The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-20


wood. At this point. for the first time. the
crowd became thoroughly unmanageable Car
ried away by excitement. it charged upon the
gallows. over the veterans; over the reporters
and their tables, in hreathlcss hnstc To- see the
Inace OF the negro after he bad been hanged.
their task. and then carried the cofflned corpse
out to the middle of the field. where It was
lid Of the coffin was prOppcd up on cnd.
dcad face was exposed to the The clear. sun
sW srowd " looked 3 "s'o pacid even s%1' pleasant mt
with better expression than in life. and with
out any trace of tho violent death that had been
suffered, The veter9n soldiers formed double
line. facing inward, with the coffin between
their ranks and a sp9ce nve or SIX % ieet wide wide
knocked ON the fence on tho west side.
and some, from the, northeastern .nnglc
near the Jail door. mud the crowd without were
invited to enter. There wrreten thousand peo-
pie outside the fence--a red howling perspir-
Ing and not generally sober ten thousand-who
had not been able to grt passes TO enter the gal
lows yard. or to lnd places on trees or roofs.
and who were almost frantic with morbid yearn
ing to behold and gloat over something repul-
sive or hideous. All the long afternoon two
militia companies. one from Schenectady and
the other from Johnstown. h9d been keeping
the boards knocked Off for them TO enter they
struggled, tore. fought and rayed in their
engerncss TO avail themselves Of the privilege.
The wretch came down from his ladder
and plunged into the thick of the mclec. hum
cry to feast his eyes upon the corpse. The sol
Of the mob. rallie with fixed bayonets drove
them back little. and. by heroic cXertions. rc-
stored something like order. There was too
much ehgernoss to permit of the lower string
piece of the fence being cut away. Four persons
out OF five who were showed. or plunged over IT,.
trpped on il and tumbled. Then they rccQv-
cred themselves with hurrah-an oath and q
drunken capcr in most instanrcs-and rushed
forward upon the heels Of those in advance.
Not only men and boys entered here in this
ghoulish delirium. but women. young women
and old; young mothers dragging along little
trtr1 shn rtavhf nd ftut ~ Ia.
nictcd by the. frantic crowd, and who
were held aloft TO, sooihe them by a
sight of the calm. black face in the coffin I:
mothers who even dragged baby carriages in
with thcm-heaven only knows how-and
raised their infants in their arms 10 share their
| ing on tho verge Of tho grave. who seemed to
have risked death to share this great delight ;
| young. innocent. look ing girls who giggled and
| nirted and oglei their acauaintances in the
| crowd az they pushed along to revcl IN the
sight of the dead negro; After seeing the work
broke through the line NJ the guard and ran To
the gallows itself, crowded under il. patted H..
| and tried to fancy the hdeous scene just ennct-
| ed upon Il by surrounding themselves so com
pletcly with the accessories Of that scear. One
| man took no interest in all this rematkan.e
and revolving scene. and shared not IN II. He
lay against the fence. inside the enclosure. near
| the way of the crowd. too drunk TO know any
| thing that had transprcd about him. Many Of
| those who entered wera nearing his condition
| But even ten thousand persons. great as the
number is rushing in 4torrent su.h ~ ms.
| stragglers were passing the breach OF entrance.
but the field was ful II people until late in the
| day, when the corpse WIS removed and the gall
| lows taken away. Even then thew let reluc-
| tantiy. special train of twelve cars took part
OF the crowd TO local stations a few miles east.
| and another Of nine ears 10 stations west. but
| although both trains were crowded. the num-
bers taken away were scarcely missed The
| streets were full the barrooms were fuller. and
| the bucolic visitors making this day TO live
| in their remembrance were fullest. Now and
| then q free ileht would break ,out. O'raso
nll h.h tgf1I vol kt1 stu 81 "a 81
veil OF tho thoroughly happy drunkhri would
wake the, echoes. stands there We're on the
| common for the sale OF gingerbread, leathery
| pies, and root beer. but such innocnous re-
ireshment was poorly Iair9nizrd. Ihe best
hnd biggest ire Sat 3i "A; Jay was trsi nae IoIn
east went out and engaged the energies OF
about one hundred men for little while.
Sheriff Fonda expressed his regret Tor the SEEM
ing necessity which compelled the exhibition
OF Strenbergh's body. hut said II j. "A universal
custom in all that part Of the country on 81 h
occasions-the public deems il u rlsht-and he
| would not like t. 90 80 unpopular thing ~ 20
pleasure. As for the unhappy consequen noes
| following the unrestricted sale uf liquor in the
town, he had no power 70 control that or 10 pre-
steenbergh's confession. about which so much
| talk has been made. disappointed everybody.
II il one OF the sort OF things got ny to sell IN
| the country. possibly Verucious hut long
wnded. indefinite in names. without any re-
gard for dates and not always bearing n n air oi
strict veracity. sam evidently WAS determined
TO give the man who paid 800 for tse document
the full value of his money in rascaities. vii
lainies and horrors. He pleaded guilty 10 lar
cenies OF all grades highway robbery murderuus
assaults. arson, rape. murder. bounty jumping.
and even to dishonesty in gambling. The gls'
OF all that was definite in II has already b' zen
made public. But in one instance did he pro-
fess 10 remember the name OF his victim. al
though the circumstances Of eight murders
preceding that Of Parker We're quite clear in his
remembrance. The one exception was the kill
ing Of Lieut. Strong Of the Twentieth United
States Colored Infantry, whom he shot through
u. :
professcd to have killed Il Captain in that regi-
ment but did not remember his name.