Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-05-26

Ieyes cast dpon the ground, as was his cos.
tom, ana stepping naturally and firmly, he
walked In moment across the sh ort space.
and stood without the culver of a muscle
under the rope. He Was not moved by
the surglng of the spectators toward him,
nor by the shouts of down in front" from
inc more indecent in the rear. He yield
ed pass1Vo'y to be moved alb ut by the
deputy sherltfs. go that he should stand in
the proper spot undcr the rope, and did
not show the least tremor when the Moose
having been attached TO the rope ives fit-
ted to bis neck. Nor did be sink uLder
the most trJ leg of the ordeals to which be
vas next subjected This was the reading
Of the death warrant, which WAS done In q
distinct, loud voice by Deputy Sheriff Os-
borne.
The reading occupied ten minutes, and
during all tins time the condemned. trus-
sed as he was for death, never fa tered
even Tor an instant Occasion ally his body
sWayed slightly, but it was plain that the
motion was due to the fact that bis feet
wsre piniOned.
When the prottacted ealing was con-
Q uded. Sheriff Martin said, in a voice
! slightly tremulous, "Mr. RuIoff, have you
anything to say why the sentence of the
law should not now be executed % The
! prisoner answered Ia u low, but perfectly
natural voice, Nothing st all ?"
! pause of momen5 ensue3. Sheriff
MarIn was evidently disconcerted by tue
reply, as Ai' programme contem plated
giving the prisoner ample time for any
remark lie might wish 10 make. He
stepped around near the signal line, and
from this position said
Mr.. Rnloh, it now lacks twenty-six
minutes Oh the time fixed in nv mind for
carrying out the sentence of the law
have You nothing to ssy to this audi
ence p
The answer vas Il negative motion Of
the head.
The Sheriff. Doyou desire INV further
delay
| Another negative motion. and as he
made IT, Il e prisoner said t. S. r. Brown,
Ihe deputy, upon his right, can't stand
still"
| That irstaut the white cap was drawn
over his head ami face. Sheriff Martin
! gently She OK the rope, and the slack was
drawn III He gave the signal cord
slight pun. then u stronger one there was
slight thud heard behind, and Edward
ii. RuiOH Was jerk.d upward into space
at IL 80 O'Clock, A. NJ.
Then was witnesetd tho straDgest epec,
tacle ever afforded in hanging a felon.-
When Jerkel up. he had his hands in his
pantalOon pockets, but the violence of the
shock Ct the body settling down upon the
NEST started from their sockets to see that
hand move backward three or more in.
chez and thrust it'elf into the pocket Just
as it before. Human Imagination
would never have dared such "a startling
proof of 6 the ruling passion strong IL
death. But this was the only movement
of the body after the ascent. There was no
str Rigging Whatever, not eren the contrao-
ton OF a muscle visible to the nearest OBJ
server. The eyes and mouth were partly
open, but there was nothing repuleive in
the dead f1lon as he lay in MS coffin, ex
oept the memory of his Thirty years of
la~!essness. of his many crimes, of his de-
tance in his last moments of the law of
God and the faith of man.
SKETCH OF RULoFFs CAREER,
Rulcf vas in the fftieth year Of his
age, and was native OF New Brunswick.
After several years schooling, he was
placed in lawyers Office, where he stud.
led Greek and Latin, and also familiarized
himself with botany and chemistry. Here
he took up his linguistic hobby-the idea
of discovering the '' rudiments of philolo-
gy." He was subsequently merchants
clerk, then studied medicine, mixed up
with metaphysics and got some acquain-
lance with divers modern languages. He
seems to have given up business at home,
however, some time later, and turned up in
1912. twenty-five years of age, at Dryden,
pkins county New York, as a canal
driver, but subsequently became a school
teacher, and married one of his pupils,
girl OF sixteen, daughter of well-to -do peo-
pie. He next set up for a physician, aud
though he had every encouragement to be-
come good man, he made his home I'M
happy by iil-treatme0t of his wife, and it
has been rendered morally certain that
three mouths after his first child was born
hov 4 h IoSu
bodies in chest, and sunk them in Cayu-
ga Lake. He escaped conviction for their
murder because the bodies could not be
found, hut was tried for the abduction
of his wife" and sentenced to ten years
hard labor, which term expired in 1856 -
While in Tompkins county jail h. corrupt
ed AibeIs L. Jarvis, the ,ilors son, who
subsequently accom- panied him il his wan
behring's and as listed him ia his villanies.-
Ia 1861 Ruluff vas sent to Sing Sing for
burglary in Ducbe S county, where he be-
came acquainted with VIM. Z. Dexter
R1loff, Jarvis ana Dexter sub equently
made the Il headquarters in New York city,
committing varions crimes and Assuming
various names aGd characters. During all
this time he working away on his
| great pathological discovery"
On the 18th OF August, 1870, about two
o'clock N tie morning, the three men
| broke into the dry goods store Of Halbert
Brothers, at Binghampson. and were re-
moving goods to the yard, whom the two
clerks, Gilbert s. Burroughs and FEEDER
lex A. Mirrick, who we've asleep on the
premises, suddenly awoke, and instantly
struggle took place. Neither of the clerks
was over twenty years of age, bat the dis
6guree and hardly recogniz bic bodies of
| two OF the burglars, who afterwards we're
found dead in the Chenengo River, which
flowed near the store, showed how terribly
| we'll they fought. In tue struggle MiTrick
mastered one of the burglars and was
choking him, when another, afterwards
shown TO be Rulotf, erept up behind him
and blew his brains out The three then
retreated, and Burroughs, rushing into
the street, gave the alarm.
| According to Ruloff's statement his &C
completes we're drowned attempting to
swim the river. He escaped. On his first
arrest some days after he maintained bis
innocence aud was dismissed by the coro-
ner. He was subsequently arrested. tried
and convicted and admitted the deed but