Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-03-27

Y.
h was undoubtedly gratifed. The click of the
!. trap-spring sounded at % minutes past one
O'Clock. After hanging thirty minutes the
: body was examined by the physicians and life
pronounced extinct the body was then taken
down and buried in the Prison burying ground
. About fifty or sixty persons witnessed the
execution, but many others were admitted to
view the body after death.
The details Of the execution were well
planned and carefully carried out, and credit
: Is due to Sheriff Stimson and his associates.
reporters for several Vermont, New York
and Boston papers, as well az for the FREE
Pass, were present and acknowledy are
due to Alessrs. Stimson, Pollard and Stone for
courtesy and favors shown
The attempt at escape on the part Of Wa,d,
last fall, at the failure Of which. a. stated
above, he was 80 chagrined, was as follows;
at the departure Of a prisoner whose term had
expired and who had been for while in uil
with Ward in Burlington, Mr.. Stone the
keeper, having his suspicious excited, searched
him, and found in a wooden watch which
the prisoner had made for himself a letter
from Ward to friends outside, asking for mon
| ey wherewith to bribe one Of the guards Had
the letter reached its destination and the re-
quired funds been received, and had the
guard proved open to bribe, the escape
might have been effected.
Mr.. StimsOn who shook hands with Ward
just before launching him into eternity, says
he grasped his hand warmly. His neck was
not broken by the fall ; his pulse beat for
about five minutes after. His owes were
/ open when the body was taken down. and his
/ face bore the same appearance as when liv-
| ing. The rope by which he was suspended
was about fve-eighths of an inch in diameter.
| The fall was > feet inches. and then he
struck his toes on one Of the beams which
| supported the platform The body, as men
| toned, was buried soon after death, in grave
already dug in the prison yard. A stranger
was IN lndsor next morning making inquir-
les for the body, for what purpose was not
known.
Ward gave his age as 20 years, and said
that his real name was neither Ward nor
Iayigne. 1t has been supposed from some
circumstances that he was originally from St.
Louis He had unquestionablv led a hard
life, and once said it was rather tough, after
having gone through all the scrapes and tight
spots he had been in, To be ho0red in this
way up in the little State Of Vermont
The Times account saws
lie held in his hand white handkerchief be-
longingto Mrs solomon, exchanged during her
visit on Monday, Of which barely the slightes
tremor could be Observed
To Mr.. Flanagan Ward said with great appa-
rent earnestness Of feeling 8 Flanagan, the
time has been when my feelings against you
were so bitter that would if possible have kill
ell you. All that feeling il gone now, and | feel
no resentment towards YOU, knowing that YOU
have only done your duty well only wish TO
warn you, however, to be on your guard As there
are men still on your track to do You a mischief
At the time Of my trial a thousand dollars WAS
offered for your life and at that time YOU we're fol-
lowed and watched, and by the meTest chance es-
capped on one occasion. when some roughs were
watching for you at the Stanton House.
The caution was evidently sincerely meant, for
on the scafioi when Marshal Flanagan at the
prisoners request shook hands and said - good
bye, he again earnestly repeated the caution,
urging him TO be on his guard
The confession was written BY himself IL
firm steady fine hand Il Is believed to contain
nothing Of importance, and Will undoubtedly be
soon made public.
Ward was convicted on the 10th Of April
1850. Exceptions were taken to the deci-
zion Of the County Court. and at the Janu-
ary term of the Supreme Court in 1867 the
decision Of the County Court was affirmed.
He was sentenced By Judge Barrett on the
7th Of January 1867. At the general term
he was ordered to be hung March Doth, lS6S
and in accordance Herewith the Governor is
sueia warrant for his execution.
THE GREAT ERIE FGHT.-Not long since
Commodore Vanderbilt, having secured con-
troll of the Hudson River, Harlem, and New
York Central roads, made up his mind TO get
control of the Erie road, and began by buying
up all the stock he could get. Daniel Drew
and the majority of the Directors resolved to
keep Vanderbilt out, ifthey could, but he was
rapidly gathering the stock, and they saw no
chance but to put outmore stock than he could
easily buy. They decided to issue $10,000,-
0O0 worth Of new stock. Vanderbilt, to block
that game. got Judge Barnard to enjoin Drew
and the Directors. Then the Drew party got
Judge Of the Supreme Court Of Kings coun-
ty to enjJin Vanderbilt and his friends, in
cluding Judge Barnard, from proceeding any
further with their side. Meantime the Drew
party, in defiance Of Judge Barnard's injunc-
tion, rushed out the new stock to the extent
of $4,000 200, and Erie fen Is per cent. in
an hour. Then Vanderbilt, or the men
at work for him. made another raid on Drew
and the Directors, through Judge Barnard.
Warrants were issued by the latter for thear-
rest of Drew and dozen others, but most Of
them got out of the way by going over TO New
Jersey in a row boat, after dark. Three Di-
rectors who did not run away appeared in
Court in obedience to the warrants, and
though Judge Barnard was enjoined not TO g
any further il the matter, he did % further,
and held the Directors to bail, besides ap-
pointing Receiver for the company, in the
person of George Osgood, Vanderbilt's son-in-
law. But now another Judge steps in.
Judge Clerke, also of the Supreme Court, was
invoked by the Drew party to order stay Of
proceedings, and he complied. So proceed
ings are stayed, for how long no one knows.
The stock SPECTATORS in Wall street are ter
ribly excited, and no wonder, for some of them
have lost big fortunes by Interpretations Of the
Drew pa rty but the general public looks on
wit out much concern and doesn't seem to
care which side whips. The fight is the live
liest the railway men ever had on hand, and
decidedly the most mixed. 1t is said that the
Erie Railway directors have determined tore
duce the fare to Buffalo to s., as soon as a
new issue of tickets can be furnished. This
will be a broadside at the New York Central,
which is to be followed upstill further by the
establishment of line Of steamboats, to Al
banv. commencing on Sunday evening, at the
low rate of half dollar. This policy re-
duces the contest to simple issue of length
of purse and amount of endurance.
1t was rumored IN New York Saturday that
the AstOrs have ccme to the rescue of Com
modore Vanderbilt and that with this grand
combination the parties expect to obtain con-
troll of the Erie road.
REBEL FASHIONS IN TESSEsSEg.-A Nash
vile dispatch to Cincinnati Gazette says that
losf Er;ia,- n vorn, blood 49, H,i,,,.b;o