The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-09
HUNTERS LAST HOURS.
A Change Coming Over the
Doomed Man.
HIS FEARFUL POSITION REALIZED.
Threats Of Suicide and Means
Used to Prevent It.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXECUTION
PHILADELPHIA. Jan. 8, 1879.

PHILADELPHIA. Jan. 8, 1872
On Friday before the hour of shall have
struck. Benjamin Hunter the murderer of John N.
Armstrong. will have cxpated his crime under the
gallows. His bloody act is too recent to have been
forgotten by the reading community. and the sense
tional and horriiying revelations of the trial
fresh in the public memory Hunter is the
man Of wealth and position who insured the life of
his old friend and partner. ARMSTRONG for $4,000
then hired man to kill him, and when the nerve OF
his accompice failed him. himself lured Armstrong
to Camden and struck the fatal blow. He afterward
by cunning plot, enleavored to cast sus-
picion innocent person. and, while
pretending the deepest sympathy for tho
dying man. visited the house where his victim lay,
surrounded by his mourning family. and found
opportunity to tear the bandages from his wounds
and hasten his death by second attack.
under circumstances fendsh to be
almost incredible. The revelations at the trial
overwhelming and damnins. showing no other
motive but greed OF GAIN and since his conviction
Benjamin Hunter has enjoyed the distinction OF
being the author Of the most devilish and super-
naturally wicked crime of the past decade
HUNTER
He has been carefully guarded inmate of tho
Camden County IN. j.. Jail. at the little town of
Camden opposite Philadelphia. for over eleven
months. and during nearly all that time he has
pied the murderers cage. This cage is box made
with thick iron bars at the sides and top and has
Aoor of heavy plates Of iron 1t resembles the cage in
which a lion or a tiger is kept at first class
menagerie only that is little larger and stronger
1t stands in the centre Of good sized room which
is otherwise empty, the top floor of the Jail. The
interstices between the heavy bars are quite large
and permit the guards. who present
night and day, to watch the convicted murderer's
motion whatever he IN ~
Night and day he is supposed to be under the sleep
less eye Of jaler and never for one moment
does this vigilance be relaxed, for the prisoner
desperate man and he has sworn to cheat the gall
lows.
No is allowed to visit Hunter but his immc>
date family. clergyman and his lawyers. and
hands with him. One of the last persons to take his
hand was George NJ Robson. his senior COUNSEL
He called the other day to bid his client adieu for.
ever. and on leaving said
''well, goodby, Mr.. Hunters shall probably not
see you again?
ooh, we'll, goodby." rejoined the doomed man,
carelcssly. II shall meet you in hell!'
PRISONERS MANNER CHANGES.
From the time of his arrest until day so ago
the conduct of the prisoner has been that Of a
of iron nerve and perfect sefcontrol. who had
solved to effectualy conceal his emotions under
a manner which at times hard and bitter.
but generally careless and ,trihing: But now
benjamin Hunter is no longer the man he was.
He realizes at last that death stares him in the face;
him, he dropped his mask for a moment
in the presence of the Rev. r. H. Allen.
of this city, the clergyman who visits him at
the solicitation % the prisoners brother After Mr..
Allen had prayed with him and urged him to prepare
for death by CONTRASTING his crime the prisoner. who
had up to this time acted peevshiy and resented the
| pastors presence. seemed for moment to be-
strongly moved
Eyes. will make my confession he said. "but
| 1t will be only to Christ"
His emotion was only momentary. He quickly
changed the subject and refused to listen to the good
clergyman's appeal. But Hunter is a broken man.
He Is pale. restless fretfu and no longer affects
reckless He has little appetite; his sleep is
broken; he moody and sullen. and longer
conceal that he realizes the shadow of the gallows
SUICIDE THREATENED
He has sworn to commit suicide and has been
overheard by his guards. Every precaution is taken
to prevent this aud article by which he conld
injure himself is kept from him. His watch.
his personal trinkets. his eyeglasses, every
thing that could be turned to suicidal purpose
by the ingenuity of desperate man. ia carefully
cuded from his cage. His family. who emncntly
respectable people and have the sympathy OF many
proaches aud to-day spent several hours with him.
THE GALLONS.
Meantime the Sheriff and his deputy are engaged in
fitting up the peculiar machinery which is to be used
in hanging Hunter. There will be gallows, and
the doomed man will stand in the corridor Of the
passages of which it consists. These passages
form cross. and Hunter will stand
1t is directly under the court room in which he
tried. and is the ground foor of the jail The
the heavy uprighs, hole has been made through
the ceiling through which rope will be passed with
u moose on the emo encircllng the neck or tho
prisoner, who will stand Immediately beneath this
hole, in the centre OF the hallway. Above the CELL
ing. and the floor on which the court room is
situated will be piece OF jost with pulley at each
end The cord will pass these pulleys and then
descend through second hole i'll the ceiling about
three feet from the other. 1t will then
pass through the floor to the basement.
where the cells Of the Jail located At
this end of the rope the weight weighing about four
hundred pounds will he attached and elevated about
six feet held in place by heavy rope. The noosa
will then be placed around the neck of the
demned man, and, after the usual religious
monies have been performed, gwen signal
the rope holding the weight in position
will be cut, instantly lifting the convicted
man into the air a distance of hvo
or SIX feet. IL is thought that the rapidity with
which the weight will fall will send the unfortu-
nate man about two feet into the air after the de-
scending force to operate when the weight OF
his descending body will break his neck. produce
ing instant death. The space in the corridor is
contracted that very few persons Will be permitted to
witness the execution.
tAN ALLEGED confession.
Since the above written sheriff Calhoun. OF
Camden, visited tonight by reporter in refer
to the hanging Of Benjamin Hunter on Friday.
for the murder of Armstrong. He stated that Hun
ter had made private confession but that would
not be published until after the trial OF Graham his
accomplice in the murder. He refused positively to
make known the confession. but said it would be
used in the trial of Graham by the State.
DOUBLY SURPRISED.