The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1878-02-13

had assembled the plank, and the nooses
had been adjusted, George Wilson asked
to be allowed to make n statement. Per-
mission was granted him, and, standing
there, in the shadow of violent death,
with the fatal rope about his neck chok-
ing his voice down, he made a speech
that went to the heart of every man that
heard it. He spoke without a tremor,
and with calm and distinct utterance.
He said it was not the part of brave men
to murmur at death when they were
brought face to face with it, and that he
had nothing to say against the decree OF
the court that had brought him to the
scaffold. He decried, however, in the
name of his comrades and in the name OF
Justice, the manner of the death to which
they had been brought. 1t was not
such death as soldiers deserved.
After Wilson had concluded, the trap
was sprung. The men fell simulta-
neously, and the crowd averted their
faces for an instant When they looked
at the scaffold again only five men were
hanging. Slavens and Campbell, who
were very large men, had broken the
ropes and fallen upon the ground.
They were writhing there in great agony,
half strangled, and the moose still press
ing about their necks. The crowd made
a rush toward the PROSTATE men. The
lieutenant in charge of the hanging
drew his sword and, standing over the
men, drove the crowd back The rope
was speedily loosed from the neeks of
the victims, and they were assisted into
a sitting posture. They recovered their
senses in q moment, and both begged
for drink of water. This was given
them, and revived them very much.
The ropes were then readiusted, and the
two men were made to reascend the
scaffold. Their comrades were corpses.
The trap was set again, and the fatal
/ trigger was touched once more.
The men fell with dull, heavy thud,
Campbell's neck being apparently bro
ken by the fall. Slavens, however, was
doomed to still further torture. His
immense weight, and size were such
that his feet touched the ground. His
commissions were terrible. His feet
would touch the ground and relieve the
strangulation, and then his convulsiOns
would renew it. At once bystander
seized q shovel, pushed the ground from
under Slavens' feet, and the brave mans
were bOOn Chus hN
bodies were buried near the scaffold.
OF the remaining prisoners none was
hanged. By most daring sally from
their prison, eight of the men escaped
They seized the inside guard of the
prison, gagged him, took his keys
opened the front door, overpowered the
sentinels, and wrested their arms from
them, and after terrible hand-to-hant
combat, fought their way through thtt
yard, and succeeded in pushing through
the federal lines, which were now quit
near to them. These men were all o
Ohio. Their comrades attempted t.
escape with them, but were all wounded
! or driven back before they could ge
f beyond the yard. These men, all o
/ Ohio, were kept in prison for severa
| months, and exchanged in March
The United States government gave yer,
handsome medals to the survivors of thi
terrible raid, and provided for the fami
lies of those who were killed. The frs
medal was given to Jacob Parott,
mere boy.-DetrOH Free Press.