The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-05
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EXECUTION OF A wEsTvIRGTNIAH
AT Il9ONTON, OHIO.
Last Hours and Dying Words OF the
Condemned

AT ISONTON, OHIO.
Last Hours and Dying Words OF tn
Condemned
Correspondent Cincinnati Commercially
1RONTON, LAWRENCE Co., o., April E
On the night of October 1G last, tw
| giants of six feet and one inch dashed
out the brains and cut the throat of
Ovarian innocent, little, humble cob
| bier who could stand erect, with room
to spare. under their arm pits. The at
fair occurred in one of the widest part
of this wild country, on the Marion
road, six miles from this place, at the
small shop and grocery 1.-THE victim
puny Louis Halgenberg. Andrew
| Speers and Andrew Price were the big
strong men who did the horrible work
| They had an idea that he had hundreds
| of dollars stored away in his house, anC
SO, after drinking his whisky and eat
| ing his crackers and sauSages, they de-
sired him TO cut out some boot soles
While he kneeled to get the shape, Prize
knocked him in the head with hatch.
ct, and repeated the blow twice, anG
| then Speers, to finish the work, cut his
throat from ear to ear with. a shoe.knife
According to Prices last words, Speerl
put the job up. Price was hanged to
day, while Speers is alive, and in thu
| Ohio Penitentiary, nursing warmly il
|
live as long as life lasts. 1t was a differ
ence in lures, you know, and it CALLED
Price. Up to yesterday, it was his great
regret that Speers was not 10 die will
him.
But have digressed. After these
two tiends had rsveled in hot blood,
they searched the shop, gathered to-
gether some whisky, cigars, clothing
boots, and not as many cents as they
had expected dollars, went out into the
night, divided their spoils, and separat.
| ed, Speers to remain on this side and
be easily captured, and Price to hide
| himself in the mountain Businesses Of
West Virginia, at his old home in Lo-
gan county, where he was shortly after
taken. Officer Morgan did the heavy
work If capture, and when he laid his
hand on him in the cane mill Mt which
he was working, he startled him by the
statement that Speers was already cap
tured and had blowed CD him. Price
was fool enough then, in his great
wrath, to tell the whole story, and hang
himself.
BE was to have been hanged some
weeks ago, but a reprieve came, ut the
solicitation of his friends and citizens
opposed to capital punishment. A
great effort was then made to have his
sentence committed, but Governor
Hayes refused, not being able to see
why the galIows should be cheated of
the second murderer because the first
had escaped, through verdict of muir
der in the second degree.
The execution to day was conducted
with more privacy than is usual in
Ohio. Not over score of men wit
messed il, and no more were admitted
even to the jail to look upon the con-
demned man in his last hours. Up to
yesterday, Price had carried himself
with an mir of bravado common to most
men who do murder, and make an eff
fort to appear stOical when their time
comes. Looking out into the back
yard of the jail, where the scatTold was
being erected, and inclosed at the side
of the barn, he had demanded carpet
for his march to death, and had
wished the company OF Speers. Bat
at 10 o'clock this morning he was a
weak, trembling man, who bowed his
stopped shoulders, and cracked his
and complained of the day as raw and
chilly. This WAS after pray6r-meet.
ing in the hall. where there were three
ministers, three doctors, three re-
porters, some officials, and n few
friends. He had slept but little the
night before, and had eaten only
light breakfa He joined with 1ervOr
in the religious exercises. and appeared
implicitly BUNDLED, breathing low
word of acknowledgment for each
kindly regret that was offered him.
About half-past 10 the jail was clear
ed, and the Sheriff and deputy went
with the prisoner into the cell, to bind
him. Sheriff Elswick had never seen
an execution, but he had arranged eve
ry thing with wonderful precision. lie
had harness OF leather, IL combination
of straps and buckles, that he buckled
around the waist, and to which he
buckled the unresisting wrists in front.
Price really aided In this binding pro-
cess, after having taken the fOrethOught
TO hand over some oranges and lemons
to some fellow prisoners, remarkinR:
81 will have no use for these, and they
will taste good TO you" The recipients
were burglars, who looked very serious
today.
The small party of witnesses had al
ready gone into tho Enclosure, and the
prisoner was led after them, out
through the side yard, do~n fifty or
sixty feet, and then upon the scatlold,
which wasa big drop with scarcely any
platform. Down IN front of the scat
fold was the group of spectators. 1t was
q gloomy looking place enough, and
there was cold, damp atmosphere and
a misty rain falling.
On the scaFold Price appeared in the
face as appear all men who have only
few minutes to live, and know it. He
had on decent, but quite common
clothing and cloth shoes. His face was
sallow, pale, and clean shaven, with
prominent nose and high cheek bones,
retreating and wavering eyes, downcast
most of the time. His dead brown hair
was neatly combed, and parted behind.
He submitted very quietly to the neces.
sary preparations in the binding of the
legs and adjusting of the rope around
his neck. When asked II he had any
thing to say, he pointed to the Rev. MIR.
Thomas, standing on the top steps, who
produced some manuscript, and from it
read what Price wished should be
known as his dying words. While he
read, Price kept his eyes fixed on a
black coffin on the ground, in front of
him, on which was his hat and a screw
driver. The words were simply those
of repentance and exhortatiOn to men
to take warning from the scatfold, and
a hope of forgiveness. He attributed
his bad end to liquor as the first cause,
and then bad associates.
Prayer was said, and then Price was
asked if he had anything more to say.
lie replied: "NOthing; but let all men
take warning by me. I would never
have been here il it had not been for
liquor and the Speers family"
"Did old man Speers have anything
to do with the murder" asked officer
Morgan, from below.
The prisoner shook his head and said
ono"
"Did you ever kill any one else?" said
Mr.. Thomas.
"Nobody, except when was in the
that, you see. II I ever did it was in
my sleep?"
"Have you nothing else to say? Come,
Won can saw ANYTHING Won wish, Is