The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-07
TWO LIVES TOR 4 ROOSTER.
FELIN N'CtNN HfNGED ron THE MUIR
mr. or ms NEiGUBOR.
Shooting wor'i. Hatch hccou.e Hatch shot


Conuty rhc C"ipr,cs Necs nroKrn.
NoUvlou y. y, juno G.-Fclix Mccain |
sfo,tfr ui midnight until 3 O'clock this morn. /
iny Fathers Hurri-an OF Norwich and Lud- |
dom e., Hamilton have been assiduus in attrnd- /
inEto him ior weeks. lie uroicsscd great pcni- /
tcnce. and. % is understood. made ~ confession
20 the priests. which. 81 course will never b. /
mail, public. Shcrin Hill determined to keep ,
.bc cNrcutou oi the sentence within the limits /
o. the statutes. Only twenty-cight. all told. /
witnessed the hanging. The prisoner heard
two masses. ono at and the other at 10 o'clock |
lie took leave oi his wife ana daughter between |
masses. Tho scene was very affecting. The
Sheriff went up To- the cell at 1915 aud read the
death warrant there. with the rruriovc when
uu, tie date OF the hanging from May lGtOJuns
G. Felix heard itctlmiy. saying simply. That's
MI right" 4 procession of two constahles two
priests. and the Sheriff was formed and marched
e. the yard %; tho Jail. Tho guows is new
one thc old Montgomery County machine. on
which sam Stecnburg was hanged. being too
DIZZY and cracked Tor use. Il il worthy of n1te
tlata now side trap was used. the invention OF
uo sheriff. which much simpincs matters. and
Will be generally adopted. The weight was tho
old Fonia one. three hundred and ten pounds.
AZ 1910 the procession entered tho yard and
halted, fcw steps from the platform where the
priests chnntcd the Miscrcre Mccain stepped
on the platform and took the place DIES ignafed
for him. lie was perfectly at easc. There was
no trcmhle in the little Old lrishmun's face or
form. The Sheriff asked him whether he had
anything 90 say. Felix didn't want to say that
he forgive everybody but the priests urged H.
AMI finally he muitcred " forgive all who
have Injured me. and hope theyn forgive me.
and that God will forgive me-" Tho black cap
was then drawn over his face. he standing
motionlcss as a stone. The drop fell at II %
jerking the victim fully four feet in the air. lie
sunk two feet. and swung gently Death was
caused by a broken neck. There was no sign o!
n struggle. Tho body was given TO relatives.
Fully ten thousand strangers were In town.
drawn 10y the double attraction OF a circus and
the hanging.
The murder for which Felix Mccain was
hanged stands alone in the peculiarly OF It's
cause. ne shot Morris Hatch because Hatch
had shot his rooster: and Hatch shot the fow.
because il, with the rest Of McCanns poultry.
persisted in coming oypr into his bnrnyard.
The principals IN the tragedy lived in Niger
Hollow. the name given part OF u farm
road ton miles east from Shcrburnc. pretty
lttle hamlet eleven miles from Norwich. On
ono sdo 81 the road. on place Of two acres
lived tie victim. james Morris Hatch. his wife
ami their son. u hall-wIt.ed printer % 20. Cp-
u0stc. in u small. farmhouse. ON plot Of
some do1rn acres. lived Felix Mccain. his wife
and thirteen yegr-old daughter. Both men
were largely dependent upon odd jobs about
the neighborhood TO exc out living. Mrs.
Hatch was tine hardest worked u the family
AMI WIS known as the Derry Woman. Her
reputation IA sArrnuruc and Nigger Hollow is
oi tnr worry worst. ana ~ the time OF the
That she herself fired tho shot; and
not untl us impDssioillty Was proved
U.t the n"lgltors give up the belief Mccain
was from County Monaghan. Ireland, whence
Il" emi-raied twenty }raIs ago. IL Is nearly ten
yours since he m0v,u INTO the house ON Niger
Hollow road. The Hitches had then been there
nv" yr4is. Inc Two families g0t ON pcacHOly
uht alter McCanns vile died. Mrs. Hatch
Felix's heart went out 10 her. Tor two years
teiiN was criminaliy intimate with the berry
woman. and MIS-. Hatch does not deny It.
Ca Dec. ,. 1876. Felix took home second vile
rom Norwich. Ihereniter Mrs Hatch made
day si.e yIiied Felix and all that belonged To
Inn. They mud rows about the proprctorship
81 aspiring. nbout % new survey OF the rund by
which hpuudarlcr were To- be altered. and lastly
about chicAens. VI Cam chickens were wont
70 wander over on hatch 4. iaud-i ella declared
because the Hutchvs vnticud them by corn.
Then Mr.. Hatch would take out his KUN and
shoot pueot tutm. On the afternoon of Nov.
-. 1915. Mccain came home from work Hnd
saw that Hatch mad shot another ot his hens
fifteen ia AL. The very next duy Saturday hc
went 20 % ncghUOr ana procured u KUN. about
buying which he had talked Tor year buck.
The musket, brass touud Enfield. was loaded.
On sunday he borrowed sIX caps OF another
ne.@AUor. which were too small Tor his gun.
lult day. according 10 his story No. drew tic
lali of il and All TIE shot THIS ioad he iIred AZ
post the following day. he discharged the
gun with the s4Nth cap after spelling the others.
Ine 1ay OF the murder tIues.iay. Dec. 81 was
the second anniversary OF McCann's second
marriage. Felix went out early on the road,
and GA discovering "a line OF corn scattered 10
snure bus ch Ickrus TO tneir death. called Mrs.
laicn 10 come out That he might punch her
head lie made this neighboriy invitation eX-
tend 20 Mr.. Hatch las well. Tue berry woman
tongue ns.t rnsued Mrs Hatch vowed that
sn' Would that very day have AlcCann and his
lamily 100 Norwich mi. After dinner she started
l"r ihe ,ylni-r OF ohtrbVrhe' stopping, as she
li1s.l VI Cams 10 call back - her husband
Tor her pistol. which he took TO her Felix
s.1i1s i' nave Thought sue meant her tals about
ul arrest, Tor he followed her AT n distance.
AiAou-l she did notSoto the Justices oiiiee.
!ia iAiAI was hpt relieved. he drank three
tllr- 800 tho village and boughta box OF big
Nfmyouls. Returning nome after 4 O'Clock. ne
Hul w4E"4 hoiAe with her. Reaching his
hnusr"e learned from his wife that another
H'tch Mo. Harh. meantime. had got home.
tHd ioauI her husband getting supper.
l-annl IL hump. stepped into an al
e'.e, Just on mo kitchen. 10 change
lrr drtss. SDe stood not more than five feet
from a window in tAe kitchen, which looked
ou upuu the rosa. This window was just u
f'.t iilm $50 hi-nyay irnce. A. she uu4e her
$50 from his cuuir aud stepped to the window.
Almost as he d.4 So, q demrniHlg repqr; ne
shrek, Ny God. Im ~uot.' burst upou her
was clawuE al nus brcu-t, az nc rrclel and icl
t. the floor. IL was the worl; OF % second TO look
,ui through tue shattered paucs upon the road.
rI-. She .vcnrs that Sic saw Felix McJann
rati % tie iena, Sue went 10 lie door. 70 use
}. % words On "a witness lie Jest scOoteI and
mover DO run like AanEr,-; l Gull itU scooL"
Ia,'n q .'i ia lr-, than 1--WE minutes. he had
Ky oda aioI u has breast Two Oh which per
Nr,. Hlt'u gave the alarm, ana The neighhor,