The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-05-14
A TRIPLE HANGING
At Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Yesterday
Brandt, Aummsl and Wise Swing for the
Killing Of a Man 10 Order TO Obtain
the Amount Of Insurance on
His ulie-Conduct Of
the Men on the
Scaffold.

LEBANON. Pa, May lS.-yery few peo.
pie were admitted to the jail yard this
morning, to witness the execution o.
Brandt, Hammel and Wise, for the mur
der Of Raber in order to obtain hic
amount Of insurance.
The entire morning was taken up with
religious services. Rev. Geo. Roberts and
Rev. j. F. Shantz, attended upon Brandt
and Hammel, and Rev. ]. Hay and Rev.
Ezekiel Light, gave spiritual consolation
to Wise. At 10 A. NJ, Wise gave notice to
the Deputy Sheriff that he was ready.
He left his cell proceeded by the clergy.
men and ascended the steps to the scaf.
fold, bearing himself firmly and with a
smile on his countenance. He made the
following statement: What have to say
is that all are guilty, as testified in court
mel got in, that is all have to say. Rev.
Mr.. Hay prayed and sung familiar
hymn in German, "There is Fountain
Filled with Blood" At the conclusion OF
the hymn Brandt and Hammel were
brought out, accompanied by the Deputy
Sheriff and clerymen. The men were all
clad in dark suits with boutonierre Of
smilax and lilies OF the valley, presented
by their friends.
The gallows was the same as that upon
which Drews and Slichler were hanged.
An impressive scene took place upon the
gallows previous to the execution. De-
putty Sheriff Deninger, clergyman,
Sheriff Crawles and his assistants went
on the scaffold and shook hands with the
culprits, each OF whom. thanked the Sher-
iff for his kindness during their incar-
ceration, and expressed desire 10 meet
him in the world to come.
At Wise's request he was allowed 10
visit the cells OF all the other prisoners in
Jail, he bade them good bye, and impress.
ed upon them the necessity Of leading
honest and virtuous lives. At 1l:l5
Sheriff Crawles stepped upon the plat
form and adjusted the moose, while the
Deputies bound them hand and foot, and
placed over their heads the white muslin
caps. Both Brandt and Hummel were
asked II they had anything TO say. They
replied in the negative, and all knelt up
on the platform OF the trap and engaged
in prayer while the Rev. Mr.. Shantz read
appropriate passages from the Scriptures.
All persons having withdrawn from tho
scatfold, Sheriff Crawles sprung the trap
at l1:lS. A slight tremor was observ-
able in Hummel's knees, otherwise, the
death OF the three men seemed to follow
the fall. At 1l:30 the physicians in at
tendance pronounced the men dead.
THE CRIME FOR WHICH THEY HUNG.
Just few days before his execution
Brandt made statement relative to the
murder, in which he said that he and
Bethleyoung had got a policy on Joseph
Raber's life in the Marietta Company for
5000. Bethleyoung died in about four
months after the Insurance; George Dea-
vens and Henry Kreiser appraised Beth
leyoung's policies, with his other effects:
then Jacob Deayen, the executor, asked
me TO purchase Raber's policy at the sale.
as l already had half OF it; told him to
sell my half also atthe sale, as did not
wish to keep it any longer; Mrs. Bethle-
young then took kreiser's and Raber's
policies at the appraisement. Hummel
and Brandt to the last maintaiped their
innocence Of the murder, while Wise
claimed that they were all equally Guilty.
He In one OF his many statements said that
Brandt was the prime mover in the whole
transaction, and the one who first sug.
gested insuring old Raber, and when be
(Wise) objected to going into 1t, Brandt
replied, "Look at it right once, and see il
you don't think It would be the best
thing we could do. You can get three or
four thousand dollars, then go West; and
II a man is insured and then shot, and the
people don't do 1t who have him insured,
the company must pay" Wise also said
that after Raber's drowning he and Hum
mel had q talk together, when the latter
said he was ready for another speculation,
and that they would put one George Jen.
nings in the Westernville (0hio) Com.
pany for $1,000, and that the man was
ready to put him out OF the way. Wise
said he had told all he knew about the al.
fair from its inception until they were ar.
rested, and that he had fully made his
peace with God, and would surely go
TO heaven. He had been fasting for
several days, as he says, in order to be
better prepared to partake Of communion.