Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1866-04-18
THE EXECUTION.

1t was about quarter to eleven whe,
Green was brought from his cell to ascenc
the steps of the fatal scaffold, The scat
fold was the same one upon which Web
ster McGee and Hersy were executed, anc
it was erected in one corner of the jai
yard, completely obscured from the view
q of all who were not admitted within thu
enclosure. f.
The procession from the cell of thu
murderer to the gallows was led off by
Deputy Sheriff Bancroft of Lowell, anc
then came in turn High Sheriff KimbalI
and the prisoner, the latter supported by
Rev. Mr.. Adams of lowell, and followed
by three Deputy Sheriffs, and Mr.. Ad
ans and Mr. Wade the officer Of the jail
Green was dressed in gray pants and
vest and black coat, and wore a black
cap and light pair of slippers. He walked
with firm step up the avenue from the
cell to the scaffold, with his eyes firmly
fixed upon the ground, and not appear
ing to notice any one save the clergyman
at his side. His hands were firmly
bound with leather strap and subse.
quently his legs and feet were bound to-
gether in the same manner. After ascen-
ding the scaffold Green was placed upon
the elevated trap through which he was
to fall, and Rev. Mr.. Adams his spiritual
adviser, said that he had been requested
by the condemned man to say that the
crime for which he was about to suffer
was not the consequence of premeditated
malice against Converse, that he had no
i'll will against him Or any man, and fur
ther, that he died in perfect reconciliation
with all men, and, he trusted with God
The clergyman then read passages from
scripture, Green the meantime standing
upon the drop, with his eyes intently
fixed upon the ground.
AT the conclusion of the Scriptural
readings Rev. Mr. Adams offered fervcnt
prayer for the soul Of the man about to
die, saying that as sinful as he may have
been, as great as was the enormity of his
crime, and as deeply as he may have
transgressed, God was still his
Judge, and he hoped from Him to receive
mercy. During the prayer. as in the rca-
ding Of the Scriptures, Green remained
firm, and with his eyes still fixed upon
the ground. At the conclusion of the
prayer Sheriff Kimball stepped forward
and read the warrant for the execution.
While the warrant was being read the
Deputies upon the scaffold adjusted the
rope upon the neck of the unfortunate mar
and when the reading was finished the
Sheriff said that in obedience to the in.
structions contained in the document. hi
should proceed to execute the sentence OIL
death. He then put his foot upon the fa
tai spring, the trap fell with a heavy
crash, and the body of Edward W. Greer
was suspended in the air.
! He fell about five feet, and as the rop,
stretched to such an extent that his toei
touched the ground, il was the necessary
and painful duty Of the Deputies to draw
the body up from the ground and hold i
thus suspended until life was extinct
While suspended in this manner the ex
ecuted man drew his legs up, several times
and moved his arms and fingers at inter
yals Tor ten or twelve minutes. His necI
was not broken by the fall and it ap
peared an if ne was literally choked t
death. In justice to Sheriff Kimball i
should be stated that this misfortune wa
in consequence of the extraOrdinar.
stretching of the rope, which was ne'
one, and wbichhad been as thoroughly test
ed and stretched previous to the execution
as it was possible for it to be. The knot
which was adjusted so as TO come behin'
the ear, came directly upon tn
back Of the neck, and the suffering of tb
unfortunate man were thus apparentl,
more intense. 1t is, however, assertet
that Green experienced no sense Of pain
After hanging about half an hour b.
was examined by Drs. Hooker, Taylor au'