Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-07-05
THE HANGING OF CoSTLEY,
WAGNER, GORDON AND
OTHERS.


OTHERS.
James Henri COstley. the murderer of
Mrs. Julia A. Hawkes. at Weymouth
Landing. May Is. 1874. suffered the
extreme penalty of the law in Dedhau
Jail. at 9.+5 o'clock. June %. The
condemned man passed his last night
very comfortably. sleeping several hours.
rose at o'clock. ate heartily and dress
ed himself with great care. Rev. DIR.
W. II. Brooke. rector of the Episcopal
church at Hanover, soon after attended
him and held religious services. but even
he could elicit nothing from Costiey.
/ who then, as before, stOutly asserted his
innocence. He walked unfalteringly to
the scafOld. only the paleness Of his
face and slight twitehing Of his lips
expressing his emotion. He declined to
make any speech except to thank the
officials for their kind treatment of him
during his confinement. The gallows
was of the new style, being the same one
nsed at the recent hanging of Sturtevant
at Plymouth When the spring was
touched. the body shot upward about
six feet, and hung motionless. save a
slight twitching of the muscles. death
ensuing from stangulatiOn. His body
was given to his afianeed. Miss Cush-
ing. for burial.
1t is said. notwithstanding COstley'
affirmation of innocence on the seaffold
that, from his own lips, has come a stO-
~ of crime committed under cireumstan,
: ces of such atrOeity, that words eonn0t
be properly framed to describe it to de
cent people. and showing that he wa.
, not only murderer but avillain. tn,
record of whose deeds will 60 down Il
posterity on parallel with the creates
l of crimes. Costley's counsel, after hear
inc the confession of his guilt, are sal,
5 to have made efforts to induce shoe
maker to make a counterpart of the slip
per found on the foot of Julia Hawkes.
with the intention of doing away wit
the evidence that the actual mate of th
} slipper was that found in the buggy. |
! has not been decided whether or not I
4 prosecute Miss Cushing for her endeay
U ors TO release the condemned man. Sh
; was persistent and employed money
y but her efforts were of no avail. At tn
u execution two men tainted away. an
/ the coolest of all present was the doom
IL ed man himself
J. The double execution Of Louis Wa!
1t ner, the Isle of Shoals murderer. an
70 John True Gordon, the assassin of b
70 brother, his brothers wife and child, ;
Thorndike, Me-, June l6. 1878, whiC
y also took place on the same day as Il
al above, at Thomaston. Me-, was mo
nu tragieal. During the previous mig
e Wagner slept soundly, but Gordon "
en- very nervous and did not sleep at a
while neither Of them took any brea
fast Private religious exercises We
held with each of the doomed men. aft
which they were left alone for She
time. When the warden returned
Gordon's cell to lead him to the scaffo
be was startled to find him lying on t
the floor of his cell, with deep wound NJ
lrt. the region of the heart. inflicted with
in rp-p0Inted shOe-knife, which he b
to somehow got possession of. DR.. Walk
,ro- the prison surgeon, who was at OIL
for called, pronounced the wound a IA
TIL one, and arrangements for the execut
n.y. were at once FASTENED. Upon be
him summoned, Wagner walked to the z
cen lows with firm step. Gordon, who '
ton insensible. being carried behind him
tor the arms Of four men, who were oblij
hat to prop him up on the scafold. Dur
this trying scene Wagner was very CO
= as and to the last. asserted his innOeer
INK and it is said that the prison offc
ion generally believe that he spoke the tn
ion, The drop fell at precicely seven mint
low. before u o'clock, and death was inst
in taaeous, the Decks Of both being brol
, to Gordon's body was given to his frie
give for burial, and that Of Wagner sent
tor the Bowdoin medical school for
dred section.
much Two eolored murderers, Dennis BIT
goes and George Hardee, were execute
Charleston, S. c., at O'Clock. on
same day. The former, who was a
AT liceman. murdered John Donaghue,
lrishman, also policeman. last De
arth- Der, and the latter murdered col
BOs- man in country frolic. last Fourtl
ness July.
lbBlg IuFlIOg, the negro VINO muru
about John Casey at Atlanta. GA, in Jan
the last, was hung there, also on the
l the
} de- An effort will now be made TO
,;,5. William H. Tweed to State Prison.
indictment has been obtained az
nning him for frzudulently obtaining the
four nature Of Mayor Hall to warran
near $4,000 in favor Of Andrew ]. Ga
The oF4anae i fsIonr al ~ -