Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-08-19
ANOTHER sCAFFoLD HORROR.
Disgraceful Scene at the Gsllows-A Ter
ribie execution.

The execution of Charles Orme for the
murder of Theodore Brodhead, which took
place at Stroudsburg, ! \on the iith inst,
was one of those h' i. scenes which have
become commos, Pb'iate at executions.
A correspondent thus describes the final
scene AT the scaffold =
The prisoner was brought out for execu-
ton, and on the scaffold made speech.
which he closed by saying
~ never got change OF clothing, of shirts
or socks or anything Of that kind, and got
so covered with vermin that the only way
could get rid of them was by burning them
with lighted candle.
Sheriff Merwine, to the utter astonishment
of everybody, at this point interrupted the
condemned man by asking, g You mean
that was before your trial ~" Yes" replied
Orme, whereupon ex-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 scaffold and the ex-SheriR
which lasted for several minutes, until end
ed by n citizen of the place stepping up to
the latter, bidding him desist 1t was now
half-past eleven o'clock, and the prisoners
spiritual advisers demanded that the execu-
tion should be postponed until the arrival Of
the one o'clock mail train, which might
bring reprieye," and after another wrangle
the sheriff agreed to the postponement, and
SO the prisoner was taken down from the
| scaffold and reconducted to his cell, while
| spectators adjourned to dinner.
Tho mail train arrived q Onp O'clock. bllt
there was no news from Harrisburg, and so
everybody who had managed to gulp down
his dinner and had pass to enter the Jail at
| once wended his way towards the scene of
execution. AT ten minutes to two o'clock
| the cell was again crowded and the prisoner
| brought out. He assembled the scaffold as
| firmly as he had assembled it before, and
knelt down while the minister offered up a
prayer for him, in which he fervently Joined.
He protested that he never told Brooks to
shoot Theodore Brodhead, and repeated Sc
veral 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 snap like that of whip,
and Orme fell distance of five feet, stri-
| king heavily on the hard floor OF the prison.
He would have fallen backward his full
length had the drop not fallen behind him
as he struck the ground, and as it was, he lay
for a second stunned almost TO unconscious
ness, with his head leaning against the wall.
For an instant everybody seem paralyzed
with terror, and no one moved toward the
unfortunate man; but the moment that the
spell that bound the spectators had passed
away general rush was made toward the
| scaffold. Orme was raised TO his feet and
the cap taken off his face. He looked Wild
ly about and held his right hand up TO his
neck, but said nothing, probably because
he was unable to speak-until he was again
made to ascend the scaffold, while the bung
| ling sheriff prepared new moose. As he
| placed himself under the cross bar for the
| third time, he turned toward his spiritual
advisers and exclaimed, "Oh! that this
horrible work was over" Finally the new
moose was put about his neck and the cap
was once more drawn over his eyes, while
he continued to utter, ''God have mercy on
me-" The sheriff pulled the bar and the
drop fell.
The body fell about four feet and rebound
cd slightly as the moose tightened about the
neck. The rope did not break, but the knot
ofthe moose struck the man s throat directly
under the chin, and his struggle with death
was consequently prolonged one. To add
additional horror to the scene, the muslin
that bound his arms behind him had not
been tight enough, and several times, while
the body was dangling in the air, the right
hand was raised to the neck and clung con-
vulsivcly to the shirt bosom near the throat.
| The left hand also,as the body swung against
the drop, grasped hold of one side of the
platform and clutched it for several seconds,
and when it finally became weakened and
was compelled to relax its hold, it closed on
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-
/ 14I -1A ~ n
until twenty five minutes had elapsed from
the time he 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. A more horrible execution
never took place in the United States.