The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-22

wish to make. He stepped AROUND ueat lhe
signal line, and from this position said:
''Mr. Rulluf. it now lacks tWenty-siA n!u-
utes Of the time fixed in my mind Tor Carrying
out the sentence OF the law. Have you holn-
ing to say to this audience 2,
The answer was negative motion of the
head. ..p.,,
delay2
it, the prisoner said to s. 4. Brown, lne oepu-
ty. upon his right, II can't stand still
That instant the white cap was drawn over
his head ano face Sheriff Martin gently shook
the rope, and the slack was drawn in. He gave
the signal cord slight pull, then stronger
one: there was slight thud. heard behind.
and Edward q. Rullof was jerked upward
into space at :35 o'clock, A. ID.
Then was witnessed the stransest specta,cIs5 :
ever afforded in hanging felen. When jeTke1
up, he had his hands in his nantaloon pockets,
but the violence of the shock OF the body SET.
ting down upon the rope pulled out tae rlsnt
hand. Ewes almost started from their sockets
to see that hand move backward three or
more inches and thrust Itself Into the pocket
lust as it was before. Human lmaglnallon
would nevec have dared such u startllng PROOF
of 'the ruling passion strong ID death; put
this was the only movement Of the body alter
the ascent. There was no struggling what
ever, not eTen the contraction OF muscle
visible to the nearest observer. The eyes and
mouth were partly open, but there was moth
inc repulsiye in the dead felon as he lay In his
coffin, except the memory OF bis thirty years
OF lawlessncss, OF his many crimes, OF MS ae,
fiance in his last moments OF the laws OF Goa
and the faill OF man.
sxErCH OF RULLOFF'S CAREER.
Rnloff was in the fltieth year OF MS age.
and was native of New Brunswick. Aller
several years schooling, he was placed IN a
lawyers office, where he studied Greek ana
Latin. and also familiarized himself with bota-
nv and chemistry. Here he took up his linguistic
bobby-the idea of discovering the ''ruui-
ments Of phioogy.'' He was subsequently, a
merchants clerk, then studied medicine,
mixed up with metaphysics. ana got some ac-
auaintance with divers modern languages. he
seems to nave given up business at nome,
however, some time later, and turned up III
lS42, twenty-five years OF aye, at Dryden,
Tompkins County, New York, as canal
driver, but subsequently became schcoi
teacher, and mhrried one OF his pupils, girl
of sixteen. daughter of well-lo-do people. He
next set up for Il physician. and though he had
every encouragement to become gO0u
man; he made his home unhappy by III,
treatment Of his wife, and it has been rendered
.morally certain that three months alter MS
first child vas born he murdered it and his
wife, placed their bodies in chest. and sunk
them in Cavu9a Lake. He escaped conviction
for their murder because the bodies could not
be found. but was tried for the abduction OF
his WIFE, and sentenced TO ten years hard Ia
Dor, which term expired in 1856. While IN
Tompkins County Jail he corrupted Albert I.
Jarvis, the jailor's son, who subsequently ac-
COMMANDED him in his wanderings and assisted
him in his y!!anies. In 1851 kulloff was sent
to Sing Sing ior burglary in Duchess County
where he became acquainted with WIN. l..
Dexter Rilllofl, Jarvis and Dexter subse-
quen1y made their headquarters In New YORK
city, committing various crimes and assuming
various names and characters. During all this
time he was working away on MS great pull
lological discovery"
on the nth Of August, 1870, about two
o'clock in the morning, the three men broke
into the dry goods store OF Halbert Brothers,
ut Blughampton, and were removing goods TO
the yard, wnen the two clerks Gilbert 5. Bur
roughs and Frederick A: MlrriGk, who were
asleep on The premises. suddenly uWoke, and
The clerks was over twenty years OF age, but
lhe distigured and hardly recognizable bodies
{ + two oil the burglars. who afterwards were
!ound dead In the Chenango River. Which
flowed near the store, showed how terribly
well they fought. In the struggle Mirrick
mastered one Dt the burglars and was choking
him, when another, afterwards shown 10 b.
Rulloff. creIt up behind him and blew his.
brains out The three then retreated, anti
Burroughs, rushing into the street. gave the
alarm.
according. TO Rallof's statement, mis- accom-
plices were drowned attempting 10 swim the
river. He escaped. On his first arrest, some
days after. he maintained his innocence and
was dismissed by the coroner. He was sub.
sequently arrested. tried and convicted, and
admitted the deed. but denied the RESPONSE
bility of the murder.
In person Rnllolr was FIVE .eet eight inches
in height broad shoulders, thick, bull neck.
compaclly built. square jaws, Thin lips, dark
grey eyes. small and wide apart. His face was
flauby, dull and heavy looking, rather cunning
in eXpression. and out slightly intellectual
He had powerful constitution, which has
kept him up well In his long confinement.