Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-07-02
Arkansas the Champion Hanging
State in the Union.
THE STRIKERS SUCCESSFUL AT
SEVERAL POINTS.
ESPECIAL TO THE SENTINEL

day did not differ materially from the pre-
that the doomed man broke down COM
pletely shortly before II o'clock, and ap-
peared to be totally demoralized. He re-
mained in this condition for fully half an
hour, when he began to arouse himself,
and soon recovered his oomposure. AT
1926 he walked to the gallows, showing
no signs of weakness. He assembled the
scaffold with firmness. Upon reaching
the platform he was placed Immediately
behind the drop, facing the front of the
scatfold. There was q slight delay while
the spectators were pushing through the
door leading from the rotunda to the cor
ridor, at the other end of which the gall
lows was placed. Guiteau gazed upon the
crowd, looked up at the beam overhead,
and finally made a survey of all the dread
paraphernalia. As soon as the crowd had
gained access Warden Crocker waved to
them to uncover, and all heads were barred
and DR.. Hicks prayed. During the prayer
Guiteau stood with bowed head. At its
- oH1LICu Lo
and Guiteau, in firm tones, said: 81 will
read a selection from the tenth chapter of
Matthew, from the twenty-eighth to the
forty-first verse, inclusive" He then read
in a clear, strong voice, showing little if
any vousn DR.. Hicks then pro-
duced a manuscript which was prepared
by the prisoner in the morning, and held
it before him while Guiteau read his dying
prayer. This remarkable and blasphe-
nous production was published in yester-
day mornings SENTINEL. After COM
pleting his prayer, he again looked over
the crowd and said, in a firm voice: Il
am now going to read some verses which
are intended to indicate my feelings at the
moment Of leaving this world. Ii set to
music they may be rendered effective. The
idea is that of a child babbling to his
mamma and to his papa. | wrote it this
morning about 10 O'clock" He then COM
menced to chant the verses in a sad, dole.
full way. When he had finished DR.. Hicks
gave his final benediction and farewell,
saying: God, the Father, be with thee
and give thee peace forevermore." The
executioner then pinioned the prisoners
legs and carefully adjusted the moose about
his neck. While the black cap was placed
over his head, Guiteau, in a loud voice,
exclaimed, GLORY, glory, glory" The
prisoner then dropped a piece of paper as
a signal that he was ready, and Instantly
the trap was sprung. A yell was sent up
by some persons inside the Jail. This was
heard outside by a thousand or more peo-
pie, who hurrahed Justify. There was a
general onslaught by the populace upon
the Jail door. The officers were unable to
Withstand it, and a hundred people crowd
ed into the office. For at least forty Sec
onds after the drop fell the body hung mo-
tlonIess. Then there was a slight motion
OF the shoulders and legs, due to muscu-
lar contraction. There was Il decided &C.
ton OF the heart for full fourteen minutes,
and the pulse fiuttered two minutes longer.
When the body had hung with the feet
just touching the ground over half an
hour, it was lowered into a coffin,
After the body had been arranged in the
coffin the Warden addressed the crowd and
said that those who desired could see the
body then. The crowd Of spectators
formed into a line, and passing viewed the
remains. Some Jail officers and John W.
Guiteau, DR.. Hicks and two or three ply
sIcians stood about the coffin. John
famed his dead brothers face to keep
away the flies. He did not go on the scat
fold. but stood just within the line of
officers at the bottom of the steps. When
liberty was given to the crowd to view the
body the scatfold was at once filled with
people who %curiously examined every Joint
and bolt. At 1880 P. NJ. the lid of the coffin
was put in place and the body borne to the
jail chapel, where the physicians were to
make an autopsy. Arrangements were
made to let Mrs. Scoville view it. The
body, at the request of John W. Guiteau.
will be buried in the jail, where body
snatchers cannot get at it.
An autopsy was held later in the dav.
which disclosed the following: After sur
veying the! body externally the surgeons
proceeded to lay open the brain cavity and
tlorax, and examine the organs therein.
The brain was found to weigh 49k ounces.
q little more than the weight of the average
human brain. 1t was well formed and
presented no external evidence of disease
or lesion. The lungs and heart were in a
normal condition, with a slight rufiing of
the aorta in the vicinity of the heart. The
neck was dislocated or fractured, as the
surgeons first supposed, but there was a
rupture Of the sterno cleido mastoid
muscle on both sides, as well as of the
thyropysd membrane. 1t follows, there
fore, that death resulted from suffocation,
not dis!ocation Of the spinal yertebra. A
partial examination was made Of the alb
domlnal %viscera, but was not completed at
the time the autopsy was suspended. The
spleen was found to be considerably en-
!arsed, its weight being fifteen ounces
more than twice that of a normal spleen.
The other abdominal organs, as far a. ex-
ahmed, presented no unusual features.
Who the Rev. Mr.. Hicks Is,
WASHINGTON, July Rev. Mr.. Hicks
proposes to relate, in book form, the life
OF the assassin. He has the body and the
writings of the assassin as an inspiration
for his text. This reverend gentleman
has a happy faculty OF combining business
with pleasure. He has prayed f~eryently
with Guiteau and taken copious notes Of
everything the assassin has said. Fifteen
years ago Mr.. Hicks was a resident of
Charleston, S. G.. After leaving there he
became a peripatetic preacher, lecturing
on Romanism and kindred subjects. Al
last he went to Florida, abandoned preach
ing and became a politician. He was one
the SOC at the Chicago Convention, and
Is, or ought to be, the possessor OF d braas
medal. He voted for Arthur for Vice
President, and il is said he came here
originally TO get q chapel. There was a
7plit in one OF the Methodist Churches
here, part Of the number entering the Con-
5regational Church, and Mr.. Hicks was
called to preside over the boilers.
A Violent Storm in Illinois.
CHICAGO, July IAN Oregon I'LL
special says: A storm of u~nequaled Sc
'erity occurred ye0terday. The water rose
IN the fiat, driving dozens of families |
rom their homes. Fifteen buildings were
truck by lightning, One man, Mr..
'poorer, was killed. Many barns and out