The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-08
Twitchell by his own Hand, and
Eaton by the Halter.
Twiichell Commits Suicide in his
Cell at 4 o'clock This Morning.
Eaton is Hung at 1850 P. M.
Full Details Of the Closing
Scenes.

To-day. George s. Twitchell, Junior, and
Gerald Eaton quit the world, but not In com
pany. Twitchell died at o'clock this morning.
in his cell, and by his own hand. Eaton expi-
ated the crime of which he had been convicted
upon the scaffold at 1880 ?. NJ
Nincing Matters.
Eaton is reported to have said, recently that
he did not mind being hung, but disliked the
idea of being hung by the side of such hypo-
critic as Twitchell Such not destined to be his
fate. Yet man cannot, even II he choose, be
dainty about the arrangements for his involun
tary exit from this world especially about the
sort of company he is forced to keep upon the
ecaffold Twitcheu was more generous, In word
if not in heart While he apparently did not
regard the companionship of Eaton3on the fatal
trap as calculated to increase the ignominy OF
his death, he expressed his joy, few days ago.
at hearing that there was some hope OF respite
for his condemned companion
The Last Effort at Salvation.
Twitchell had not been politician. There
fore It was necessary that he should resort to
some startling trick to cheat the King OF Terrors
out of part of the prey allotted him by the
courts That sensational confession" with all
it's improbabilities and incongruities, Twas kept
back until but FIVE days remained to him as the
time within which he must succeed In
perverting the sympathy OF the public, or else
die the death the law had decreed. Then itlwas
hurled forth, somewhat after theifashion OF JoVe
of old in launching his thunderbolts, with great
deal of pious bluster and mock-heroic reluctance.
1t was sad thing for man to attempt
70 fasten an infamous crime upon
the name of the woman whom
ol,a ilh md
and vet it must be done-not that he might
give the halter the slip but that man about to
be ushered into eternity might make his peace
with God OF course such thunderbolt
from a cloadless sky served to startle,
perhaps to amaze, the world; but
it failed to fdghten anybody, aud
.yailed not to melt the hardened hearts of those
who were persecuting an innocent man to the
death. And having thus failed utterly TO avert
one jot or little of his approaching fate, he did
not scruple to place his spiritual adviser in n
very ugly position, by subsequently asserting
that the documcnt had been sent to the news
papers ''against his desire and consent"
On the contrary Eaton had been politician
of some note, and although he stoutly asserted
his innocence from fret to last, his friends chose
rather to rely upon political machinery to secure
a mitigation of the severity Of his punishment
Within three days of the time appointed for his
death, the tme-honored appliances were brought
TO bear, and with marvellous rapidity-one o.
the elegant arts of Harrisburg legislation
an act was pushed through botl
houses comforting upon the Governor
the power to commute a sentence OF death int
one of imprisonment for life or for term o.
years Yesterday it was telegraphed from til,
capital that the Governor would certainly sigr
this law without delay, and avail himself of it,
provisions to rescue Eaton from DEATH But tn,
Governor turned over the proposed statute to his
Attorney General for his legal scrutiny, ant
finally, late last night, announced tina
I'm neither case would he interfere
with the due course of the outraged law. Thu
expired the last hope of Eaton. Charles w
Brooke. ESQ.,, one OF his faithful counsel, ant
Alderman William HcMulln one of his un
ainchiug friends who had visited Harrisburg, a
members of the Forlorn Hope, telegraphed tn
result of the Governors action 10 Mr.. j. Nolan
of SAMSON street, and this gentleman at one
proceeded 10 the prison 10 inform Eaton that
was all up with him.
The doomed man listened attentively TO III
fatal intelligence and when its full force ha
broken upon his mind, he exclaimed
'All right"
Then the philosophy which Twitchell ha
failed TO cultivate came to his aid, and after
short silence he said:-
..Tell my friends" running over the names G
few of them, ''tell my friends that | am yer
grateful for what they have done for me, an
they win have no cause to be ashamed of me, fo
will die like a man."
The Interviews Yesterday.
The Superintendent, since the reading OF tn
death-warrant has ordered that all person
whom Twitchell desired 10 see should be accom-
panied by "A keeper, who should be careful Z
hear all Conversations passing between then
This has been rigidly enforced, even wit
the counsel in the case, until yesterday
when il il alleged this vigilance was not insiste
ON. at least on the part of the keeper AT on
period of the day no less than six persons wcr
IN the cell at the same time and we are iniorme me
that private remarks were passed by at least wv
of Tie visitors. From what we could iearI
Messrs O'Byrne, Coils, and McCully, ana M
Twitchell, Sr., were there in addition TO the IL
spectors.
TwifeheIPs Last Day ON EARTH
Early yesterday morning, when Dr. SIhlth, M u
prson physician, visited Twltchelrs cell, he toun
him much prostrated physically and mentally