the coming of the crimi
nal. So numerous was the thrOng that j
was necessary for the military escort
company A, 10Th battalion, under Capt
. II. Frissell, and company ID, Capt. William
| ne
open passage for the wagon which was Il
+ bear the prisoner away.
AT last the way is opened, and the fixet
bavonets Of the militia have cleared thu
. streets. And now, at half-past twelve pre-
csely, out Of the Jail door comes the pris
oner, who being unable TO walk, is carried
in the arms of Sheriff Seelys assistants
Coroner J. q. Beckwith. and HI. Walker
His sisters sad face, as she sits at the win
dow does not move, as she sees him PLACED
. in the wagon. and borne away. Her SELF
, | command is no greater than her brother :
{ Seated there in the wagon. which also bear
, his coffin, the centre OF ten thousand eyes
borne 10 an ignominious death, the GlscoV
cred and sentenced murderer sat. Amos
, as though he were enjoying triumphia
progress. Not a muscle of his face moved
his eye did not fail bpt met the glance
cast at him with composure and natural
; ness, while his conversation in the wagon
rs Mr.. Beckwith, who was with him, tell
US, was easy and social.
The gallows are about quarter OF mil
north of the Jail, at the crown OF a piece Q
meadow land owned by John b. Young
Thither the procession moves. 1t consist
of the wagon with Streeter, the county OH
GERS and others engaged in the case, an!
other invited guests. The soldiers, wit
fixed bayonets, form u hollow squar
! arounk all, and do their difficult duty well
= At last, through mud and nre, the scat
fold is reached. Some difficulty is expert
q enced in clearing away the vast crowd al
: ready congregated there. 1t is noticeabl
!, that Streeter leans forward and watches
; with quiet and apparently amused inter
, est. though under the shadow Of his gal
! lows, the progress of the work made by th
soldiers. At last it is concluded, and tn
pale and CHASTITY wrath is lifted upon tn
scatfold and seated there while his coffin
placed beneath it. Even now there is n
! blenchug, no shudder-the same cool, still
defiant courage. A mursnur runs throug
E the vast crowd, but there is no loud cry
All feel the magnetism Of his courage
which, whether reality or bravado, is mos
wonderful.
vast soa IF human heads. with eyes in