The New York herald., 1869-04-30
HE GALLO w S.
Execution of Louis Lane, in
Pittsburg, Pa.
History of the Wife Slayer and
Professional POisOner.
-Four Wives Murdered by the Negro
"Bluebeard."

At six O'Clock on Saturday morning, May s. now
almost year gone by, q woman's corpse was lying
on pallet In the basement OF a rickety wooden
building. 2l1 wylie street. Pittsburg. 1t was the
Haytien quarter OF the city-a quarter where mar
row. ill-scented courts and alleys grimy weather
beaten houses. several thousand colored folk and
vast amount Of squalor and misery existed. The
corpse was that OF q middle-aged female named
Henrietta Lane She had been married to Louis
Lane, a negro woOlpacker, for period OF ten
months. was enceinte, and had died suddenly
on this bright summer morning. The room
wnere she lay was quiet Louis Lane-the Blue.
beard OF real lfe-the husband, at fifty years, OF
fve wives -four of whom had mysteriously passed
into the gravel, the bigamist ana dealer in Sc
cret poisons, was its only living inmate and he
made no unnecessary noise. The murdered and the
murderer were together alone In the basement Of
that rickety building.
THE DEADLY DOSES.
This was on Saturday. On the Thursday previous
when Lane came home from his work, he brought
with him a bottle Of whiskey. Ordinarily he was a
temperate man. and on this occasion he surprised
his wife by purchasing the liquor. 1t was for her
use, however She had not sought it. but at his re-
quest she. drank Of it, She was immediately seized
with an intense, Unsuitable thirst burning sensa-
tion inside, violent spasms and pains all over the
body. ''For Gods sake send for doctor'' was the
burden OF her cries. From dozen twenty times
the night that followed she uttered the appeal,
so loudly and agonizingly that 1t was heard ON each
occasion by family living on the next floor above.
Some of the members of the family were i'm
pressed with it that they came down and offered to
go for a physician. But Lane SAID. "No, don't
want any OF you damned nIggers to interfere; I'll
doctor her myself" And lest they should interfere
he arose next morning and went into the city and
bought paddock. With this he returned and secured
the door of the In the evening his patient grew
worse, whereon he doctored her a little more. At
six O'Clock next morning, when we introduce him
to the reader. he saw his design effected. He had
had frequent quarrels with deceased and had
threatened once to burn her. 1t is believed he was
jcalous he frequently accused her OF being crm
naIly intimate with other men. But review Of his
antecedents will be found further on.
LANE SUSPECTED AND ARRESTED.
Lane, fearing that suspicion would fall on him,
and with the hope OF warding IL OF. determined to
be the first to inform the neighbors Of his wife's
death. He went among them and told them Of 1t.
assuming such semblance or grief as he was able.
But 1t availed him nothing: for his movements dur
ing her illness had been the subject OF gossip, and
now rumors Of foul play spread rapidly. Lane,
having heard of them, visited physician
and requested him to go to the house and look
at the body. The absence OF marks Of violence, he
probably thought, would sufficiently clear INN Of the
charge Of having killed her. The physician refused
to medde In the matter, and Lane, discounted and
alarmed left. wnen he returned to his room he
found officers already awaiting him. They had heard
the report that he had poisoned the deceased and
took him into custody to bde the result OF the corp
ner's inquest. When going TO prison Lane asked
leave 10 bring certain carpetbag with him, stating
that 1t merely contained some clothes, which he
feared might be stolen during his confinement. The
permission was granted, and, after having made a
vain effort to get the policeman In charge to drink
at saloon on the way, the accused was lodged in
tue county iail. Unusual comnotion was caused
through the city by the spreading OF the news.
HIS PECULIER MEDICINE.
While his commitment was being ted in the ja
ONCE Lane turned TO tire under pretense OF warm
ing himself. Suddenly the warden heard crash,
and on looking around saw that the prisoner had
dashed small bottle against the CRATE lie was
asked what II held and replied u vulgar terms, that
II was medicine for private disease The warden
The liquid having crused on their surface through
the heat. subsequently, when analyZed. IL was
found to be an afseniOus mixture and a deadly
poison. Alter the incident noted the carpetbag be-
came object OF interest and was examined. In a
leithern satchel inside five yials fed with poison
sere discovered. Three contained suphate OF
potassium y compound frequently used a. a hair
iiye aud tue remaining two arseuious acid. week
later the stomach of the dead woman was analyzed
aud large quantity OF arsenic found In It, leaving
doubt at all that she had been poisoned. Lanes
guilt was regarded Us a nXed fact and the
corCner's jury found against him. Then hor-
rlble tales respecting him were resurrected. He
had been known by his colored neghDors TO be IA
Hillar Win pOisDns anu Nds 10 nave va
riety OF them constantly on hand. When questioned
about them he was accustomed 10 remark that they
were hair dyes, cosmetics or other preparations Of
that KIM, though he never used such. He acquired
an extended knowledge OF drugs and their proper
ties while boy on pl antation in Rockingham
county Va, and was always fond OF handling
them IN secret. How many persons he poisoned
cannot he snrmised but some OF his exploits Ia that
line are recorded below.
Lane appears to be aged about ifty years; he Is
short Of stature OF medium buiid. has saort. black
woolly nair whlsSers ysry much like tnIls OF dry
treating forehead. on the whole he ~ a good look
Ing negro, cool as stone, 40 TO speak cunning and
reticent. The first known or MIN by residents here
- that he lived on farm IN Washington county, Pa
about thirty years ago. and was married at thetime
lie was apparently sober and industrious. His wife
was nealihy woman but after living short period
with MN she dropped and died. From the symptoms
exhibited II was runored that she had been poisoned,
hut she was buried and the affair was forgotten.
Lane shortly afterwards married again, and his part
this instance proved as unfortunate az her pre-
Your correspondent has no facts In regard
her death further than that u reported she died
under suspicious circumstances. The widower soon
consoled himself with third rib VINO iollowed ID
body Of this last wife, and Lane was accused OF mur-
der. lie partially cleared himself though the impu:
tatton still rests on him. The next vile ne married
Immediately after the death OF his third he tried
twice TO poison her in 1857, and, falling
nre to her house wnile she was in Of
tue upper rooms. She jumped out OF one OF the
windows. however and escaped. lie was tried foi
from which he released IN 1854. He then cam'
to Pittsburg, settled down at the shoemakng busi
ness aud in due time united In matrimon,
aQain--on this occasion ~ Henrietta Butler, fo
poisoning whom he was sentenced 70 be hung
While no absolute proof exists oi his having dom
away with his rst three wives the grounds for suspi
cion are strong.
NARRATIVE OF AN BscAPED wTFs.
In his matrimonial transactions Lane paid bu
lI,tIc respect to the restrictions OF the law. On
leaving the Penitentiary he made no inquiry abou
his wife Emma, whom he attempted 70 burn, an
when he became a "Benedictr for the nth time TN
woman was living within five squares OF his house
and IL yet living. In conversation with your COZ
respondent she gave graphic narrative oil her owl
escape. IL was doubtless colored somewhat, for sh
hates Lane intensely, hut vet ~ was strongly c0rrobO
rated and the records show = IN the nals true Sh
stated that while residing In Washington county Ia
and shc quarrecd. Next morning whie al break
fast he manmuvre,l about the conee cups and sen
her out Of the room some trivial errand VINE
she returned he appeared TO be III good hum0r an
was very attentive 10 her. she drank her conee a
usual, and ate hearty breakfast Later III the ia