The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-31
Tho Las. Death Upon tn. scaaola.


There is natural repugnance In all civilized
communities to the execution Of woman but
the crime for which Bridget Durgan suffered
death upon the sca1old In New Jersey yester-
day was so revolving In its character and so
horrible In Its details that the great majority
Of the people all over the Union will rejoice
that In her case the extreme penalty Of tho
law was exacted. Ever since the sentence Of
death was passed upon the miserable criminal
. determined effort has been made to enlist
popular sympathy in her behalf, with view
to averting the punishment justly due to her
great crime 1t Il matter OF congratulation
that New Jersey 80 steadily resisted the impor-
tunate demands Of this diseased sentimsntality,
which seeks to save tho Life Of criminal ell
the moro vigorously In properties to the MON
strosisy Of the offence Tor which he Is doomed
TO suffer.
Of . vsry low standard Of Intelligence. and
almost entirely without education. The idea
had entered her dull brain that che could sup
plant her victim, the wife Of DR.. Corisll, in
the regard of her husband. and she dwelt upon
Il until It took tho character Of . monomanis.
Her victim was q young, handsome, refined,
educated lady; herself . coarse, uncouih
creature. without anything to render her
attractive. There was, apparently, nothing to
warrant the crazy notion but there it was, .
fixed, absorbing fancy and II led hsr on to
take the life Of the poor woman who, as she
supposed, stood In her way. This Is the whole
story a. far IS II can be gathered from the con-
fessions made BY the wretohed murderess.
Aud what . hesrtrending story do those
confessions tell Not In the whole range Of
romance 10 there any such terrible recital e.
tho details of the crime taken from the lips of
the condemned woman. The stealthy tread
Of thu murderess as she orspt towards the
sleeping mother; the blows with which the
poor creature was awakened from her sleep to
find the Aend with q butcher knife at her
throat; tho deadly struggle for life u; the cruel
stabs and cuts with the knife Then, when
the wretch believed the desd Of blood to have
been completed, and left the supposed corpse
upon the bed, how tho poor woman crawled,
all bleeding and faint, out Of the room, and
dragged herself towards the garden gate how
her unrelenting enemy followed her and
ordered her back into the house how she
obsyed, without word, ss if too weak and
despairlng to resist any further, kissed her
little child IS she passed to her death, and
then sunk down on the door to await the last
merciless and fatal blows! What fiction can
be more horrible than this dreadful realityf
There were some features about tho execu-
ton which might well have been omitted.
The day was q holiday in New Brunswick.
The tickets Of admission to tho jail were
eagerly sought Alter and purchased for money.
So many were issued that tho inside Of the
Jail yard was densely crowded, while outside ,
an immense concourse Of persons-men,
women and children-sought to obtain Sons
slight glimpse Of the scene. II would have
been better if this parade and excitement had
been wanting; but tho general sense Of the
community approved Of the execution, and oil
seemed to be satisfied that, in this case at
least, the gallows was the fitting punishment
for the crime.