Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-10-24

THK FINAL DRor

TRK FINAL DRor.
The White cap was drawn over hi. face. and
Col. Shafter again repeated the question. Have
you ANYTHING further to sayy" he replied that
be had not. The Colonel then gave the motion
10 the executioner 10 lake bis poet Champ er-
claimed in a clear and. loud voice. Good Lord
have mercy on nv soul :" As these words fell
upon bis lips, the executioner chopped the rope,
and The trap fell. landing Champ Ferguson into
eternity. The reporters we're assigned a posi-
ton on the right. and close 70 the scsfold. The
fall did not break bic neck, but il killed him IL
stantly. 50 far as any pain WAS concerned. The
distance Was two feet, and a. Ferguson was a
man that would weigh one hundred Snd eighty
pounds, it was not strange that the fall produced
instan, death: or rather rendered him insensible
70 suffering. We observed a mere contraction
of the hands after nc fell, but not a struggle was
made BY him.
After be had hung about five minutes we noticed
two or three contractions Of the shoulders, but
they were scarcely noticeable. The trap dropped
at twenty minutes TO twelve O'Clock. The Sur
geons, three Of them. stated that bis pulse was
perceptble seventeen minutes after the fall, bat
il was the mere h~uttering OF the last spark OF
life. A few drops Of blood eushed from his nose.
and was noticed on the white cap After the
BODY had hung for Thirty minutes, life was pre-
nouuced extinct, and il was cut Town and alter
removing the cords from his aims and legs,
placed in the cofiu. A neat bearse was waiting
at the gate, and the remains placed in it, and
turned over 10 bis family. We visited the wife
and daughter Immediately after the event, and
found them calm and reconciled to their terrible
misfortune They both possess the great nerve
and determination that characterized Champ. ahc
have held up under their multiplied troubles in
wonderful manner. They left last evening IL
company with some Of their friends, taking The
remains % their home in White county, neal
Sparta, where they will be inferred, in accord
snce with bis dying request.
The horrors OF a lengthy strangulatioD, o
slow toIture were, thank dod, aserted on this oc
casion, and we cannot close without commend
ing the d~igni6ed. polite and efficient manner il
which the officers performed their duty. Tn
best order prevailed, and no avkard blunders o
mistakes were made BY any one of them. Ii wa
entirely relieved of all sensation, and the spec
taiors could scarcely realize that a human bein,
had been launched into eternity. When We ar
rived from the prison, after the execution, W
found a rumor in circulation tina. Champ ha,
been pardoned or had his sentence cOmmuted o
the last moment. Many persons believed il, an
il was the general impression that he would no
be hung, but have his sentence changed to i'm
prisOnment for life. Every effort was made {
save him. A courier was sent TO Washington
and hopes were entertained TO a very late hour
but Champ Ferguson was doomed to die. II
me, death in q brave spirit aud unhinching De
termination TO die game. We have witnesse
some sixteen executions, but never SAW a ma
maintain such nerve to the Last.