The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-14
The EXECUTION AT srRoupspURG, Pa.

| FOLD AND MOST TERRIBLE SCENE OF HOR.
RoR.-1t was stated that Charles Orme was
hung Wednesday at Stroudsburg, Pa, for
the murder of Theodore Brodhead, at the
Delaware Gap, in Monroe county, Pa.
about ten months ago. A correspondent
gives the following account of the final
scene ut the scafold:
The prisoner was brought out for execu-
ton, and on the scaffold made q speech,
which he closed by saying:
81 never got n change of clothing, Of
shirts or socks, or anything of that kind
| and I got so covered with vermin that the
only way I could &c. rid of them was by
| burning them with lighted candle"
Sheriff Merwine, to the utter astonisk-
ment of everybody at this point interrupt
cd the condemned man by asking, "You
| mean that was before your trial ~ eyes, =
replied Orme, whercupon cx-Sheriff Henry
who was sheriff at the time referred to by
the prisoner, advanced to the scaffold from
the gathering Of spectators, and asked him
| if he hadn't had all the attention and all
the change of clothing he had desired while
he had charge of him. The prisoner said
| he had not, and this led to debate between
the man on the scafold and the ex-sherifE
which lasted for several minutes, until end
ed by citizen of the place stepping up to
the latter and babe him desist. 1t was now
half-past II o'clock, and the prisoners
spiritual advisers demanded that the execu-
ton should be postponed until the arrival of
| the l o'clock mail train, (Which might
bring repreve," and after another wran-
| gle the sheriff agreed to the postponement
and so the prisoner was taken down from
| the scaffold and reconductcd to his cell
while the spectators adjourned to dinner.
The mail train arrived at / o'clock, but
there was no news from Harrisburg, and SC
everybody who had managed to gulp down
his dinner and had pass to enter the jail
at once wendell his way towards the scene
| of execution. At ten minutes to 2 O'Clock
the cell was again crowded, and the pri-
soner brought out. He assembled the scat
fold as firmly as he had assembled it before,
and knelt down while the minister offered
up prayer for him, in which he fcrvently
joined. He protested that he never told
Brooks to shoot Theodore Brodhead, and
repeated several times, "God have mercy
on me-"
The bar and the drop fell with crash,
and at the same instant the rope above the
| moose broke with a snap like that of whip
and Orme fell a distance Of five feet, strik-
| ing heavily on the hard floor Of the prison
He would have fallen backward his full
length had the drop not been behind him
as he struck the ground, and rs it was he
lay for second stunned almost to uncon-
seriousness with his head leaning against
the wall. For an instant everybody seemed
! paralyzed with terror, and no one moved
! toward the unfortunate man; but the mo-
mcnt that the spell that bound the specta-
tors had passed away n general rush was
made toward the scaffold.
Orme was raised to his feet and the car
taken off his face. He looked wildly about
and held his right hand up to his neck, but
said nothing, probably because he was I'M
able to speak-until he was again made tc
ascend the scaffold, while the bungline
sheriff prepared new moose. As he placed
himself under the cross-bar for the third
time, he turned towards his spiritual ad-
visers and exclaimed: "Oh that this hor-
rsbc work was over" Finally the new
moose was put about his neck and the CAP
once more drawn over his eyes, while he
continued TO utter. God have mercy or
me-" The sheriff pulled the bar, and the
drop fell.
The body fell about four feet and re,
bounded slightly MS the moose frightened
about the neck. The rope did not break
but the knot Of the moose struck the man;
throat directly under the chin, and his
struggle with death was consequently O
prolonged one. TO add additional horror tC
thc scene, the muslin that bound his armf
behind him had not been tied tight enough
and several times, while the body was dang.
ling in the air, the right hand was
raised to the neck and chung convulsively
to the shirt bosom near the throat. The
left hand also, az the body swung against
the drop, grasped hold of one side Of tho
platform and clutchcd it for several seconds
and when it finally became weakened, and
was compelled to relax its hold, it closed OF
the board SO firmly that the grating of the
finger nails could be plainly heard all over
the hall. For fifteen minutes the poor fel-
low struggled violently, and was not dead
until twenty-five minutes had elapsed from
the time lie was swung off. When the body
was cut down it was placed in plain coffin
and inferred in q corner Of one Of the town
cemeteries. 4 more horrible execution
never took place'in the United States.