Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-31
HANGMAN,s DAY.

A Woman the GAllOWS-MrSs meake1
 Hung for Murder-Shs Remains stolfd to the Last-After Examining the Seaf. fold She Eats a Hearty Dfnner-NO Emo. ttOn or Trembling at the Last.
 WINDSOR, Vt, March 30.-Mrs. Emeline
 Meaker expiated to day on the gallows the
 murder of little Alice Meaker. Last night she gave the first sign of weakness at an in-
 terview with the chaplain and he expressed hope that she would confess. Before she went to bed last night she knit few rounds
 on 8 pair of stockings. Soon after midnight
 she went to sleep and reposed calmly until
 about daybreak, when she arose and put on
 8 neat dress of black cambric with 8 white
 ruche around the neck which the matrOn had
 made for her. She said, 'I will not need
 any crimps to-day" as she eonbed her long
 locks out straight and let them depend from
 her bullet shaped head. After eating hearty
 breakfast with evident relish, she said,
 "Now want to see the gallows," and was
 then permitted to go into the yard. She closely scrutinized every part of the stract-
 ure, ascended the steps of the scaffold alone
 with firm tread and without emotion and inquired of the sheriff if she would be re- quired to climb the fatal stairs unassisted at the final moment. The drop and mode of its working were looked into with an air of morbid curiosity, and eyeing the trap, sne asked: els that the place?, She then talked of her funeral, which she
 wished to take place at Barre, her native place, and seemed to take strange pleasure in believing that she would be among her friends and relatives after death None had "a fn fall hop fhok 1a,. daughter have forsaken her and that her body will be laid in the prison lot at Windsor q am perfectly happy now" she said to the chaplain as he walked back into the prison with her. ''I am perfectly ready to meet our Lord. He will not be ashamed to have me In heaven She maintained the most stolid indifference Later she was visited by Sher- If Atherton. She inquired after her husband and daughter, and then with much agitation said: "Teu them I am to be murdered to- day. I am an innocent woman" She allud ed to her sons confession as 8 lie and said he had brought her to the gallows. When Mir Atherton rose to leave she began to cry and kissed his right hand twice, sending her love to folks at home. She cried ssGood bye. good bye," as he left.
 Great crowds began to pour into town and the place had more the appearance of ''clrcus day" than of a day of death. After she had eaten 0 hearty dinner preparations were made for the final act Her arms were pln1oned and the procession moved to the gallows, where she was seated in a chair. She evidently did not like the crowd. After prayer by the chaplain Sheriff Amsden hand ed her paper with these words: ''Emeline Meaker, if you have anything to say why ex- ecution of sentence should not take place you have now an opportunity" This was done on account of her deafness. She was calm and pale and said with closed eyes : |
 'Good bye, MT. Hull have nothing more to say, only l forgive you for hanging me-" Her legs were then tied, she standing all the l time. She showed no signs, no trembling. | May God forgive you all" The drop fell | at 13o p. m. After hanging thirty minutes | she was taken down dead. She died with | scarcely struggle She will be buried in | the prison cemetery.
 The crime seems to have been one of sim | pie, brutal, causeless hate. Mrs. Meaker was | 8 woman of terrible and uncomfortable pas- sion and when Alice Meaker, a weak girl | niece of her husbands, was brought from the | Doorhouse, she vented her spite on the child l punishing her terribly, and finally urging her | son Almon to aid to hide the child in the | to starve. Almon refused, but | after weeks of urging bought ten cents worth l of strychnine and secured horse and wagon. | The girl was lifted ont of the rear window, | led to the road where the wagon | waited and the poison was given her | in sweetened water; she died in ter rible convulsions the party reached ] swamp near Stowe, and her body was thrown into the mud and grass and stamped put of sight by Almon. These are the facts IS given by the son in his confession, on which the mother was convicted. The Leg stature interfered in Almon's behalf after he Governor refused to do SO and eommuted | ais sentence to Imprisonment for life. The Meakers were small farmers, the husband and wife living on very bad terms with each other and changing their residence fre- Iuently on account of Mrs. Meaker's quar- -els with her neighbors. The young girl WAS ,light and frail and during the year after eaving the poorhouse was made to do all the lrudgery for the family.