The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-19
statement, which he stin firmly adhered to TO the
his last mOmout:-

Since the war and ts s% 9est or OF the time
% sssa
cam ss am as ns
women and abusing me for long time past to prevent
but f Pay attention such ps
he child came D to de- aid not child neither
on that morning conSss that naS cSn
1fs ss s
alive / they had not tried to purge il There sa
oe he whea sr was the @
SS S hi al va S Ue Knew hi.
sda1ns station got mad with % me ABOUT sxcsps
ry ss he "nS w has
SSeS this man ksddins station ' and her
was had the
mother the child has been mad with since &c
H %e had
Almighty my JUDGE that
that time fact the child WAS WAS mot not mne
was know that this statement viii Dc good but
sia s Gppsf Sa
asked before other men ala not have t Son
sssSS AZ .st e.
was right smart while before would speak, and then
deny empbaicay that ever did anything to destroy
laid to my charge and woman, Lizzie Taylor ss
no SouS and to fs e
trial. but since that amt possible would like Elder
Das s s hs o 9ssss and talk with me-
TRYING TO sTARvE TO DEATH.
As soon as Orren found that there was no nope
for him. and that the gallows would inevitably
claim him as its victim, he conceived
THE IDEA OF STARVING HIMSELF TO DEATH.
Beginning with this programme on the I'd OF this
month, for twelve successive days, ending day be-
fore Yesterday, ne steadfastly refused TO eat any
by the cOlored jailer, and refusing to eat at the
time, the dishes containing his food were left in MS
cell. When they came to be taken away they were
found to be untouched. As q consequence of this
the miserable wretch became emaciated, feeble,
and his countenance assumed ghastly hue. On
| Tuesday Orren found, too late, that
DEATH BY STARVATION WOULD NOT SAVE HIM
his ana be ne oega 81 10 eer
| had reduced him to mere living skeleton. His
eyes CLASSY and sunken in their respective cav
| tiles his cheeks, from the genuine African black,
were blanched pale and CHASTITY, and his whole ex-
preston one of nervous terror that indicated
the greatest trepidation and fear. This was the
| condition in which found the criminal this morn
FEW MOMENTS BEFORE HIS EXECUTION.
| As to his spiritual condition little can be said;
for while he refused eat food, he as stubbornly
refused to be talked to either by ministers of the
Gospel or others. While remained IN his cell he
walked with feeble gait backwards and forwards
only stopping for moment at time to rest him.
.! feel very WELL, he said, "cept ITS de pangs
Of deth."
Are you not prepared to die ~
81 feels de pangs OF deth."
Captain Biggs here asked, "Do you still declare
your innocence, Orren 20
eyes sah," he said, II did not commit de crime"
'Do you know Of anybody, owen, who could
have had any motive In poisoning the child ~ l
mo, sah," he said, with solemn shake Of his
There was SOME more conversation of desul-
tory nature, byt there was nothing ELECTED from
the condemngd man beyond what have stated,
| himself before he was led to the gallOws The
hour was then twive midday. and all the prepara-
| lions for
lad been completed. The armed guard were placed
in position, the colored preachers stood waiting
| the physicians stood waiting, the crowd without
the enclosure stood waiting, and the scafold itself
| stood there in its own corner, waiting also.
THE STRUCTURE OF DEATH
| was the same upon which criminal was executed
two years ago, in the same identical place, sur:
| spectators, that could not see for the blanket
fence that enclosed it; it looked identically the
erected, and 1t still retained all it's murderous and
barbar0us purposes OF strangulatlon, identically
legally strangled upon 1t two years ago.
There was not a symptom OF Improvement,
Was d p beneath oee oH the place where ee criminal
| would fall was excepted 1t was in perfect keep
| ing with all the modern contrivances OF legal death
| to be seen in the SOuth-a machine to send the
| doomed wretch
| TO ETERNITY BY THE MOST TORrUOUs ROUTE,
and to entail upon his last moments all the COnccn
trated agony OF barbarism that our modern civil
cation suggest. Is it not possible something
be done in this age of murder to ameliorate the
| execution Of condemned criminals and ut least
| provide scaffods that will not prOlong their agony
and torture Can not national legislation effect
| this At halfpast twelve O'Clock Sheriff Battle
| Bryant went to the cell of the condemned man,
and, after pinionng him at the elbows, led him
down the stairs, accompanied by his deputies, to
the yard. IN which was situated
THE sCAFFoLD
Besides the guard there were about thirty peO-
| pie present within the enclosure. Orren with the
| Sheriff. and leaning on his arm, made his exit in
| the jail yard through window. The distance TO
the steps leading to the scailod was about twenty
| and nervous sort Of way. With the assistance Of
the coored jaier Orren assembled the steps leading
| upon chair. At his request two coored preachers
] came upon the platform, and one OF them made
prayer ana tne otaer preached sermon, Wmch was
list doctrine of religion than the welfare Of the
| condemned man. Three minutes past one had ar
| rived and the cap was pulled over the features of
| the condemned, the rope was loosely adjusted,
| and in an instant afterwards there was sharp,
quick stroke, and Ratchet quivered the upright,
| severing the rope and the doomed wretch
SWUNG INTO ETERNITY,
struggling as cOnvulsively as his terribly eneebed
the back Of the neck, and though the fall was
| five feet, the neck was not broken. He struggled
| for few minutes when his body became still. In
his enervated condition he could not have strug-
| ged longer Pulsation lasted fifteen minutes; in q
| few moments afterwards life was declared extinct
| by the attending physicians, and after hanging
! twenty five minutes
! THE BODY WAS CUT DOWN,
placed in the coffin already provided Tor it and de-
| iivered to his friends for interment. Whether
| guilty innocent the soul Of Orren Mercer at
that time before the great tribunal OF eternal JUS
| tice and his just doom was pronounced
THE ORPHANS BALL.
| On Wednesday evening, the ood inst the six
| hall in doff bo Nauv X,rt Dnp,