The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-04-26
EXECUTION AT YOUNGSTOWN,
Btotling's Goodness and Declarations OF Innocence
on the scaifOld. Something Of the Crime
for which He Was Hung.

at 1910 o'clock to-day, in an enclosure
in the Court House yard at this place
AT ten o'clock this morning, Rev. Z T
Nicholson, pastor of the Baptist Church
called on Sterling, They had along talk
in which the prisoner still claimed him
self an innocent man. He said that his
vindication must be at higher tribunal
He expressed no faith in preference in
regard to a religious faith, but trusted
only in the future. The last hour Of the
prisoner was spent in conversation and
prayer with his minister
The crowd in the halls was surging for
admittance to the enclosure, but until a
few minutes before the hour none were
admitted, The anxiety Of the prisoner
was extreme. Sterling made a request
to be taken up on top Of the Jail, where
he could once before death see out on
the world His request was granted A
strong guard led him up at 1915. After
he came down he was once more led
into the cell, where the death warrant
was read to him, and after few minutes
ne was led to the scaffold. Just prior to
his coming out, the crowd of ticketed
visitors were let into the enclosure, and
everything placed in readiness.
AT 80 Sterling was led to the scaftold
and after prayer, was. .handcuffed, placed
on the closed trap, and asked If had any
thing to say. He made few remarks,
insisting that he was innocent, and bid
his attorney, who was greatly affected,
farewell; he also asked for the brother OF
the murdered girl shook hands with
him, and at exactly I2.45 the trap was
sprung. The moose slipped under his
chin and failed to break his neck. After
few moments of silence he began to
clap his hands, kick his feet, and moan
most pitifulIy. The sight was horrid
one, sickening in the extreme. For at
least two minutes these motions and
groans were kept up, and it was thirteen
minutes before he was pronounced dead.
The Crime for Which Sterling Suffered.
In the vicinity of Youngstown, Ma
honing county Ohio, on the 18th Of
January, 1876, Lizzie Grombacher a
young girl, was most foully outraged and
murdered, and her body left in thicket
at the roadside. She was at the time liv-
ing with her mother, widow, in the vii
Iage of Powerstown, near Youngstown,
but had previously been at service as a
domestic in the family of Mrs. Heasley,
residing on the Poland road, short dis
tance from the village. About nine
o'clock in the forenoon of the day stated
she left her mothers house for Mrs,
Heasley's to get some clothing, and in
about two hours afterward, Richard Ste
vens, neighbor, who was passing along
the road, went into the thicket tor the
purpose of cutting walking stick In
the thick brush, distant from the road
about one hundred and fifty yards, he
discovered the bruised and bleeding body
! of the girl. The desperate struggle she
had made was plainly shown by the dis
placement of the leaves, broken and bent
bushes, twigs, etc. By these signs she
was traced to the fence at the roadside,
where blood was seen, and here, doubt
less, she was overcome, and ceased to
struggle, as from this point to the place
where her body lay appearance indicat
ed that she had been dragged. A veil
she had worn was twisted abouther neck
so tightly that it was imbedded in the
flesh, her distorted features proving how
terribly she had died from strangulation,
This discovery, soon noised about, Gre
ated the most intense excitement, and
the people at once began looking about
for the perpetrator of the fendish deed,
The only person known to have seen the
girl alive after she left her mother home
aside from her murderer, was a Mr..
Cover, who met her on the road, about
two hundred yards from where her body
was found. This man. also remembered
having observed an Unlocking individual
a tramp, on the road in advance of the
girl and another citizen also recollected
having seen the tramp. Late in the
afternoon man answering the descrip.
ton of the one seen. and giving his name
as Charles Sterling, was arrested few
miles from the scene of the murder. He
was fully identified, and an examina-
ton ofhis clothing revealed several blood
stains. The inquest held upon the body
of the girl confirmed the worst suspicion
as to motive or purpose of the murderer.
The girl had sacrificed her life in defence
Of her honor.
Sterling was tried at the fall term OF
The court, convicted of murder in the
first degree, and Wednesday, March %,
fixed as the time for the execution ofthe
death sentence. Two days previous how.
ever, Executive clemency interviewed,
and at the fearful request of Mrs, Ster-
ling, who believed the condemned man
to be her son, reprive was granted un-
til April 2I. Subsequently Mrs. Sterling
visited the place where the prisoner was
when, to the surprise of all, the
man reprived from death denied that the
woman was his mother. She withdraw
from the prison, and shortly after became
convinced, through she had previously
to the contrary that the man
for whom she had appealed SO success.
fullywas an unknown stranger Efforts
have since been made by counsel to
save the prisoner from the g1llows, but
without effect.