The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-04-03
CRIMES AND CASUALTIES.
A Gal,ovs Horror.

A GaIIows Horror.
EXECUTION AT WASHINGTON OF JAMES STONE
FOR THE MURDER oF-HIs wiFE-urs HEAD
JERKED PROM HIs BODY "A DISGUSTING
SCENE.
WASHINGTON, April flames Madison
Wyatt Stone was executed this afternoon I'm
the yard OF the Jail OF this District. and was
lliefally bebeaded, bis head being jerked
from his body by the drop intended 10 dis
locate his neck.
stone was quite well known in this city,
having for number Of years acted ~ mes.
senger Tor Mr.. Copyright, the agent OF the
New York Associated Press. He was a
bright-yel.ow man, a native OF Westbrook,
Me-, about ihirfy-6ye years OF age, about
hve feet eight inches In height, and weighed
about 1870 pounds when committed. but had
| added 20 pounds more to his weight during
his Imprisonment. He worked In Maine,
farming at North Yarmouth, Bethel, and
other places. He bad some knowledge Of
| steam engineering, and worked several
| years running stationary engine in Vir.
| GINA, and came to this city about eight
years ago, and, rs above stated, be was for
some time employed by the Associated
Press, and then for some time. in connec-
| ton with colored man MINED Marshall, he
conducted restaurant near the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad deI0r.
THE CRIME
for which Stone was executed was a fright
full murder-one OF the most atrocious which
has ever been perDeiraied in this District.
Some four years before he married a colored
woman named Alberta Pitcher. Before her
marriage with him she bad given birth TO
fusn OH of hot. rr;o oI,o
insisted on living with her sister, Lavinia
Pitcher. whom Stone accused Of leading bis
wife away from him. They had had fire.
quent quarrels before the fatal occurrence,
and on the night in question (Satui dav,
October 5. 1879 be went 10 the house
where bis wife was staying with her
two children and sster-No. 1l47
Nineteenth street. Bursting open the
door he attacked his wfe's sister, who,
seeing the open razor in his band, ran out
into the yard. Selling her, he inflicted Il
terrible cash on her throat. His wife was
up stairs, and hearing..her sisters screams
she FASTENED down and started for the yard,
but met Stone in the back room with tie
razor in bis hand, and be ut once attacked
her, inflicting number Of wounds on her
throat, severing the iugular-vein and the
windpipe. He then made his escape from
the house. Both women started after him,
the blood flowing in large spurts from the
wounds, but they fell in front OF the house.
The WIFI dieda few bours after The wounds
were inflicted, but The sister recovered.
Stone was pursued by some OF the neigh
bors and was turned over 10 Officers Hess
and Burrows.
Stone was duly tried, convicted. and sem
fenced TO death. The scailoId was erected
in the iail-yard. 1t had the ordinary trap
door.
A HORRIBLE sIGBT-sTONE's HEAD TORN FROM
HIS BODY.
The prisoner stepped on the platform,
and the ministers and others bidding him
goodbye, the moose was placed over bis
head. the knot adjusted behind bis left ear.
the black cap adjusted, and at O'Clock and
10 minutes the drop fell. Horrible to re-
late, the head was totally ierked off by the
fall. and the body fell to the earth.
The head for q moment cluUg to the moose
and then dropped, SCATTERING the beams
with gore, and then fell three or four feet
from The body. Blood spuried out OF the
neck in stream. The physicians Of the
Jail AID other physicians were present to
eXamno him. but OF course he was dead in
Il few minutes.
THE HEADLESS BODY.
Some OF the physicians Immediately went
TO the BODY, and while the blood was squirt
ing from the neck (gradually diminishing
felt for the pul,atiOnS OF the heart, and they
state there was a muscular movement for
about two MINUTES. DR.. Crook picked up
the head, and as be did so 0he black cap
having fallen on he noticed that the lips
moved aud the features appeared calm.
At the moment OF the fall OF the body,
which fell on the back, there was cry OF
horI or in the enclosure. some eXclaiming {:
"My God, the rope is broken !" and there
was rush TO see what had occurred. The
trap, when it fell, obscured the view OF
mos, Of those on the ground, who thought
at first that The rope had broken, but when
the head fell a moment after the signal bad
been gwen and the trap sprung it was appa-
rent that this banging had resulted in de-
capitation as clean almost as If done with q
knife.
APTER THE BODY
had been placed on bier the head was ar
ranged on it as neatly as possible. Among
the physicians the opinion was expressed
tha, the work had been too well done, and.
as one expressed it, the condemned man
was 50 fat mat the muscular tissues had be-
come weakened. and the slipping rope hay
ing once broken The skin, the fat accele-
rated its further progress until it reached
and broke the spinal column. Some OF those
present seemed TO think that this was really
a more humane execution than when the
victim is choked to death.
The body was subsequently placed in the
coffin, and Rev. William Gibbons read the
burial services in the presence OF about
Thirty persons, other than the officials and
the police; after which the undertaken
placed the remains in a wagon and took
them to the vault at the Young Mems burial
ground.
EXECUTIONS ELSEWHERE.
AT WINDSOR, VT.