The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-15

was because he did not suppose the
Sheriff of Carbon county would hang the murderers
the impression that the murderers counsel had i'll
formed the Sheriff OF efforts being made to secure
reprieve.
EXECUTION OF THOMAS DOWD.
READY TO DIE, BUT PROTESTING THAT THE
Staying OF THOMAS EDWARD wAED WAS
PURELY IN sELT-DEFENCE.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.
ST.. ANDREWS. N b.. Jan. IA. 1872
Thomas Dowd was executed this morning at fifteen
minutes past eight o'clock, i'll the Jail yard in the
presence Of thirtyhve persons including the Coro-
ners jury, medical men. press representatives and
witnesses. Last night he slept soundly. He rose at
six and dressed himself He said he had good
nights rest. felt comfortable and, he hoped, pre-
pared for death. He wore dark tweed pantaloons
vest aud white shirt Father Doyle arrived at half
past six and went to the room set apart for the final
interview with Dowd. The prisoners confession
received by Father Doyle after which the sacrament
of the eucharist administered. This was followed
by an exhortation and thanksgiving. Dowd said he
felt perfectly resigned, and longed to meet his God
MRS. WARDS INNOCENCE.
Dowd then. in firm hand. signed the petition to
the Governor General, drawn up at his request, in
which he asserted Mrs. Wards innocence of any par
be pardoned or the term of her imprisonment les
sened.
THE DEATH MARCH.
Being now ready, the MACH to the gallows began,
in the following order:-Sherif Paul; the condemned
man. carrying lighted candle; Father Doyle, read
ing the "Miserere;" the jailer and assistants When
the condemned man reached the gallows and during
the execution the reverend father reced the ltany
for the soul departing On his arrival at the galows
nr.6ar ham IVa k,,a1f
down with the priest. who rected the De Profundis'
and the "Ordo Commendatus Anime" Dowd's last
net before the priest left him was to kiss the five
wounds on the crucfx.
LAST WORDS.
He then said, II am much obliged to the Sheriff
every kindness and gratiied my every wish. l bid
the people of st. Andrews goodby feel very kindly
feelings to the people OF st. Andrews. wish you all
SWUNG OUT OF LIFE.
Just after eight o'clock had struck the signal was
given and amid the awful silence that refined the
body swung into the air. There was q cOnvulsive
movement OF the limbs, followed by swaying of
the body to and fro and after the momentum caused
by sudden jerk had expended itself the form soon
became colder and the pulse gradually ceased. He
died without struggle, his neck being broken Death
seemed to be instantaneous Ten minutes after the
rope cut DIR. s. T. Cove pronounced him dead.
The inquest was Immediately i'm, held, and the usual
thorites, given up to the clergy OF the Catholic
Church and buried at ten in the Catholic cemetery
The gallows was made with . swinging beam. which
jerked the condemned into the air and proved very
efficient.
stf HIS LAST STATEMENT.
This morning Dowd made a final statement, which
is merely extension of those previously made,
asserting that he killed Ward in self-dcfence, and
that Mrs. Ward is innocent Of any participation,
and that he never had improper relations with
her. II Dowds statement is true the chain of
circumsantial evidence on which he was convicted,
and which seemed perfect, was entirely wrong for
Dowd asserts that he killed Ward not with his own
which hair and blood were found. but with
Ward had. In other respects the statement is in
conflict with the testimony and the theory Of the
prosecution Hta
READY TO DIE.
Father Doyle said he never saw such deep peni-'
tence was displayed by the unfortunate man that
he has displayed this spirit from the first III fact. and
that he seemed to long to meet his God.
HIsToRY OF CRIME.
The crime for which Thomas Dowd suffered was
Of peculiar atrocty and the fact that the dead
mans wife convicted as being concerned in it
made 1t still more revolving Thomas Edward Ward,
Andrews and St. John, thirty-two miles from the lat.
ter city, III house known as the New River Hotel.
which had long ceased to be more than place where
teamstcrs fed their horses. There Ward lived with
his wife, daughter grown up) and child four years
old the murderer, Thomas Dowd, boarding with
them Ward suspected that improper intimacy
existed between Dowd and his wife, who much
younger than himself. This produced bad feeling
and frequent uuarres On the 9th OF September last
Ward started about eight o'clock III the morning
with his scythe for the purpose OF cutting hay in
meadow mile from his house. and never returned
alive. Neither his wife nor Dowd made any search
for him, and the former told three four different
stories to account for his disappearance, stating ut
St.
at another that he had gone to Boston. The
neighbors began to suspect foul play and made
search for the missing man, and on the 21st of Sep
tember the body was found quarter OF a mile from
his house, in gulley which crossed the road to
the meadow. and distant from the road two three
hundred yards. The gulley filed with bushes. but
the better to conceal the body the root of decayed
tree had been turned up over it. Two hideous
wounds which completely crushed in his skull evil
IDENTITY inflicted with the pole Of an axe sufficiently in
Dictated the manner of his DEATH
cracUMsrANrIlL EVIDENCE.
Dowd and Wards wife were arrested, and, after n
preliminary examination before the Coroner, COM
mitted for trial at the next term OF the Supreme
Court. in November The evidence upon which the
Crown had to proceed entirely circunstantia and
depended on variety of minute circumstances
which. linked together. made strong chain of evil
denco. The strongest links in this chain the
fact that Dowds axe had blood upon it and human
hair. which was gray. like the hair of tho
murdered man, and that two or three days
after the murder Dowd got Wards scythe
for neighbor who came to borrow it. evidently
bringing it from some place of concealment near
Mrs. Ward went to show that she acting with
Dowd and sharer in his crime Many, however,
thought that the evidence against the in
sufficient. The jury took different view of the case
and found both guilty of MURDER and both were sem
fenced TO be hanged to-day.
Dowp's CLAIM INNOCENCE.
Dowd protested his entifo Innocence OF the murder
before his trial and until after sentence of death
pronounced upon him. but within twcnty-four
hours of the time he sentenced he made the fol-
lowing statement to the jailer:-
II killed ward in the valley where his remains
found. KILLED him with McCarthys now axe.
Ward was on his way home with the and pitch
fork. When We met we had some words. He inado
ut me with the fork. 1 clcnchcd the and killed
him. then took him by the legs and dragged him
TO where his remains found Mrs. Ward never
saw him after he left the house till she him dead
in the woods, nor any one else but myself.
This statement no supplemented on the following
day by fuller particulars saying:-
II asked Ward how he was getting along haying.
Ward replied, Il haven't boon haying and Will never
make any more hay. said. i have been bcrrying.'
Ward then said, You will go bcrrying again:
a n me- Mi he
pitchfork. laid hold of him and got him down. We
tusslod for some time Finally Ward promised to make
mp friends. We walked along the road together. and
when reached the gullcy Ward struck u. me again
with the pitchiork ran around the bushes aud he
followed me. then seized tho and knocked him
down. ran away short distance; turned, came
back and finished him. was crazy at tho time"
MRS. ESCAPES GAIIOws.
Dowd also denied that Mrs. Ward knew anything
he stuck to this story added to the reluctance to
execute led 20 the belief that her sentence