The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-04-09


preparation TO meet his fate which awaited him.
THE PROCESSION or DEATH.
Meantime the hum Of conversation outside went
on. All at once dead silence fell on the throng,
seats and Reynolds appeared between the Rev.
Father Laggance on his lett and Deputy Warden
ss 3 bis % S i'ec S,s Sns mus ed
walked with nrm STEP His hands were clssped
before him and held an ebony cruea5' With brass
right nor the left but listen TO the admonitions OF
the Deputy Warden. Arrived
UNDER THE ROPE
Mr.. O'Neill let him 10 and twice he raised his
head slightly and despsringy glanced at the dang.
ling cord above him but as quickly his eyes fell
again. In response to touch from the Rev. Father
he kneeled down and all three Joined in prayer for
at the crucnI while the tears trckled nom his eyes
again as a signal to arise. but he obeyed at once.
The Rev. Father then took the crucihx from him
feet s still weeping but wi,aou, other sign o. emotion
They then bade each other goodbye and the priest
stepped aside Rosenberg who wa. standing be-
hind now came forward drew down the black cap
over Reynolds face and clumsiy attached the moose
to the hanging rope above. He then stepped back
and REYNOLDS clssped his hands In mont and waited
not remble In his frame.
IT WAS MOMENT or DRnADYuL susPrNss.
Deputy Sheriff Stevens drew forth his handker-
owed, bu, Reynolds stii remained on the ground.
One two, three, half dozen seconds passed. each
Of Of. them an age Of agony; tss deputy sheriff drew
In hurried impatence before his face Another thud
was heard, the moose tiEhtened with sudden jerk
was raised about four feet at exactly 925 o'clock
80 slowly did II rise that there was no rebound, no
chance that tho poor wretch would have his neck
broken and his misery ended at once. Along drawn
DEATH NJ srRASeuLATioS
was before him. jerry Simonton, the assistant
executioner, had used two strokes OF an axe, keen
as razor, TO part the little stay rope
THE DEATH STRUGGLES
| Enr "a,
with his right leg outsreched little and his body
slowly swinging from right to len and back again I;
arst but violeniy in a second or two. His
| body swung once more to the right and
er pn.is IT, ns lands
| unciasped. ard after grsspng n moment at the air
on either side, clasped together again: After that
| the convulsions become more violent His body
would draw and fall, and his legs would kick for
ward and backward. still swinging from right to
left. when this had continued Tor a minute. prob
ably, IL was noticed that his neck grew pcrceptiby
blue and oil at once his hands unclnsped, and his
arms fel heavily to his sides the right one imme
ateIy raising again. and Temainng extended, with
| the fingers working neryously Then his body sud
denly assumed tie shape Of an arc OF circle,
1 with the head and feet thrown back, and the
| chest and stomach thrown forward. II remained
riridly ir this position tor nearly a minute, the
ri -ht arm out and the len by the side. Then II ell
| limp then gave another convusiye jerk both arms
| raised and fingers tviichng AnG then fell again.
Slowly the twitching died out, tie arMs lowered to
The sides and al was still. Another Jerk, a series
OF tremors running through the frame, ANA all
still again II wa now three minutes and still the
gurEle OF the air entering the dying mans lungs
| could b. heard distinct', such bOtch was made
| OF the execution. During his most violent convul.
iions, could hardly drive from his mind the
thOught What II that G.m-y pihion should break
| what terrible scene would be then enactedw Tor.
| tunately II held.
LISTENING ron pEAru.
DR.. NeaHs, watch in hand seizug Il Q dying man
| by tie len wrist, ielt his pu-e. minute after or
| four minutes from the time Of banging. DR.. SHINE
ieIt the pulse OF the light wrist Tuo minutes later
Il fla hal All h9af nhRru tha
cu,ioner then unbutoned the dying mans coat.
Two minutes later the body was lowered to within
/ foot OF the ground, and DR.. NcEwirg. with one
hand the back steady it, listened al the chest
ILe heart stil beat. Drs. liodsman, Vance, Fin:
nell, MeDO0ald Harwood, Rohinson, Buttles, and
Van Dusen e,ch crowded around the body, and
went through the performance OF listening for death
which had now becom5 of an almost ivid color
Ihe hands we're rs blue as indigo inside, and tie
weil-wofn pair OF unrolishel boots over " hea the
| pantaiouns hung down loosely.
| DEAD At LAST.
| Wnen twelve minutes had elar-ed a slight tirob
| hing OF the he.U was noticeable. but IN thirteen
| minutes 1t had ceased TO beat forever. 1ao re-
| pOriers, toe deputy sheriff. &c, now crowded
| were intcrchanged aeout the scene which had Just
| boon witnessed. DR.. ftrCll ard Mcdonald we're
| positive that Reynolds neck ha1 been broken but
| DR.. Holrman and many Others were just As vosi.
| tive That sphyxil was tie real cause death Dr..
Vance rr, noun ccd it the most brua execution that
| he had eycr Witnessed
At precisely thirty i've minutes from the time oi
| hangir. TIE Moose was uuia,tened isom the rope,
| and the linp lody was lowered into
| THE COFFIN
| The undertakers instantly tc.an screwing on the
ld hut were Obliged 10 uns rev It again tp pcr.
| mis- the liking Of tie ECose from tie recS and tile
black cap rom the bend. The ace was OF asl y.
| corpse-hke hue, tie eyes we're closed, but there
| were no traces Of agony on the counteuance. Tie
ehon, crucilV placed on hi, breast, with a cross
Of camellias presented by the r"cI Sisters Of ttar-
| hn raised by four men aud lore to tie waiting
| hearse.
| Mr. Howe was exceedingly anxious that
| rosr MoRTEM EXAMINATION
should he had, In order to examine his brain and as
| certuin IL 1t was In way diseased or deficient :
indeed, he had thought seriously tue evening before
| of asking Rcvnol's to make viii beQucithing MIN
| his body Before the HANGING he had a private con
ycrsaiiln with Coroner Flynn, in which he requos
| to be pln ed on tne Jury wrich should sit on hey
| no.ds's body. FyGn at nrst demurrej, bu, nn ally
| consented, and pair Of scales were procured in
| which to wei.h the brain 1t was the wish OF Rev.
should take place and Mr. Howe yielded mis- point.
Il POLICE OFFICER rAISrs.
| As tie police were tlin. out, Pa.rolm1n Wiough
| by fell in Of surerinduced by excitement and
| horror but soon recovered The carpenters rot 10
| work Immediately, and soon not yestge OF tie
| dreadful scaEold remained.
| THH MORBID MULTITUDE.
No sooner mad the policemen been withdrawn
from the neighborng roofs than they and the win.
dows swarmed with human heads, and for two hours
anerward TIE adjacent streets We're thronsed by a
| pleasure In gazing upon the non ncOmmittal outside
| walls OF the irOwning prison.
| before the gaows bad been taken down, the
| matron from the Womon's Prison let out about
forty irowsy boys, who looked at the Instrument of
death, and lhen were huIdled into their own special
| apartment. the " Boys Prison"
| soon af,er, Mr McFlrland came out or 49, prison
gate whence Reynolds hal gone to deatf, o. il way
| 10 trial. He was accompanied By two nGic.as and
did not look toward tue giIlows but hurried swiftly
away.
| Reg nolis was buried in Calvary Cemetery.