The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-01
FEBRUARY'S FATAL FRIDAY!
Two Hangings To-day Without Rope
Breaking or Other Extra Bar
barous Scenes.
Watson in COvingtOn and Wien
ers in st. Louis Die Oh the
GallOWS.

Watson in COvingtOn and Wien
ers in st. Louis Die Oh the
GallOws.
The Hanging of Watson I'm Cow
tngtOn.
The story Of Philip Watson. the wife
murderer who expiated his crime ON the
gaIlows this morning, is told in few
words. The course OF life that led
eventually to the gallows should serve
as warning to all who read the brief
details Of the crime. The patient, long
suffering wife, who for thirty years had
borne with him, was at last called to
yield up her lifs's blood for the brute
who had promised to love, cherish and
protect
A little after O'Clock on the evening
OF September 4, 1877, Philip Watson MUIR
dered his wife Eda by striking her on
the left temple with the pole of hatchet
at No. 20 East Seventh street, Coving-
stairs together in their sleeping apart
ment, when their son, a grown man, who
was in the room Immediately below,
heard heavy thud.
Knowing the desperate character Of
his lather and his frequent threats, the
young man rushed to the staircase, tear
ing the old man had struck his mother.
He met his father coming down, and to
his inquiry Of "Whaps the matteri" the
old man replied Nothing" and went
out. Procuring light, the son went up
stairs, where he found his mother lying
| on the floor, with two terrible gashes in
her head, from which the blood WAS ooz-
ing. leaving the brain exposed.
The griet.stricken son hastily COM
municated the facts to the other inmates
of the house, and Or. J. j. Dulaney W as
| summoned. His services were OF no
avail; he could only watch the lif pass
gradually away, the respiration becom-
ing slower and slower.
| An eye witness OF the scene In that
terrible death chamber says:
| The murdered woman was lying on
her back on the floor In a second story
room, the CHASTITY wounds showing hid
eous IN the light Of a coal oil lamp.
Through the upper wound the brain pro-
ltruded, and the head lay in a pool o1
blood resembling 4 large poultice 10 its
fooaQulation. The poor hands were fold,
ed on the breast, tho left clutching 6
clean ginghum SunbGnnet. The Who'll.
position OF the body seemed 10 Indicate
that the poor creature was attempting
to reach the door leading out to a porcI
on the side Of the house when she was
struck.
1t was heartsickening spectacle; the
body neatly dressed and with only the
glaring wound TO speak OF death, the
little Knot Of plying spectators, the son
moaning in his seat on the side OF the
bed, and piteOus cries and lamentations ns
from an outer room where tue sorrow
ing daughters OF the deceased bad been
led by sympathiztng hands.
THE MURDERED WOMAN
was fifty five years OF age. She belonged
to the family Of MIR. William Sayers pre-.
vious to the war, and was greatly be.
loved by them. Indeed she was most
highly respected by both black and
white. She was OF amiable disposition
industrious and honest. Tue labor OF
her hands furnished bread TO the worth.
ceased was buried by Mr.. Sayers in the
family lot al Highland Cemetery, and
her RENAME were followed to the grave
by large number OF friends who had
known and loved Aunt Ela.
THE MURDERER
was in the habit OF carrying hatchet
constantly about with him, and had sew.
eral times threatened 10 kill his wife
I1En
the hatchet TO bed with him, and the
wife slept with her daughters for tear
The same hatehet was found with blood
on the pole in an adjoining room by one
of the daughters shortly after the kill
ling.
Watson escaped after the murder, and
was not captured Till the evening OF the
9Th, when he applied to Mr.. Ingram, q
gaUe-keeper on the Lexington Pike, eal
WI alton, about nineteen miles from Gov
linxton, for a drink OF water. Watson
had been raised in that neighborho BOD,
and Ingram, knowing OF The crime,
stopped him. Marshal BOlan was tele.
q, aphed, aud the prisoner was brought
TO Covlngton and lodged i'll jail. 1t was
at first feared that The co4ored people
would attempt to lynch him, so thor.
oughlv bad was his reputation and sc
muCl USlUNVu was phS NASNiu VI uts
passion.
He appeared perfectly unmoved when
aIrnigned for examination, and went
back 70 his cell when his attorney, Mr..
n, c, Gray, waived an ex4mination,
with as much nOnonalance az he was
lever known to display.
Watson admitted his guilt to the re.
porters, saying he first slapped his wife
land then struck her with the hatonet
because she threatened to nave "Stuw.
lers," man residing in the lower part OIL
the house, to come up aud put him out.
Watson was tried at the term Of the
tKenton Criminal Court next following
and sentenced to be hanged. Notwith-
standing the Strenuous etf0rts on the
part Of the attorney for the accused and
other friends Gov. McCreary refused to
Iexercisa tue executive clemency, and
the preparations fol- the hanging were
Icompleted.
HIS LAST HOURS.
Through the intercession OF Fathers
Brandt, jones aud Lambert, aud the
Kind Sisters of Charity, Watson wa,
led to embrace the faith Of the ROmal
Catholic Church. On the day previous
to that set for his death lhe interior G
toe Jail WAS orname nted with flowers
and plants, and n temporary altar was
ersotod on carpet spv cad on the bare