The New York herald., 1878-02-25
SUCCESSFUL AFTER TWO. ATTEMPTS.
A Horrible Fear of Execution and
It's Consequence.
ALLEGED WANT OF WATcHFULNESS.
Extraordinary Course Of Prison officials on
Making the Discovery.

NoRRHrowS, Pa, Feb a. 1878.
The suicide OF Heinrich Wahlen, the Centennial
murderer, as he commonly called (his crme hav-
Ing been the killing OF Max Hugo hoehne, at the
erangers' Hotel, during the Centennia was not un-
expected; and had proper watch becn kept upon
him II could not have occurred, as recited IN this
mornings HERALD Ever since his sentence to death
the condemned murderer made of his inten-
ton to cheat the gaows II he found that the efforts
to obtain commutaton OF hts Imprisonment werc
unsuccessful His counsel have encouraged him
TO nope that their lab0rs In this direction would
result In his iavor, and the convicted man
has been growing moro dependent than ever within
Inc past lew weeks although u movement on
foot TO have his taken to the Supreme Court on
hnal appeal, ut the expense OF Montpomer county,
The prisoner being paupcr. To accomplish this it
was necessary that special bill should be enacted by
the State Legislature. and there little hope that
tho soons Of the Capitol would pass such measure,
and wahlen was told This informa alton added slliI
more 10 his desperation, and the poor wretch had
several outbreaks oi passionate rebellion against his
fate, spasrs Of despair in which he seemed 10 lose
oil control OF himself He had always been
NOISY, demonstratvs prisoner, frequently crying
Ike woman and continually protesting
his innocence. He was looked upon Ivy
hts feow-convicts ana by his keepers as a whining,
unmany fellow who would "die gams'' If he ever
reached the scaflold He received very little sym
pathy IN his passionate outbreaks protesting his in-
nocence except by The small minority who believed
In him. The evidence against him at his trial, as
Will DO remembered, was purely circumstantial but
It was wonderfully strong ana convincing. ana the
verdict OF the jury finding him guilty Of murder In
the first degree met the general approval Of the large
number who felt interested the remarkable story
OF the Centennial murder
HIS JAILERs WARNED.
It was within short time only that wahien de-
hberaely repeated again to DR.. Charles N Houpt
prison physician. his intention to make end Of
himself sooner tnan be hanged and the Doctor at
once informed Warden J. G. Boyer, suggesting that
strict watch he kept upon the desperate wretch The
warden claims that he gave the matter attention. In
struoiing his deputios and keepers to uso SPECIAL
vigilance wahlen's cell and also having an extra
waschman appointed to look alter him. This unusual
guard may have been kept up for time, but It was
not continued. as tho story Of what occurred yese
day Will snow. In iact the oGlclas The jail admit
that theH wat0htulness had been what relaxed.
but claim that Wanen had grown much less Demon
strative than usual and. had become quite subdusd.
HIS LAST HOURS.
Yesterday morning Wahien arose at his customary
hour and seemed more resigned usual He ato
about i've O'Clock the afternoon, when nc ASK ed 10
have German book brought TO him to-day (ouhdayl
ss sno0a 0r 3. ne % was h ns
alter, IT hali-past hve, his supper taken to MIN,
ana he ate about hall oi It win ming appreciation.
The dishes were removed by the keepur ana Tor tho
last lime The prisoner al w aud epoken TO-
Accounts dier AS TO exactly what followed, but tho
facts seem 10 be about as iollowsA eight minutes
TO Six O'Clock Unusr Keeper Conrad looked through
the grating IN Wahlen's cell door, he says that ne
thinKs he saw the occupant standing up BESIDE The
bedstead, but just then ne was interrupted by ring
~ the door Oel, which be answered, admitting a
woman TO see one OF the other prisoDers AS he dis
posed OF the woman the night watchman, Charles
Jordan who goes duty ut SIX O'Clock, nto the
corridor de exchanged saiutstions with Conrad and
took OIL bis overcoat TO begin his tour. IL then
DARK III paris OF the corridor and when he came to
Wahien's coll he looked IN and could see nothing.
THE SUICIDE
He called the prisoners name through the gr tied
door and received reply. He then lighted gas Iet
near hy aud saw Wahlen suspended by tue neck from
the bars OF his cell window, with mis- feet nearly
touching the floor. HIS cell door had been fastened
from the inside BY pushing his bedstesd alainst 1t
ana tying the pillow case between the bedpost and
the gfating An alarm gwen, the door iorccd
open aud The suicide cut down, but lie extinct
wnen DR.. Haupt arrived. Only minutes had
elapsed since the time Jordan claims to nave seen
the prisoner alive, but IN the interval he
nad Tried two methods to ond his lio and
from It's place the iron register through which the
cell was heated and had desperately attempted 10
succeeded IN inncting several ghasty wounds his
head, IRON which the BRAN protruded. and which had
cell with blood. But none OF the gashes SUI
hcient 10 cause speedy death and tho determined
criminal had resorted to quicker expedien. Throw
ing from him the heavy iron frame, which lay In q
pool oil blood aud covered with blood aud hair
on the floor OF the eel, he quickly snatched
tho sheet from the bed, tore IL into strips and tied
these together ~ form rope Que end OF this ho
asteued 10 the bars oi his cell window and tho other
be tied IN y slip noose Then standing on a stool no
lsted the end about his neck and kicked the STOOL
tron beneath MS ieeL This mpL aL scli-murder
was successiul aud he must have quickly.
ADDITIONAL FACTS CONE LIGHT.
The acts stated above AZ ~ the manner oI Wahlen Is
death were all that were gwen out to the press but
appears that the lack Of vigilance Keepers not
only permitted Wahlsn to attempt hls own lie, but
seems that wnen Joraas, tho regular n,aht
uatchman, came on duty Al six O'Clock, John Wigey,
The special Waterman engaged Tor the solo
purpose OF paying stlict attention to wahlen, also
cAmo Tho corridor. He went TO the condemned
mans cell, with Jordan, and made the discovery that
the prisoner had hanged himself Instead oi break
tng the astening oil the grating at and cutting
The man down before no was dead, for he was known
10 have been alive eight minutes before, the two keep
ers went first for Warden Boyer. After a
fow minutes this Official and his son
Charles reached tns inferior OF the cell,
him. Then, alter This delay, the warden began cutting
the pieces OF ciotn by which Wnhlen had suspended
wero present at the time and Que OF tho three sud-
denly made The brilliant discovery that against
the Law Tor any QUO but coroner to cut down hang
Ing man. The wurdeu accordingly staye MS nana and
noDxRs pccsxxnY.
Then Coroner Long, iunetionasy with all tho wis
dom OF y uosbcrry, was sent Tor ut barroom, OF
which he Is tue proprietor, anu II was somo time
probably half hour, before he arrived. alter this
b.. Haupt was summoned and waniea was cut
down. but by tuis Time u was seven O'Clock, tuliy |
al hour alter The discovery.
Ii wahlen seen ulivc at eight minutes before
sx, as Keeper Counad tsstiheg ana Wig.sy discov.
ered him hanging NJ two minutes after SIX
there Is scarcely doubt that tue man
was still alive. Within this eight min.
ules he took out the iron register wounded
himself adjusted tbe rope aud then hanged bImseII
He could not have been hanging more than minute
wben first seen, and, rs ne uied by sirausu,a
Hon and NOS from disocaton Of the neck. tners must
have been life him when hrst discovered Had he
buel down or even by tao warden wnen he
wns summoned, there every probability tnat the
suicds been Tesuscitated. This opinIon is
Entertained by the physicians and BY all convcrsant
with tue facts.
yExLIxa AMONG THE PEOPLE.
The stupidity winch charscter,xed the conduct OF
The Jail oicIals IL generally commented upon to-
night now that II has become known Tor the first |
lime. There mas been IN uch exctement Ia town aud
Indignation, not xed with amusement, that the
warden should have been ignorant enough " suppose
that no ono but coroner could cut down man dying
Of stranguasion.
All tbat the warden--a good-natured, well meaning
to say for himself Is that he thought Wahlen
nm hcruU han vvn Ito uuH