Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-19
THE HANGING OF LEROY.
How the Last Scene I'm n Celebrated
Case Was Enacted I'm Lewes Jail-
The Prisoner Led Half Dead to the
ScaffOld-A Painless Execution.

How the Last Scene I'm n Celebrated
Case Was Enacted I'm LeweS Jaig-
The Prisoner Led Half Dead to the
ScaffOld-A Painless Execution.
From the London Teleg-dphs account of
Arthur Lefroy's execution. the following extract
is made: ''The gallows consisted of two pits
connected with each other, one broad and the
other narrow oblong, the broad one being i'm
mediately under the gallows, and covered in by
black trap-door that opened in the center and
was only supported In its place by a long bolt t
the other containing brick staircase that led
under the scaffold. Above the trap door, or
rather at the right-hand side of it, and close by
the gallows-tree. was lever. something like
the switch-handle that one sees ON railroad
lines, connected with the bolt below the trap
door. The rope that hung from the cross-bar
was coiled up in a long blight, reaching however.
nearly to the floor; and, although it had done
duty so frequently. as Marwood said. seemed
nearly new. Such the scaffold the grave
was small excavation in chalk scarcely four
! feet deep, while the chasm beneath the scaffold
| must have been ten or twelve feet i'm DEPTH To
| MarWoOd the whole thing evidently seemed a
triumph of art. and as he moved hither and
thlther, explaining the superiorites OF his de-
| sign. he evidently expected that his handwork
would meet approval. All the while the bell
| dismaily toled and the time was passing awav
At length warder came bustling up. and. with
bundle of keys in his hand, beckoned to Mar
wood. 1t wanted about ten minutes to nine
O'Clock. and the doomed man inside was wait
| ing. Ready for YOU remarked the warder,
and with cOmplacent look MarwOod gathered
up his tackle and followed. With an easy
skip and hop, as though he were answering
an agreeable call, he left us. passed
up some steps in the yard next
| that in which we stood with undated cheer
1ulness. and disappeared into the jail toward
the cell of the man about to die. l pictured
him as he would move along the corridor and
present himself at the portal of the condemned
cell, with smile on his face andthe ready step
wondered nightly how he--the agent of
death-cOuld move so briskly. and after what
fashion he would introduce himself to the hui
man being ne was going to strange. Death is
proVerb!ally swift; in the guise of MarwoOd it
moved with appalling celebrity. AS it CHANGED
LEROY knew nothing of this and only saw his
eXecntioner as the latter with bow entered
cecil. Then it was probably too late for much
| thought. and the wretched creature NAV well
have been bewildered. Il hope the rope will
not break. was the only expression to which
he gave utterance, possibly the result of some
apprehension from what he had heard of the
| 'MarwoOd long drop.
| THE DEATH PRAYER.
'There was not time for more; the hangman
was already busily at work passing the leather
belt round his body, fastening his elbows and
wrists and barring his neck. The bell was toll
ing ana nlne o'clock had nearly come. 1t was
time to be moving. The clergyman in his white
| surpice, was ready; two warders had taken
their places. one on either side of the con-
demned; Marwood with one strap yet unused
IN his left hand. and his right hand firmly fixed
on the leather belt that confined his victim was
prepared to move; the under sheriff. the gov
ernor OF the Jail, surgeon and magistrate, all
were waiting; it was time for the burial service
to begin. The corridor echoed forthwith to the
sound OF the death prayer. Slowly passing
into the yard moved that awful procession, and
as the warder unlocked the door which opened
close TO tbs scaffOld it emerged into the air. |
had CHANGED to see LEROY on several previous
occasions. and notably at the trial. yet it was
with feeling bordering upon curiosity that l
now looked upon him as he emerged into the
open air. There was much that operated
against the producing of favorable impress
sion. He was attired not, as was stated in
prison garb, but in very old suit of graysh
Tweed he was tightly piniOned. so tightly that.
as L observed, his wrists were bruised: his hat
was off and his hair somewhat disarranged: he
had not been shaved for some time, and he was
being hurried along by his executiOner at dis
quoting rate. But. apart from all this, there
was pallOr on his face so unearthly that he
presented the appearance of one who was already
dead, and | much doubt whether. but for the
presence of the Warders on either side of him
and the support which he gained from the hang
man, who pushed him forward he WOuId have
been able to accomplish the distance from the
cell to the grave. The words of the CLERGYMAN.
rising and falling upon the ears of the specta-
tors were evidently lost upon him: he did not
appear to hear the passing bell. but looked up
ward as though in agony of fear, and SO
stumbled helplessy along. 1t was not far-only
a few score yards in ali-but the march to the
grave or rather to the scaf'od seemed terribly
painful: all the bravado that was witnessed in
the dock at Maidstone had gone; the terrors of
death were in full force upon the hapess culprit.
AS he approached the scafoId this was particu
larry notceable he could scarcely take the step
when was to place him where he never stood
before. and from whence he would never step
again; and MarWoOd. who at no instant let 90 of
ward.
UNDER THE DROP
at was evidently not the moment for cere-
mony with the hangman, who was now once
more very busy placing the tall young man, up
to whose shoulders his own face scarcely
reached, under the crOss-tree. stopping down to
strap up his legs, and then fumbling about with
a white glazed linen cap, which he now essayed
to put over the trembling youths face | do
not suppose for moment that MarwOod in
tended to be rough; he possibly was excited.
and anxious to do every thing as eXpeditiousy
as possible. But it certainly appeared to me
mat IN attempting to fix the cap on Lefroy's
hurt the prisoner somewhat unnecessarily. The
worst OF this was. however. yet to come The
long rope dangling about LEROY had now to be
adjusted, and the thimble through which the
moose ran to be placed beneath his neck l do
not know how long this operation took. l did
not not, time n it: It may have lasted only few sec
onds, but to melt seemedappallingly long. while
the swaying of Lefroys body showed the
nameless agony he was enduring. cannot tell
whether during this time the sound of the cler-
gyman's voice. which continued all the while
the preparations went on was of great consola-
ton to him. His last look as the white can was
produced was lifted heavenward. his palid face
was turned upward, his lips moving as though
in prayer; but SO soon as the cap was over his
face he began to sway, and so much that 1 ex-
pected he would fall before the business was
finished. At last. however, all was ready. and
MarwoOd. grasping the hand of his victim.
stepped back. There was another awkward
pause. apparently for the purpose Of allowing
the clergyman to finish the sacred invocation in
which he was engaged; and then the level being
pulled back. the trap doors open, and LEROY
falls with terrible thud into the cavern below
Down ten feet, as was presently shown by the
measurement of a tape line, he had dropped,
the whole weight of his body falling upon his
neck. which, receiving such strain was in