The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-07-06

FINAL BENEDIcTIoN

GLORY halelujahi am with the Lord
This closed the chant, and then Rev. Mr.
Hicks gave to Gulteau his
FINAL BENEDIoTIoN
and farewell, saying, ICED the Father be will
thee, and give thee peace forevermore.
Attendants then pinioned his legs, placed
moose over his head, and careful lily. adjusted i
4bout his neck, and as he did so, Guiteau call
ed out i'll loud tones, "Glory, glory, glory
he then dropped piece of paper from hi
hand, which had been given him by Warder
Cr0cker to be used as a signal that he wa,
ready.
Instantly the spring was touched.
THE DROP FELL.
at 1910 p. M, and Guteau swung in the air
The body turned partly around, but there wa
not the slightest perceptible movement of tn
limbs or any evidence of conscious effort t,
move them. Whed the drop fell veil wa
sent up by some persons inside the jail. Thi
was echoed outside by the voices of a thous
and or more people who hurrahed Justify
There was a general onslaught by the popu
lace upon the door, which was SO powerful
that officers were unable to withstand it :
Hundreds of people crowded into the office
and there was terrible crush at the door.
AFTER THE FALL.
| For at least forty seconds after the drop fel
the body hung motionless. Then there WAS
slight motion of the shoulders and legs, du,
to muscular contraction. Three minutes afte
| the trap fell, the body was lowered to be ex
amined by the physicians There was de
| cided action of the heart for fully fourteen
minutes, and the pulse futtered two minutes
longer. When the body had hung with tn,
feet just touching the ground for over half al
lou irt<> tln II
was waiting for it under the scaffoIG. TIL,
physicians decided at once that the neck hae
| been broken. When the body was lowered
the black cap was removed and the face ex
posed. The features were pallid and com
| posed. About the mouth there was conside
| rable moisture. After the body had been ar
| ranged in the coffin Warden Croker ascendet
the steps of the scaffold and addressed TIL,
crowd, which was kept back from the scaffol(
by a line of officers, and said that those who
desired could pass along the side of the scat
fold and view the body.
VIEWING THE BODY.
The crowd of spectators was formed into
line, and passing between the scaffold an(
wall of the Jail. viewed the dead face. Some
of the Jail officers, two or three physicians
and DR.. Hicks stood about the coffin. Johr
W. Guiteau joined this company and famed
his dead brothers face to keep away the flies
John Guiteau did not go upon the scatfold
but stood during the scene just within the line
of officers at the bottom of the steps, Wher
liberty was given to the crow to view the re
mains, the scaffOld was at once filled will
people, who curiously examined every join
and bolt.
THE BODY BORNE INTO THE JAIL.
At 1:4O p. m. the lid of the coffin was pu
in place, and the body was borne to the jai
chapel, where physicians who were to make
the autopsy. were assembled.
John ". Guiteau said to reporter JUS
after the execution that he was glad it was
oyer
WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH THE REMAINS? 2
asked the reporter.
I'VE will bury him here in the Jail, where
he will be SAFE" said Guiteau. He will moi
be taken out of JAIL"
The spot indicated by the Warden as Gui
teau's burial-place is in the same court as the
gallows, and few yards from it.
THE CERTIFICATE OF DEATH,
which the Warden is required, according to
the terms of the death-warrant, to file with
the clerk of the court, recites that the signers
were present at the execution of Charles J
Guiteau, and that he was hanged by the neck
till he was dead.
Mrs. Scoville, after waiting upon the out
side of the Jail until after the execution took
place. decided not to view the remains that
afternoon, and about o'clock returned to the
city.
Charles H. Reed, Guiteau S counsel, did not
witness the execution. He said he could not
stand it, and intended to leave the city. 1t is
not known whether Scoville is in town or not
John Guiteau says that he has not seen him.
and he does not believe he is in town. John
Guiteau appeared to be in a very serene frame
of mind after the execution.
II BELIEVE HE WAS INSANE"
said John Guiteau. 81 predicted just what
would happen-that he would go bravely to
the gallows.. The trial wasa farce, and to-day
an insane man was executed. Whether he is
insane before God, don't know; still 1 be-
lieve if he was to be tried again he would be
convicted. 1t was not question for Jury"
At half-past clock Dr. F. B. Loring con-
cluded his examination of the eyes of the dead
man. Both eyes were so indistinct that no
opinion could be formed of their condition or
expression.
A closer examination of the body showed
that
GUITEAU's NECK WAS BROKEN,
and that the rope had cut deep into the flesh
of his neck.
There was disposition on the part of some
Of those present to get mementoes of the occa-
sion at any cost. The Jail officers took the
rope from the gallOws and secreted it as soon
as the moose was removed from the dead man s
neck
DR.. Bliss and his son arrived at the Jail at
half past O'Clock, and Joined the physicians
engaged in making the autopsy. A reporter
of the Associated Press was the only newspa-
per man admitted to the chapel where the bo-
dy was being dissected. The operations of
the three surgeons engaged in
THE AUTOPSY
were watched with the greatest interest by
others who crowded about the table. After
the examination of the eyes, the brain was re-
moved and inspected. Then the body was
cut open and thorough and complete exami
nation made with the view of determining all
physiological facts that could be or interest in
connection with the CASE The brain was
found to be in normal condition, and weigh
ed forty-nine ounces. The heart weighed
little over nine ounces, and was in a healthy
condition, as were all the other internal or
gans.
At 1855 p. M, the autopsy was adjourned,
and the brain taken to the Government Medi-
cal. Museum, ION Tenth street, where more
of it. The physicians were disinclined to go
into details in regard 70 the results thus far
reached. DIR. Hartigan left the Jail soon after
o'clock, taking with him Guiteau's BRAIN
DIR. GOddlng who has maintained that Guiteau
was insane, said when asked what the result
of the autopsy was, II have nothing to say
now" Another physician remarked, "We are
all know -nothings." A bystander replied, 80
the uneducated, non-expert public thought at
the time of the other autopsy" All the ply
sicians agree that there were lymphe in the
brain, and hardening of the dura mater. None
til after the examination has been completed.
DR.. Bliss said there were many points show
ing good, healthy mental and physical devel-
Opments.
THE BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHED.
DR.. Hartigan, who had custody of Guiteau's
brain, took it at halfpast 4 clock to the Ar
my Medical Museum, on Tenth street, where,
in the room set apart tor Photographic puIpo-
ses, number of surgeons and physicians had
assembled to continue the autopsy Among
those present were Drs. Nichol and MacDon-
aid, OF New York, and Drs Lamb, Loring,
Sewers, Reyburn, Elliot, and Goddng, Of
Washington. The direction of operations, by
unanimous consent, was given to DR.. Lamb.
1t ha d been the intention of the surgeons to
begin by making plaster cast of the brain,
with view to permanent preservation in that
form of its confguration and external charac-
teristics, but the organ was touud to be SO soft
and yielding as to render this impractIcable.
A resort was therefore had to photography
On account OF the lateness of the hour and of
a dull and overcast sky, the preparations were