Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-04-13
HANGED

Herald gives the following account of
the hanging ceremony at Lima, on
Friday last:
The prisoner was awakened at four
O'Clock. and bid TO prepare himself
for his fate. lie lay in his bed until
about five O'Clock, when he arose and
dressed himself in dark suit of
clothes. lie then ate very hearty
breakfast, was i'll good spirits, very
talkative, and apparently unconscious
otsthe terrible fate awaiting him in so
short 4 time.
The scaffold was made of fhemlock,
painted black. 1t was sixteen feet
high, consisting of upright and cross
beam. with swinging trap, wearing
a ghastly and terrible aspect The
scaffold was reached by a ladder CT
ten steps. It was situated in the
west end of the main corridor of the
jail, il being the intention to make
the execution as private as possible
The services in the cell, Immediate
ly anterior TO the execution, were of
q nature circulated to smooth the
rugged road of the condemned to the
confines OF the grave, consisting of
prayer, appropriately interspersed
with singing.
AT eight o'clock the doomed man
took leave of his friends, who depart
ed from the cell and Jail greatly dis
tressed, and weeping freely. The
father was greatly overcome by the
separation.
The devotional exercises were con
tinued until the hour OF execution,
and just prior to that I was permit
ted an Interview with him. His
height was about five feet eight inches
rather round, foil face, unshayen,
stoop-shoulders, small nose, blue
eyes, compressed lips, denoting a
doggcd determination seldom met
with, hair slightly gray and quite
bald, short, thick neck, heavy body,
weight 160 pounds, age fifty-two the
9th Of last March. He expressed
himself prepared ro die, and reconcil
ed to his fate
At nine O'Clock and fifty-two min
utes the criminal, preceded by the
Rev br Bartholomew, and followed
by Sheriff Coldbath and assistants,
emerged from the cell and marched
toward the scaffold. The procession
ascended the steps, the prisoner walk
ing without the least perceptihle
;remor or weakness. He seated him
self in a chair while the Rev. Nr.
Bartholomew read the fifty first
Psalm, following with prayer, and
ending the scaffold devotion with the
Lords prayer, in which the prisoner
very distinctly responded. Ills spir
itual adviser then took leave of him
and decended from the platform. The
Sheriff then seated himself beside the
culprit and read the death warrant,
also the reprieye of Governor Hayes,
and the warrant fixing the fatal dav
at this date. He was then securely
pinioned, arms and legs, and was
asked if he had anything to say. He
responded ''nothing.'' The moose
was then properly adjusted, the black
cap drawn carefully over his face, and
then, by request Of the doomed man,
a fayorite hylnn was sung and prayer
offered. while he stood before the
awful abyss in which he was TO be
plunged.
At the conclusion Of these e1ercis
es the sheriff decended from The scaf-
fold, took his stand in front o. the |
trap. and with his right hand claspilg g
the rope connected with the lever,
and his watch in his left hand, he
said: "Gentlemen, the hour fer the
execution has now arrived. It is now
ten o'clock and twenty minutes" and
with an almost imperceptible move
ment Of Of his right hand the trap
fell, and Brentlinger was launched
into eternity. The fall was five feet,
sufficient to dislocate the neck.
At 1929 O'clock the physician in
attendance examined the Iulsations
Of the heart and pronounced life ex-
Linct. At 10 40 the body was cut
down and placed in coffin, which was
then carried to the outside Of the jail,
and the thousands CT people congre-
gated outside were permitted to view
the remains, after which they were
taken in charge by his friends, w-o
will give him decent burial
The execution was conducted in
he most orderly manner, only about
,airty spectators witnessing it, and
hese were chiefly members Of the
3ress.