The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-03-26

Ny children-oh. God! too bad! too
bad!"
He expressed deep sorrow for his
offences. and prayed to 1.-THE good
God" to forgive him. At / o'clock
be tried to divert his mind by looking
ut o set of stereoscopic views and
chatting with his jailers, but it was
easy to see that his thoughts were ON
1.-THE finish" as he quantity exp. esscd
it. He was glad that only compara-
lively few were to be admitted. He
asked whether there would be any
body from St. Adams, and was told
that a dozen or more were to be
present. He did not sleep a wink
during the entire night, ami said that
during the whole Of his cnn6nemen:
he remained awake three nights in the
week. At 8 o'clock he ate moderate
breakfast Of coffee, bread. and steak.
and ut 81 o'clock was close:ed with his
spiritual advisers for the last time.
The hanging itself was done with
neatness, order. and dispatch. The
gaIlows. painted a dirty blue, was Of
the old-iashioned pattern which
hourished at Newgate in the days be-
fore public hangings we're abandoned.
1t was put up against the northern
wall of the main corridor Of the pris-
on, and consisted Of a scaffold about
ten feet from the ground, with thick.
ponderous crossbeam, moose cOiled
neatly at the top, and the usual ar
:angement of uprights. At 1Oa A. NJ.
the crowd Of hidden guests thronged
into the guard room. and thence to the
corridor fronting the scaffold. Anon.
those present were Judge Foster, who
presided ut Lapages first trial !; Matt
Head. Col. Geo. II. Stowell. ex-
Speaker Charles p. Sanborn. and De-
tectives Seargent and Dearborn OF
Boston. Close to the SIN correspon-
dent stood Mr.. Jas. +. Langmaid the
father Of the murdered girl, a power
full built man, with sandy hair and
whi>kers and rough. kindly counte-
nance. He said nothing. but watched
the proceedings with gloomy sort Of
satisfaction.
At 1885 the dismal procession ap-
peared. cunning from the sitting room.
High Sheriff Dodge, man weighing
over 800 pounds walked first. followed
by two deputies. Then came the
culprit-a pale, cadaverous figure
in black. His dress was a plain
white shirt, without collar or neck tie,
truck coat and trousers. and large red
and yellow carpet slippers. A look Of
intense suffering rested Oh his face. but
he walked calmly and composedIy land
displayed an amount Of quiet courage
which considerably softened his au.
dience. The two priests in their robe:
Of Office walked beside him, repeating
the Roman Cathnlic ritual for the dy
ing. At the door opening on thu
scafiold they paused to place the cru
ciix at LaIages lips, and then tn.
whole group stepped on the platform
The d ,Omed man, with his hand spin
toned behind him. listened attentively
to the reading Of the death warrant b.
the Sheriff. and even glanced curious
" at the document. Then the depu
ties stepped forward and strapped hi,
hands and feet, adjusted the rope 4
his neck, and pulled the black cal
over his face. Taking the slack Of tn
rope in his hand the Sheriff turned 4
the crowd and said; "Joseph Lapage
l now proceed to execute the sentenc,
Of the Law upon you. and may Cox
have mercy on your soul"
With q rapid movement he tight
ened the moose almost to choking. ana
} reaching out with his foot turned tn,
bolt ON the floor Of the scaffold, TIL
trap fell with u crash, the body
descending straight as pen
met for more than seven feet ant
bringing up with q sickening jerl
that caused more then one in the au
) dience to vince involuntarily. Theu
the head swayed idly from side to side
the hands hung limp. and the entir'
. form became mo;iOnless. The necl
J had been broken instantaneously, AM
Lapage, in dying, suffered far less thai
either one of his innocent victims. Th'
trap fell at HOS. In the first fiv'
minutes the pulse sank from Isl to %
During the next FIVE it fluttered wildly
and irregularly. At 1l:2O it fell to 20
! and then suddenly rose again tn 60. Al
1924 the pulse had ceased to beat, bu
by putting their ears to the chest tn
doctors could detect faint flutteriDg o
, the heart. At 11:26 Larage was pro
nounced dead, and at 11:35 the body
was cut down and placed in handsome
black walnut coffin, with cloth lining
and silver studs. The features wer'
not at all distorted. Dr.. Crosby, tn
prison physician. who has attended
number Of hangings, says that Lapag'
was unconscious from the moment h.
fell, and suffered much less than . man
running against a . lamPpost in . darl
night.
The manner in which the hanging
was conducted reflected the highes'
credit on the Warden, Sheriff. and al
concerned. Great praise Is also due Il
Fathers Milette and Barry, in Undue
ing the prisoner to make public con.
fession at the last moment. The
statement given above was sworn to by
Lapage at 5 o'clock this morning, the
prisoner declaring that it was the only
one he had ever made to any one
save his spiritual advisers. Mr.. H.
F. Norris. Of Lapages counsel. repu-
dates entirely the grossly erroneous
story published to-day. and which
purported to come from the lawyers
employed in the defence. The true
I