Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-01-11

1uSNbGG. ssshs' sssN't 49,
~ af1he Saw TsaWmrhnnt-s Las
IuOuva OF tho Murderer-Parttcu
lars orthe Tragic kcene-HuH'er''
Confession Of the Crimc-liOw
Armstrong was Killed.
BENJAMIN Hunter, the murderer Of
John NJ. Armstrong, paid the extreme
penalty Of the law at Camden, N. j.,
Yesterday, made and provided for mur.
der. The particulars Of the crime fol
which Hunter paid the penalty by the
forfeit OF his life are familiar to the
read RS OF the REPUBLICAN,, and to day
W. give a report Of the tragical scene
whch closed as the drop fell in the old
Camden Jail at ll.2j O'Clock, yesterday
forenoon Up to about $50 O'Clock a
stranger entering Camden would not for
moment suppose that within less than
two hours human being was to b'
sent into tho presence of his creator to
an w.r for til. crime of mur deriDg q
fellow being.
Shortly before ten o'clock those per.
sons who held tickets bearing the sign
a,uTe of sheriff Calhoun wer. admitted
TO the Courthouse through the Rscor.
d,r's flee on Market street, thence
throu ,h the yard to Six tn street, and
thei,ue through the basement door
where
THE FIRST sign
or the preparations was visible.
The condition Of Hunter was the up
permo,t question and from those in
charge OF him it was learned tha! he
had spent the nightvery un"asily, toss
ing on his bed and being very ievrrish.
At 4.30 A. NJ the Sherif's son, who
wa. on the lookout, heard llun'er
moaning unrasily, and approaching,
rs ,ed him how he felt. The reply was
"middIing" lie kept his bed all
night. In fact, he had kept his bed for
several days. Durng the night he
drank freely Of water.
At & 80 yesterday morning breakfast
was proii-rrd him, but he percnptorlly
refuse to either eat or drink. Ih"
man seemed 10 lie in a stupor, and
would not talk unless addressed, and
in the majority of cases fused to an
swer ZEN when called upon.
At minutes of 10 O'Clock, DR.. Allen
Of Oh Pine street church, proceeded t"
tn. cage and knrlt in prayer. Geo.
Gc,z,, his brotherin law, was also with
him, as well as another friend. Later
Aaron Thompson who had acted as
counsel for Hunter went up and .haie
him good bye. when DR.. Allen haG
finish d prayer Il" asked Hunter il Ii"
had any hope in t.- future. Hunter
still lying Oh the broad Of his back {,
ans Etrrd.
e. TRUST ~ MY REpEEMER."
During the whole Of the prayer he
kept his eyes closed, even when he
mad. answer to his spiritual adviser.
by many it was supposed that sher-
in Calhoun, to whom the task Of hang
ing Hunter seemed most obnoxious,
wOul
PISIsI THE JOB As SPEEDILY AS POSSIBLE,
and a few minutes after ten was the
VI ne nj ny many
As til. moments sped by, however,
a ID the watches OF those present told
tlat the hour of eleven was approach
i q, 1t began lob- whispered about that
l-r- was something amlss, and soon
tle word was passed among the news
p per men that the criminal had weak
en-d, and that IN order to keep hun
up sufficiently to 60 Through with the
form Imposed by law, lie was being
freely loS.d with stlnulants, although
Just what these stimuauts consisted OF
could not actually be ascertained, but
could b. readily surmi',d.
WE'LL HANG HIM ~ WE HAVE TO CARRY
HIM DOWN."
was the remark ma lie by the son OF the
Sheriff early in the morning, and the
result proved that they did have to
carry him down. At ILL the main
corridor, through which the victim OF
the law had t" pass, was cleared, and
then it was known that thing, were
approaching II crisis. At ll.2O the
word was given that he was coming,
and next Hunter was seen being carried
by four stalwart men to the spot where
he was to meet his death.
THAT HUNTER WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO
pr or to the terrible moment, was ap-
parent as soon as he was carried into
tn ., corridor. He was in no condition
to talk. The terrible mental agony the
ma had suffered. and the supplying
action Of the stimulants, prrclnded it.
Wn-n the moose was about TO 10 ad-
justrd Hunter was asked
D MANN HUNTER, mAvE YOU ANYTHING TO
SAY
There was 10 response, not even the
olrning Of the eyes
Th. brother Of the victim, John c.
II inter, occupied seat in the Sh-rlif's
0 Ii e, but II, ither visited his brother in
the cell nor witnessed the execution.
lie vas present merely to take chara"
Of tn body.
There was no funeral procession.
There was no prayer. As speedily as
possible the white cap was placed over
his head very bunglinely. AS the
Efforts of the five men, incluling
tue Sheriff, who surrounded the appar.
entity half dead man, were divided be
tween liking the cap and holding him
~ to receive both it and the moose.
throughout the whole proceedings
hunters head hung on his breast. His
face was as pallid as that of corpse
and his eyes never once opened.
AT II Is PRECISELY
the rope was cut, and then ensued the
most revolving scene that even the
oldest reporter present ever witnessed,
NStantaneOusly the body shot up