New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-20
COMFORTABLE EXECUTION.

Charles Orme was hung at Stroudsburg, Pap
week or two ago. Anticipating, perhaps, the
damnable horror of his legal takIng-o1, ne mao
once made desperate effort to escape ana
once he had attempted to commit suicide bu'
the fatal morning finds him living sacllllce'
and now he stands upon the gallows, utterly
in the power of the Sheriff, who says to linn
"Tm putting this (the rope) on to you as COM
Portable as | can, so as not TO hurt YOU
Charley
The sequel showed that whatever may have
been the benevolent intentions of the Sheriff III
making this preparation for good comfort
able" cosy dislocatiOn, they were tohed by
the ignorance or the inexperience OF the
worthy officer Once Orme had been upon the
gallows, and then taken i'll again, to eat his
dinner, in the hope that reprleye when never
came, might arrive by the next mail Already
even upon the galows, Orme had had dis
graceful dispute with the old Sheriff, now OIL
cially defunCt, about his treatment when hrst
imprisoned. g never got change OF clOth-
"ing,n he said, "Of shirts, or socks, or
"anything of the kind, and / got 80 covered
"with vermin that the only way | could get
Grid of them was by burning them with
"lighted candle" But all that being over
nothing remained bat to send Ome to another
world cas- comfortably as | can, Charley
We beg pardon of our readers, but the story
even in the interest of the Death Penalty
should be told once more. The Sheriftwitched
the rope attached to the upright which upheld
the drop, and pulled the bar from its place. Bar
and drop fell f; the rope above the moose broke,
and, with a fall of FIVE feet, Charley came
to the floor of the prison almost stunned, and
with his head leaning against the prison wall.
They raised him; they palled the cap from
his face; they made him again ascend the
scaffOld, while the benevolent Sheriff prepared
new moose. Probably all ideas OF doing the
thing comfortably" had by this time vanished
from the mind of this worthy officer; he had
bad Job on his hands; Providence was
plainly interpOsing to save the life OF the man,
and Providence must be promptly and effect
ually encountered 90 that this horrible work
" was Overt" said Ome, as for the third time
he was placed under the cross-bar. Again the
bar was pulled and again the drop fell But
the Sheriff, who just before was upon COM
" Portable thoughts intent, had so adjusted
this legal crayat-was such a clumsy Beau
Brummel of a sherlf-that the knot of the
"noose struck the mans throat directly under
" the chin" "Old man" gasps Manfred, in
the play
cold man! It's not so difficult 20 die"
But poor " Charley" found it hard enough. The
bandage about his arms became loOscned, and
several times the dangling wretch raised his
right hand to his neck, and clutched cOnvul-
sively the shirt near the throat. AS the body
swung near the drop, Charley with his left
hand caught hold of one side Of the platform,
scratching there-fumbling for life with fright
full instinct, so that when the hand was forced
to loose its hold through weakness, the
grating of the fingeT-nails could be heard
"plainly all over the hall" For fifteen min
utes 0rme was dying. He was not really dead
until twenty-five minutes from the moment he
was Launched into eternity" had elapsed.
Then they cut him down, put him into plain
coffin, and buried him in a corner of the GEM
etery. We should not be at all surprised to
learn that the Sheriff has ordered his disinter-
ment, to find out whether he be really dead,
or whether he is merely affecting death to avoid
any more of Mr.. Sheritt's comfort"
"A more horrible execution said one news
paper, "never took place in the United States"
That Others like it may rarely occur, we en-
brace the present rs an excellent time for
bringing before the public plan which we
have long been cOgitating for the endowment
and establishment of A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FOR HANGMEN. In this pleasant institution,
the theory and practice of the Arts of Stran-
Cling and Dislocation will be taught. One
department will be devoted TO the training of
cergymen in the business of judiciousy con-
Quoting the last devotions, and q little manual
will be prepared, of hymns and prayers
suitable to the OCCASION In another depart
ment, lectures will be given on the anatomy
of the throat and neck; in still another, which
may be called the gymnasium, the students
will be employed in the construction of the
gallows, in working with lay-fgures at what
may be designated as moot-hangings, in prac-
ticingthe art of pinioning and of adjusting the
fatal moose. Occasionally, as great favor,
some court might send to the Hangman's
University a living subject to be operated
upon by the students; and what n treat it
will be to them what still greater
treat it will be to the culprit thus honored
In this way we should expect, in a short time,
to be able to turn out a great number of dex-
ferrous men, each with a diploma comforting
upon him the degree of Master of Hanging
on. H. Then everything will go sweetly.
There will be a great Improvement in the
prayers, and there is certainly room for it.
The we'll creased gallows will work with the
regularity and precision of steam-engine. A
humane CELEBRITY will mark our executions.
Ropes will never break; those who are worked
off will have their necks broken, and will not
be strangled. One-two-three; and all over!
Bah it will be nothing!