The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-03-31

| WcIc executed. III was uOnc so quickly
that but few on the grounds were pre-
pared for IL. Neither of the mems nccks
was broken, and they choked TO death
After hanging fifteen minutes they were
pronounced dead, but they were not cut
down until the expiration of twenty
minutes
| DRAMATIC SCENES Ar CLENRtirlp.
John A. Neveling suffered the deatl,
penalty at Clearfeld, for the murder of
Samuel Pennington, at lIoutzdale, Feb
ruary II 1880. lie was calm and appar.
emily willing to die. AT the time he com
mitted the murder he boasted that he
would die like man, and the composu,c
with which he met his fate proved that
he meant the boast when he made il. On
the night previous to the execution he
paced mis- cell until "A. NJ, and then he
slept until A. M. At I o'clock he break
tasted, and an hour later he was visited
by the father of his victim, who forgaye
him for killing his boy and offered the
culprit consolation and religious counsel.
About Q o'clock Neveling dressed him.
self neatly and spent half an hour with
his spiritual advisers, Revs. Leidy and
Bear, who administered the sacrament.
AT ii he was given tea and oysters. lie
supped from the cup but refused to eat
any, and became very pale and nervous.
The Sheriff and bis Deputy entered
the cell at LIS z. M. The procession
formed with Sheriffs Mahaffc and Dun.
kle from Centre County leading. They
were followed by Neveling, SUPPORTED
by Revs Leidy and Bear. The iurv
followed and then came the prisoner
who walked with firm step. Tie ov.
hibited unparalleled bravery.
Neveling spoke for five minutes with
out tremor in his voice:-"Gentlemen
you have all come here to-day to see me
executed l am prepared to go. The
devil has been working on me and has
given me dagger-a DEVILS dagger. I
will prove it." Here he reached under
his coat and pulled out long dagger
and flung it violently into the platform
upon which he was standing. lie spoke
then how the devil had persuaded him
to kill himself, and he trusted God TO
save him. He then knelt in PRAYER and
prayed earnestly for two minutes. and
then rose and stood erect without n
qulver while the Sheriff adjusted the
moose and cap.
The trap was sprung at l.45, and the
awful tall occurred. His neck was
broken and he died in fourteen minutes
Only sixty people witnessed the execu.
ton, but there was an immense crowd
outside the Jail which kept good order,
On the night of February il, 1880. at
Houtzdale, Neveling an Pennington
got into an alteration, which resulted
IN Neveling receiving several painful
wounds on the head, made with a billy
IN the hands of his antagonist. They
parted seemingly on good terms, and
Nevellng returned home, about n mile
and half from Houtzdale. During the
night he threatened to take Pennineton's
NE The following morning, after
drinking large quantity of whiskev. he
TOOK his gun aud went to Houtzdale. He
came across Pennington, and coming up
behind him he shot him, the wound
proving fatal month afterwards. The
cowardly manner in which the shooting
was done aroused great Indignation, and
threats OF lynching were made. AT the
trial the following October Nevelinp was
convicted of murder in the first decree
Inc Supreme Court affirmed the action
OF the lower court. Neveling was sen.
tenced to be hanged Friday. The Board
OF Iardons was asked to commute the
sentence, but refused to do so.
standing on the scaffold, at Pittsburr
and IN the almost visible presence Of
death, Frank Small publicly and impress
slvely declared hi- innocence of the mur-
der OF Nicholas Jacoby. With one ex-
ception the execution was well managed
throughout. The single exception was
the admission by the Sheriff of several
hundred persons to the Court House and
grounds to witness the hanging. He
was supposed TO have issued only forty
hve permits. When Small reached the
yard on his way to the scaffold he re.
marked, sarcastically, on seeing the
crowd OF men gazing at him; "And these
are the forty-fve permits" He met his
WV" eooiuess ana great courage.
Ills face reflected no terror and his step
no weakness. He smiled when the scat
fold met his sight, and he mounted it
without hesitation.
"Have you anything TO say?' asked
the Sheriff.
Cnly, he replied, ''that did not kill
Nicholas Jacoby. die an innocent man.
AT 12.lO the drop fell His neck was
not broken and he died of stranoulatiop.
AT the end of half an hour, the BODY
was cut down The sentiment is very
general that he was not guilty of the
crime. He was convicted on the oath
ot the wife of the murdered man and it
Is believed that she knows more about
the murder than the man who was
hanged for it.