West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-02-16
Hanging Day.

fhll. watson, the negro, who upon the
evening OF September 8, 1877, murdered
ms VIE by brutally attacking her with a
hatchet, expialed his crime on the morning
oil February ], by hanging from the gallows,
at Covlngton, Ky. Whtn Watson was led
forward and placed on the fatal trap. he
showed good deal of nervousness and
trembled from head TO foot Sheriff Lowe
placed the black cap on his head the rome
having previously been adjusted about his
neck, and asked him il he had anything to
say. In n loud, stentorian voice he pro.
nounced ms follows: Farwell, vain world ,
Pm goin' home. De Lord Jesus has called
me and | am goin' home. Dere's lots of
Of hell"
Sheriff Lowe approached him and pulled
the cap, over his lace. Stepping aside, he
grasped the lever and pulled il. The drop
fell Mt 10 ~ o'clock. There was a dull thud.
The vast congregation of spectators look ed
on with awe-stricken countenances. The
body OF the unfortunate man hung motion
less. There was no struggling of the shout
ders, or drawing up OF the legs, or move
ment OF the arms or hands-not a muscle
quivered.
DIR. Delaney and Coroner Averdick an.
preached the body and felt the pulse One
minute thereafter il beat at the rate of
forty pulsations per minute u minutes at
"; "a minutes, at 60; 3 minutes, at %; at
4 minutes il had increased to so; at 6
minutes 1t was weak and irregular; at :
minutes IT was 81 at S minutes, huttering
end weak, and at minutes and 10 seconds
the physicians pronounced him dead.
The body was allowed to hang for twenty
hve minutes, when it was cut down by
coroner Averdick and delivered TO Messrs.
Charles Donnelly Il Co., who were there
ready with a coffin. The remains were
taken to Donnelly's stable, where they were
examined by the physicians mentioned.
who discovered that the neck had been
broken, causing n complete separation of
the axis from the atlas, the bones FORMING
the vertebre. The body was subsequently,
carried to st. Mary's Cathedral, where the
requiem mass was celebrated, and then
taken TO St Mary's Cemetery and duly de.
posted In censecrated ground.
Az St Louis, on February /. William
Wieners, who shot and killed A. V. law
renee, bar-keeper in the saloon of the
Iheater Comique, early on the morning of
January 20, 1877, was hung in the iail-vard
between eight and nine o'clock i'm the morn.
ing, in the presence of only a few specta-
tors, most of them being newspaper and
professional men. WieAers was a big.
brutal fellow, and acted as what thew cali
bouncer at the Theater Cemidue, a variety
snow oil not hrst-class reputation. He had
some quarrel with Lawrence about woman
alleged to have been Wieners's wife.
Wieners spent most of the night previous
with his father, sister and his spiritual
advisers, until four o'clock in the morning.
when he took short sleep. AT eight
O'Clock he came out of his cell with
Fathers Shea and Braun, and after
some preliminaries were gone through
with, City Marshal Mason and other Off
Gals headed the procession, and the whole
party passed from the rOtunda of the iail To
the Jail-yard, and assembled the scaffold
Prayers were then made by Fathers Braun
and Shea, after which Wieners made a brief
speech, in which he admitted killing La w
renee, but said the act was not done in cold
blood. that he was crazed with Liquor, and
he warned all men against whisky and bad
associations He forgave everybody. and
wished to be forgiven by all, and hoped his
death would be happy.
The culprit's arms and legs were bound
the black cap adjusted, tn last word
spoken, and at s 80 the drop fell. The fall
was seven feet, and death was almost in
Simultaneous.
In fifteen minutes the body was cut down,
and the crowd dispersed
Ihere are to be four other executions in
Missouri within a short time.
Joseph Woods was hanged at Malone. n.
l., February /, for the murder of Stephen
Woods. Just before the moose was adjusted
he thanked those who had been kind to him
and said: al don't know how to make a
speech, and am not going to make one. -
About two hundred persons were admitted
into the Jail to witness the execution. but
large numbers viewed the spectacle from
overlooking buildings, on the roofs of which
accommodations for sightseers had been
arranged.