The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-05-25

A large number of women wit
messed the execution. Why not
if they cen stand it?
down in the vehicle with the coffin,
as is usually the case. The coffin
was carried in a hearse. Sheriff
Arrowsmith made this arrangement
to spare the feelings of the doomed
man. The only faults attending the
whole transaction are attributable
to the sheriff's tenderness and
humanity, and yet when it came to
the great act of duty that would
make the stoutest quail and draw
back with horror, his nerve was
steady and his hand uniinching.
He paid careful attention to the
comfort of the prisoner in Jail and
kept it quiet, furnishing him with
everything he called for and keep
ing away curious intruders.
The dying man hung dangling
between heaven and earth, in the
throws of death, when the excited
crowd was stampeded by a personal
difficulty between two men who
were inside the ring encircling the
gallows- The parties did not fight
and so far as they were concerned
the affair amounted to but little,
vet the crowd expected something
still more dreadful than their eyes
beheld-they didn't know what
and at this provOcation they became
frightened like a herd of sheep dis
turbed by wolves, and ran pell-mell
in every direction. Men, women
and children, white and black,
rushed heedlessly into the water,
which at some places was quite knee
deep and deeper, scaled a rock fence
in the rear of the gallows and struck
it with such force as to knock it
down aG one point; some tainted and
others cried murder! murderr
while others turned pale and hid
out. The true cause of the trouble
was soon made known, however,
and all minds required to the sad
event of the day. But the stampede
had its effect in dispelling much of
the solemnity of the occasion.
When the doctors pronounced the
hanged man dead he was cut down
and laid on some boards under the
scatfold, the rope cut from his neck
and the cap taken off. DR.. c. A.
Alternately wiped the blood from
his neck and clothing as well as he
could with q damp handkerchief,
and spread another over the
wounded parts. The corpse was
placed in the coffin and when ready
for the lid to be put on looked quite
natural. The lips were only slightly
parted, and the tongue and eyes did
not protrude in the least. The eyes
were gently closed and all the feat
ures were calm-no contraction.
The corpse was then turned over to
the undertaken and driven in the
hearse to the home of Mr.. Lum.
Rea, a brother of the deceased.
There were enough guns and
pistols collected at the Jail to have
armed a pretty good company Of
soldiers.
The following card was received
Monday and explains itself;
EDITOR CITIZEN PLEASE do not
censure Sheriff Arrowsmith for the
blunder in the hanging of ". w. Rea.
1t was the fault of the experts who
built the g2lloWs. Tho trap should
have been made so as to throw the feet
a little back and the head a little for
ward in place of sideways.
Yours truly,
S. & 81. Carpenter.
The trap worked splendidly.
The many errors made by the
reporters finds some ex-
cuse in the fact that they were com
PEELED to leave Pulaski at once on
the train before they heard any
other evidence or learned all the
facts.
1t was thought Rea had piece
of tin in his mouth and that he was
irving to get it for some purpose |