The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-07-08

DNSeti4 " IpllI IIdlC II VIII HIS nelgn-
Dor. The crowd began to gath
er at both ends of the rotunda
one being at the gate of the cage lead
ing to the prisoners cell, the other
being on the north at the closed doors
Of the corridor leading to the scafold.
1t seemed an hour to the anxious
crowd, but it was only few min
Utes later when Crocker and unit
ed States Marshal Henry gave the
order to clear the part of the rotunda
leading to the scatfold. The open
space thus made was bordered on one
side by the military and on the other
by a diagonal front of notebooks
reaching from the extremity of the
rotunda. The crowd was 50 great
thatquite number Of gentlemen were
taken to the north cage, where through
the iron grating of the first landing Of
the stairs they could have IN excell-
ent view. Rumors Of
GUITEAU7s WEAKENING
were rife. "ITe is crying on his bed, ,
said & deputy. Gle is crying" ''He
is breaking down." Il told vou so, z"
and similar comments went rapidly
from mouth to mouth. "Thev are tv-
/ ing his hands, was thenext report and
then came ''and reading the death
warrant" Expectation was now
wrought up to the highest pitch. In
/ the meantime the miserable wretch,
who was 50 soon to expiate his great
crime on the gallows, had been con-
ducting himseIfln a way that surpris-
ed most Of those who surrounded him.
About 1l:45 tramp Of the military in
the rotunda startled him, and the
shock Of musket butt on the floor sent
shiver through every limb. He fell
back on the cot with a face as pale as
death. At first it was supposed he had
tainted, but this was wrong. He was
quickly laid hold Of but rose to a posi-
ton without assistance He burst out
crying like q child and exclaimed
bitterly, "God Will soon call me home.
Isn't 1t terrible that | will have to die
for doing Gods work?' His manner
throughout has been more similar to
his actions during his trial Particu-
larly severe was he on President Arth-
ur, whom he had made, he said, only
to be deserted by him In his greatest
need. There was some pa8t ticJla1l.- =
severe language used in this part of
his conversation, and his manner
while cursing had every similarity Of
the rawlings of a maniac When he
fell to crying he was as weak as q
child. When DIR. Hicks reminded
him that when the Saviour was exc
cuted by his enemies he blessed them,
the effect upon the assassin was electri-
cal. He was very solititous as to his
personal appearance. He had already
earlier in the day taken his bath and
put on q clean shirt, thoughtfully
leaving off the collar, that the neck
should be ready for the rope. He had
put on pair Of trousers of navy blue
and coat and vest Of the same ma
terial, and then received DR.. Hicks
and the jail officials He wanted to
die decently, he said. 1t was not un-
i'll he heard the shock of the musket
butt that he gave way to his paroxysm
of grief and rage. A few minutes and
Col. Crocker entered the prisoners
cell to read the death warrant. There
was very little preliminary about this
Col. Crocller simply said: with
the events Of the past year crowding
around me now as the hours Of life
enfold around, | find myself called
upon to perform Il solemn duty in thus
closing the death of our beloved pre-
sident" He then
READ THE DEATH WARRANT.
During the ceremony, which was
short, two Of the guards stepped brisk
! ly forward and began to bind the arms
of the condemned man behind his
back. As this was being done Guiteau
scowled upon the guards for q moment
and then turned ghastly pale He
trembled and grew white about the
lips and had to sit down. AS soon as
he had recovered, which he did with
remarkable quickness, he was ordered
between two guards, with two guards
bringing up the rear. This procession,
proceeded by Gen. Crocker and DR..
Hicks, appeared upon the vision of the
beholders in the rotunda. The steam
whistle had blown at 1926 and the
crowd had grown impatient at the
minute or two that intervened between
the signal and the appearance Of the
prisoner. Meanwhile the detachment
of troops came to attend on them and
shouldered arms The order Of the
procession was rs follows:
Gen. Hon. Crocker and Robert Strong.
Rev. Dr. ". ". Hicks
The prisoner, Chas, ]. Guiteau. between guards,
Johu VI. Jones aud ". ". Hudson,
". c. CrOcker and the death watch, Johnson,
The first thing the condemned man
saw was the military, and he seemed
to breathe more freely as he gave
distinct sigh Of satisfaction. On the
other side was the crowd Of reporters.
/ There were no cranks there, yet he
glanced furtively over the throng as if
he feared somebody might interrupt
the ceremonies. His form was bent
somewhat by the thongs at his back,
/ but his tread was as firm as that Of the
guards. His face was very pale, but
. beyond that he looked very like he
used to look when taken to and from