The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-02-07
Execution by Law.

Phil. Watson, the negro, who upon the
evening Of September 5, 1877, murdered
his wife by orutally attacking her with
hatchet, expiated his crime on the morning
Of February 1, by hanging from the gallows,
at Covington, KY. When Watson was led
forward and placed on the fatal tran. he
showed a good deal of nervousness. and
trembled from head to foot. Sheriff Lowe
placed the black cap on his head, the rope
having previously been adjusted about his
neck, and asked him if he had anything to
say. In loud, stentorian voice he pro-
nounced as follows: "Far'well, vain world
Pm goin' home. De Lord Jesus has called
me and l am gein' home. Dere's lots of
rascals left who will follow me to the pits
of hell"
Sheriff Lowe approached him and pulled
the cap over his face. Stepping aside, he
fell at 10 AZ o'clock. There was dull thud.
The vast congregation of spectators looked
on with awe-stricken countenances. The
body of the unfortunate 1t1ah hung motion
less. There was no struggling of the shonl-
ders, or drawing up of the legs, or move
ment of the arms or hands-not muscle
quivered.
DIR. Dulancy and Coroner Averdick ap-
preached the body and felt the pulse. One
minute thereafter it beat at the rate of forty
pulsations per minute; u minutes, at AZ !;
21a minutes, at 60; 8 minutes, at %; at
minutes it had increased to 80; at minutes
it was weak and irregular; at minutes it
was "a; at minutes, fiuttering and weak,
and at minutes and 10 seconds the ply
sicians pronounced him dead.
The body was allowed to hang for twenty
five minutes, when it was cut down by
Coroner Ave dick and delivered to Messrs.
Charles Donnelly & Co., who were there
ready with a coffin. The remains were
taken to Donnel Us stable, where they were
hxy nh
who discovered that the neck had been
broken, causing complete sepafation OF
the axis from the atlas, the bones forming
the vertebra. The body was subsequent y
carried to st. Mary's Cathedral, where the
requium mass was celebrated, and then
taken to st. Mary's Cemetery and duly de-
posted in consecrated ground.
At st. Louis, on February l, William
Wieners, who shot and killed A. V. Law
renee, bar-keeper in the saloon of the
heater Comique, early on the morning of
January 90, 1877, was hung in the jail-yard
between eight and nine o'clock in the
morning, in the presence of only few
spectators, most of them being newspaper
and professional men. Wieners was big,
brutal fellow, and acted as what they call
bouncer at the Theater Comique, variety
show of not frst-class reputation. He had
some quarrel with Lawrence about wo-
man alleged to have been Wieners's wife.
Wieners spent most of the night previous
with his father, sister and his spiritual ad-
visers, 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
cials headed the proce ssion, and the whole
party passed from the rotuuda of the Jail to
the iail.yard, sni ascended the scaHold.
Prayers were then made by Fathers Braun
and Shea, after which Weiners made brief
speech, in which he admitted killing Law
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 forgaye 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. the LAST word spoken,
and at $50 the drop fell. The fall was seven
feet, and death was almost instantaneous.
In fifteen minutes the body was cut down,
and the crowd dispersed.
There are to be four other executions in
| Missouri within short time.
| Joseph Woods was hanged at Ma one, N.
| Y, February, l, for the murder of Stephen
Woods Just before the moose was adjusted
| he thanked those who had been kind to him
and said: az don't know how to make a
speech, and 1 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 sight seers had been
| ARRANGED.