The New York herald., 1879-01-05

requests were granted. and the Public Prosecutor
on his side nam, ID two eminent physicians, who
visited the Saladero Prison October 80 The four
doctors questioned this accused. and he answered
all their queries with great readiness Ihey
reported. after IA second visit at a later date,
that Juan Olivia y Moncas quite sound i'll mind.
One of the physicians desired that more informa-
ton should be obtained from the family and native
place of Moncasi, and Sehor Jimenez del Cerro
directly filed another petition claiming this inquiry,
the ground that the accused reported to have
been detained for several months in lunatic asylum
The Judge did not consent to this petition. and he
only prolonged the delay granted for the medical in
vestigation of the prisoner himself.
AND SENTENCE.
The trial of the attempted resicide was conducted
according to the ordinary rules OF criminal law in
Spain. After all the preliminary examinations of
witnesses and evidence by the accusation and by the
defence the raised to 'Sumaria"-that
is it came before the Court. Trial by
jury abolished shortly after the restoration
and consequently the ordinary judges pronounce
sentence upon the merits OF the The Fiscal or
Public Prosecutor in lengthy document stated the
evidence and arguments of the prosecution. and
finally deman led the application OF the articles OF
the Penal Code. The defence relied upon the plea of
conpos mea,ts The prisoners conduct after his
arrest and during his trial such as to make this
defence a hopeless The decision was that he
should die. From the Judgment of the Magistrate
of First Instance an appeal taken to the
Audiencia Court of Appeal, where the sentence was
reafirmed few days ago. As last resource the
wife and counsel of the condemned man sought
repreye and mitigation of the sentence at the foot
OF the throne; with like result King Alfonso. who
said the day of the attempted assassination. II
wish he had killed me- reluctantly signed the death
warrant and the miserable died by the garrote
as above announced
SKETCH OF THE ASSASSIN
Juan Ramon francisco Olivia Moncasi was born
in the small town of Cabra. in the province OF Tara
gona, the 18th of November, 1855. and was
baptized in the parish. His parents are
both peasant farmers. honorable, laborious.
simpe-minded and pious. They live on their
own land. which they cultivate, and enjoy very
good repute in that neighborhood. They have four
daughters and two One son, the eldest, is i'll
trade, and possesses much credit in Tarragona The
youngest is Juan, the accused 1t is not to de-
! scribe the horror of this poor family when
| they heard that their had committed
! so dreadful crime. The father Of Moncasi,
| who in bad health, is reported to be at
deaths door, and his brother and sisters the OBJ.
| jects of much commseration in their district.
| Moncasi very early sent to the best primary
mathematics and classics. owing to his rowing
| and irregular habits. Though of quick DISPOSE
| ton and naturally intelligent he would fix upon
no profession. In turn sculptor. printer. cooper.
and above ALL an dler and frcqucntcr of clubs and
taverns to discuss the widest themes of socialism
| among Catalan workmen. he always gave his
family much trouble. When come to mans cs-
tate he seduced peasant girl and married her after
the birth of a daughter two years ago. He had
| lately declared to his family and wife that he
wanted more money i'll order to emigrate to Msicrs,
| like many other inhabitants Of the Mediterranean
| provinces of Spain. The sum asked was found by
| the unfortunate relatives, and Moncasi started
| his fatal expedition, getting further than
Madrid. The strange fatality which took him to the
capital and the morbid dislike of kings which caused
! him to lie in wait for young Alfonso on the Gale
| Mayor, combined to end his life Of obscuriy, his
dreams and his antipathies.
| DIED.
An execution by the garrote. although accredited
| with being mcrclfuly painless, is certainly awful to
behold The place of execution in Madrid is accessi-
bic to the public and the occasion is of equal inter
| est with a day at the bull ring. Every
| thing connected with this ceremony of death
| is viewed with morbid horror by the Span
iards because of ancient Oriental prejudices
| Of pollution. All actually employed in the
4
caste and purity of blood Even the gloomy scaffold
| on which the culprit is stranged is usually erected
in the night aud by hands. 1t rises from the
earth like fungus work of darkness. Execution by
hanging graciously abolished by Ferdinand VII 1t
is certainly in accordance with the semOriental
natures of the Spanish people, which leads them to
tenderly respect the bowstring. All that Cervantes,
from mis- sad experience. pctureda prison to be- 1t is
to-day; all that he said of the morbid love of his
! countrymen for the horrible the ludicrous is
equally true now. The crowd that
| sembles just beyond the line Of gcndarmes
| 90 to see how the criminal will conduct himself.
| They sympathize with him il he displays bravado
courage. and they despso him on the least symptom
of unmanliness. Atthe fatal hour the culprit ap-
pears, usually clad in yellow baize gown--tho
in which the Spanish school of painters robe tine
special object OF their contempt Judas scariot Tho
scaffod having been mounted, the culprit is placed
on rude seat His back leans against strong up
right post to which an iron collar is attached,
| closing his neck and so contrived as to be drawn
| home by turning a powerful behind the
post. The and legs of the culprt are tightly
/ bound. When all is ready the cxecutioner takes
the lever Of the in both hands, gathers hmsel
| ND for a powerful muscular effort and, at the
mcnt of prcconcertcd signal, draws the iron collar
tight while attendant filings black handkerchief
over the face. convulsivo pressure of the hands
| and heaving of the chest usually the only
| visible signs of suffering.
UNLUCKY MINERS.
|