The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-01-31

1
inson, so i'll that he could hardly speak,
and could not stand, had to be carried
from the room. Only about three minutes
were consumed in the preparations. The
men we're then carried through the front
door and placed in an open cart. The
cart was surrounded by heavy force OF
cavalry, and an immense throng OF sight
seers accompanied it.
THE GALLows SCENE.
The place selected for the hanging was
within the city limits, An enormous
scaffold was erected, it being a notably
low one. The scaifold was furnished
with trap door, which sank from be-
meath the feet of the men at the spring.
ing Of trigger After the men had as.
cended the plank, and the nooses had
been adjusted, George Wilson asked to
be allowed to make statement. Per.
mission was granted him, and, standing
there, in the shadow of violent death,
with the fatal rope about his neck chok~
ing his voice down, he made a speech
that went to the heart of every man that
heard it. He spoke without a tremor,
and with calm and distinct utterance,
He said it was not the part Of brave men
to murmer at death when they were
brought face to face with it, and that he
had nothing to say against the decree of
the court that had brought him to the
scaffold. He decried, however, in the
name of his comrades and in the name
of Justice, the manner of the death to
which they had been brought. 1t was not
such death as soldiers deserved He
said that he and his comrades had been
moved by nothing but an honest and
patriotic love of the Union. He de-
plored "the wickedness of the Southern
leaders" who had "misled and deluded
the people into making an unholy and
hopeless war" He dwelt with great en-.
thusiam upon the cause of the Union,
and predicted that in a short time the
starsspangled banner would wave over
the very spot on which this scaffold then
stood. He then closed his speech, and
announced that he and his friends were
ready. His comrades listened atten-
lively to his words, turning so that they
might face him. They seemed to be
very much moved. Robinson was an
exception, as he was very i'll with fever,
After Wilson had concluded, the trap
was sprung, it is believed by the Sheriff
of the county. The trigger was con-
cealed, and it was not definitely known
who touched it The men fell simulta~
taneously; and the crowd averted their
faces for an instant. When they looked
at the scafold again only FIVE men were
hanging. Slavens and Campbell, who
were very large men, had broken the
ropes and fallen upon the ground. They
were writhing there in great agony, half
strangled, and the moose still pressing
about their necks. The crowd made to.
wards the most PROSTATE men. The Lieu.
tenant in charge of the hanging drew
his sword, and, standing over the men,
drove the crowd back. The rope was
speedily loosened from the neeks of the
victims, and they were assisted into a
sitting posture. They recovered their
senses in a few moments, and both
begged for a drink of water. This was
given them, and revived them very
much. The ropes were then readjusted,
and the two men were made to reascend
the scaffold. Their comrades were
corpses.. The trap was set again, and
the fatal trigger was touched once more.
The men fell with dull, heavy thurd,
Campbell's S neck being abruptly broken
by the fall. Slavens, however, was
doomed to still further torture. His inns
mense weight and size were such that
his feet touched the ground. His cons
vulsions were terrible, His feet would
touch the ground and relieve the strane
gulation, and then his convulsions would
renew it. At once bystander seized
shovel, pushed the ground from under
Slavens's feet, and the brave mans suf>
ferings were soon at an end. The bodies
were buried near the scahold.
Of the remaining prisoners none was
hanged. By most daring sally from
their prison, eight of the men escaped.
They seized the inside guard of the
prison, gagged him, took his keys,
OpeneQ tnc IOnI uOOTJ ONSIpOWcISu inc
sentinels, and wrested their arms from
them, and after terrible hand.to.hand
combat, fought their way through the
yard, and succeeded in pushing through
to the Federal lines, which were now
quite near to them. These men were
w. w. Brown, VIM. Knight. J. R. Por>
ter, Mark Wood, ]. A. Wilson, M. G.
Hawkins, S. A. Dorsey, and John Wal,
lam, all of Ohio. Their comrades at
tempted to escape with them, but were
all wounded or driven back before they
could get beyond the yard. These mep,
]. Panott, Robert Buffum, VIM, Bensingr
er, VIM. Reddick, E. H. Mason, and w.
Pittenger, all of Ohio, were kept in
prison for several months. and exchanged
in March. The United States Govern
ment gave very handsome medals to the
survivors of this terrible raid, and pro-
vided for the families of those who were
killed. The first medal was given to
Jacob Parrott, mere boy, who is said to
have been punished severely in order to
make him disclose the names ofhis com.