The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1877-11-21
FRAGMENTS or the EARLY HISTORY
OF OHIO COUNTY.
at Il. D TAYLOR.
CHAPTER XXI.

lie NtIulCN " AhS J"'s
A death blow to poor Irwin. Pale, tremo-
ling5and almost, dead,she was lead LACK
to Jail, and IN a day or Two WAS again
brought into court and sentence OF death
ps.sed upon him This. too was a mos
,,c,,;py scene No heart With the lsast
tinye of human kindness. cOuld look upon
the psle, COUGHING, shirsring wretch with
ont ,ityinr him. Old Judge hcLsas,
whose heart va. always overlooking with
IN. milk of humsn kindness, could not
mass sentence with due composnrs De
began hy referring to the enormiiy OF his
q imr hi. iair and impartial trial. the
ail. defense of his counsel-warned. him
dat there was now no hope but to sI>
plate his crime 10y death, but there was
heavenly tribunal Of mercy. which, u
sought by due repentance aud prayers
might pardon his sins and admit HIM
into a happv estate lie then fixed his
day Of execution, but when he come to
the last words o! his sentence, that you
there he hanged BY the neck until you
are dead. dad. desdr' bis voice became
buskv snd almost insuIiils, and he
wiped the tear. from his sy's.
There lad never bvfUrs Oerurred a
hanging ia Ohio 80 .uiy, and II lie to lie
hoped that there will never again occur
such a furor TO see the SiGAI Men
women and children, Of every age and
condition. not only from Ohio, but
Davies, Breckcuridge, Grsy.on, Butler
aud Muhlsnberg crowded TO town TO zee
tie execution. Tavcrns, private fanllIss
in town. snd even for miles in the country
were crowded with visitors and even the
courthouse was filed the over night with
csmpers The whole Of the four acres Of
the public square was then unoecuPisd
except as a common, and MAS almost as
green as a meadow-but the morning
after the hanging resembl.d battle field
nor had the enemy all been slain or
decanpe for dsys afterwards the town
was alive with ticks from the sllver-back
10 the seed variety. which had been
dropped by the crowd OF people and
horses
The erection OF a gsllows in the center
OF a town may be considered by some as
an unusual affair. The reason was this:
Shortly after sentence was passed, remon-
strances came in to the sheriff from every
neighorhood against erecting gallous on
the road they Travelled to tow and no man
would give leave for lite erection on his
property. Mr. John Rogers, who was
then sheriff, did not wish to incur the i'll
will Of whole neighGorhood, and by the
advice Of the county attorney, erected the
gallows in Washington street, q short
distance below the crossing Of Market
street, and near the now old jail The
night previous to the execution, the poor
wife visited tie criminal and brought
him a suit of snow-white homemade
linen, and a very large twist oil homes
made tobacco, which no doubt was q
great luxury to him, for he seldom let a
person pass his cell window without
asking for a cha,o. He WAS driven to the
gallows in a one-horse cart by the sheriff,
dressed in his suit Of white, with his big
twist OF tobacco protruding largely from
his pantaloon's pocket, and which he
seemed determined to take with him to
another world, for when he was standing
up just before the rope was adjusted, be
took out his twist, took an enormous
chew, put it back in the pocket, and
buttoned the flap of his pantaloons over
t, apparently with anxious care.
Twins conduct under the scafTold only
seemed to excite pity and contempt.
he showed nothing but q weak, cowardly
fear Of death--no courage, no stoicisnl
to excite misunderstanding nothing
to stimulate the most 6eprsved spectator
TO emulate his example. Whilst the
sheriff was sdjus the cap over his
face and the rope around his neck, h'
chung to him like drowning man, and
the sheriff had to pull from him. The
cart moved suddenly away, few con-
vulsiVe struggles, a quivsring of muscles
and the Misunderstanding, orchard-robbine
boy, who had eliminated to vile muir
derer in middle age was no more.
TO BE CONTINUED.