San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-09-07

the trial, and took her sentence with
perfect composure; but the men after
ward confessed.
1t appears that Mrs. Spooner, in her
desire to rid herself of the husband she
despised, had ordered servant to call
in any British soldiers who might pass
nv. and so about month before the
murder, while Spooner and Ross were
both away, these two of Burgoyne's de-
serters, James Buchanan and William
Brooks, while on their way to Spring.
field, were asked in by the servant and
spent two weeks at the house at the IN.
vitation of Mrs. Spooner, who treated
them sumptuously and seems to have
read them well, for she told them her
wish to rid herself of her husband, and
asked them to kill him if Ross, who had
taken with him an ounce OF poison,
should prove too great q coward to kill
him before they got back. Spooner
didn't like their looks when he returned,
and asked neighbor to spend the night
with him, turning the men away in the
morning. But they remained hid in the
neighborhood, Mrs. Spooner giving
them their food. All four watched from
the sitting-room on the night Of the muir
der, and when Spooner came Brooks
Knocked him down at the gate and
strangled him, and then the other men
stripped the body of its valuables and
threw it into the well. Mrs. Spooner
appeared much confused when they re-
turned to the sitting-room, but reward
ed them literally with money and cloth
ing, and they started for Worcester be-
fore midnight, reaching there at 4 in the
morning.
The news of conviction fell with
crushing weight on Ross's family at
Ipswich, and there is in the State
archives touching petition, in which
his youth, his and his brothers services
in the American Army, and the blandish-
ments of beautiful and artful woman,
which helped with his gratitude to over
come his prudence, were unsuccessfully
urged as reasons for clemency. He
showed sincere penitence after his
doom was fixed and was publicly bap-
tized, while the day of his execution was
kept as season of fasting and prayer
by his native parish. Mrs. Spooner,
however, would not admit the justice OF
her sentence. She owned that she plan
ned the murder, but said she never
thought it would be carried out, and
that She relented at the last. She SEEM
ed determined to show no womanly
weakness, refused all sympathy, know
ing the great prejudice there was against
her, and only seemed anxious to have
the hanging postponed, earnestly urg-
ing that otherwise another and innocent
life would be lost. The council stayed
the execution a month, and a jury of
two doctors and IL married women ex-
amined her, and reported that she was
shamming. In vain she insisted on the
truth of her statement; both doctors
and one of the women joined in state
ment that they were mistaken on their
first examination; the rest of the wom-
en- held to their first opinion, and the
council refused any further delay. Mrs.
Spooner heard their final decision with
great calmness, only asking that the
truth be found after her death.
Worcester was filled on the morning
of the hanging, July 2, 1778, with vast
throng, many of whom had come long
way to see the end of these criminals,
and their intense excitement was in
striking contrast to the calmness of the
woman inside the jail. She was quieter
even than usual, and seemed more hum
BILE and was baptized just before leaving
her cell, but through great bodily weak
ness was not present at the customary
sermon before the criminals, which Rev.
Thaddeus Maccarty preached from
Deuteronomy 10, IS. A guard of 100
men conducted the doomed persons to
the place of execution, the three men
walking and Mrs. Spooner being carried
in a chaise. On the way one of the most
terrific thunder-storms ever known sud-
denly darkened the heavens. Then fol-
lowed an awful half hour. "The
shouts of the officers" says an old
writer, " the horses pressing upon those
in front; the shrieks of women and the
tumult and confusion; the malefactors
slowly advancing to the fatal tree, pre-
ceded by the dismal collins; the fierce
coruscations of lightning athwart the
darkened horizon, quickly followed by
loud peals of thunder, conspired to-
gether and produced dreadful scene of
horror" On the scatfold Ross prayed
audibly, and Buchanan and Brooks con. !
tinued in private devotion till they were
swung off. Mrs. Spooner was allowed
to sit in the chaise till the last, and she
bowed gracefully to the spec
tators whom she knew. She stepped |
from the carriage with a smile, crept up
the ladder on her hands and knees, and |
when the faces of all four we're covered,
owned for the first time that her punish
ment was just, and shook the Sheritf's
hand and said she should soon meet him
and all her friends again ain Bliss
The surgeons to whom her body was
given reported the same night that what .