The national Republican., 1869-02-13
Tn. H..sr,,en |, Of Mh.,.p.

A correspondent Of the New York Herald
gives an account Of the last hours Of whalen,
and Of his execution, and from which we |
make the following extractsi 7ai
Whalen passed q bad night. About seven |
O'Clock his courage deserted him and he burst |
into an agony Of tears, crying that God had |
forsaken him, and that he must die for
another mans crime. The Rev. Fathers
O'Connor and Tabafet, who with the Sisters
Of Mercy, were unremittlng In their attend
ance, tried to cheer him with the consultations
OF religion, and he partook Of the holy saern-
ment. Afterwards he fell into q troubled
sleep, occasionally crouching into the cell
corner and crying on the watchers TO save
him. He had hidden farewell 10 his wife
affectionately In the evening.
At six o'clock this morning he awakened,
had q cup OF coffee, some toast and eggs, and
passed two hours In prayer, occaslonally
varied by wild burst ofweeping, the priests
meanwhile cxhorting him TO courage. He
dressed carefully In black, neatly brushed,
with polished boots and green tie. .I
In religious exercises the time passed until
| o quarter past ten, when tho executioner ar
rived and inspected the preparations. Wha-
len, in his corridor, surrounded by the priests
and nuns, fell on his knees and feryently re-
cited prayers after Father O'Connor.
Tho corridor doors were opened and the
sheriff announced that the hour for the exc
cution had arrived. All heads were barred,
and some Of the spectators within the prison
were deadly faint and sick. The sheriff was
dressed In black, with q cooked hat and
sword; the jail governor In black.
The cxecutioner was cladiin blue Jacket
and pantaloons, with striped red and white
| cap. His face was closely swathed with black
Grape. He was young, 1.-The and active. His
hands and feet and features, 80 far as dis
tinguishable through the Grape, were deli
| cate as those Of q woman, and q woman
many take this executionor to have been.
Whalen walked firmly, although his
mouth twitched nervously and the fingers Of
his plnioned hands strove to gripe each
other hard. Father O'Connor prayed aloud
voice that was trembling and husky, "Christ
have mercy on u.s." His eyes and checks
were swollen, but his face otherwise pallld.
He advanced to the drop and took his place
firmly. He said
"My friends and fellow countrymen, ad-
dress few words to you upon this solemn
occasion. hope you will pardon this my
give me. ask II from the bottom Of my
heart In this solemn hour, and from all whom
have injured by word, act, or deed, ask
forgiveness for the same. God save Ireland
God save my soul |"
The executioner drew down tho cap over
his eyes and placed the moose round his neck,
and, with his white, dry lips still muttering
prayer, whom least expected, the trap fell
and Whnlen was launched Into eternity. lie
fell six feet. His feet kicked together once.
His body vibrnted for less than q minute,
aud he was dead. The drop fell at nine min.
utes past eleven o'clock, precisely. The
crowd dispersed most quietly.
This morning Sheriff Powell, In the alb
sence Of the minister Of Justice, told Mrs.
Whalen that she might have the body at
three O'Clock. A hearse was sent for the
body, but the Sheriff declined to surrender II
unless Mrs. Whalen would promise to inter
It privately. This she refused to do, and the
body was withheld. Late tonight the privy
council refused point blank TO surrender the
I body, and II will doubtless be inferred within
the precincts Of the jail.
Whalen was expected to have made con-
fcsslon either to have cleared Doyle aud
Buckley, now under Indictment, or else to
have implicated several prominent parties In
Montreal, Quebec and New York. Many said
to-day that Buckley was the murderer. II
i Is not little strange that Whalen says he
was one Of four who killed MCGEE. The
, witness Lacroix only saw one man. Little
4 or no value is to be attached to Whalen',
4 | statements.
A dispatch from Montreal says with refer
encc to the feeling there;
/, Whalen's body was to have been walked nl
: Ottawa, but the Government refused to Civ,
J II up. The Fenians here say they will give hin
! bigger funeral than ever MCGEE had, and
' II the body Is withheld, will get up demon
stration, and all walking In procession, will
7 green sashes swathed In Grape. SIT Is littl'
: we can do for poor Pat now, they say, "bu
! we will take care Of his widow" IL an,
dcmonstrntion tako0 plaSos thsre Is snre to b
u riot, as the authorities are on the alert
The public generally were apathetic at first
8 but at the Star newspaper office 1t was fount
a necessary to have police on guard, and tn
& windows were smashed by the crowd cage
c to read the bulletins. Much uneasiness wa
), Mt first felt In Fenian circles lest Whalci
d should peach.
J, Mrs. McGee addressed a touching and for
l. giving letter to Whalen, forgiving him 70
n the murder Of her husband, In view Of tn
h awful position In which he was now placed