Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-04-06


step. There was no perceptihl6 tremb-
ling in her lips or hands. but her breath
came quickly. More than q hundred men
stood in the corridor and on the galleries.
AS she passed man she had known, she
nodded to him ard smiled. She mounted
the nine steps OF the galIows slowly. but
without faltering. The gallows was once
painted black, but hard usuage has knock
ed off the paint in many places, making
it battered and Rrim-looking instrn-
ment. AS she stepped upon the platform
an implanted chair was pushed toward
her. s. sat down. Chaplain Hull kneIt
at her side and prayed in loud voice that
rang through the prison corridor. But
the woman could not hear it, for deaf.
ness that had afflicted her for years had
grown till it amounted to almost total
loss of hearing. For this reason the read
ing of the death warrant on the gall0ws
WAS omitted. At the conclusion of the
prayer Sheriff Amsden held before the
woman's eyes a slip Of paper On which
wss printed 10 large black letters "Eme.
Inc l.. Meeker. have you anything to say
why the sentence of the law should not
now he executed upon you. There is now
an opportunity
May God forgive yau all for hanging
me, an innocent woman" she walled 81
am as innocent as that man standing
there" motioning with her pinionsd
hands towards one of the deputies. She
was asked to rise, and was led to the cen
ire of the trap. She gave attention to
aking her place as near the centre as
possible. A deputy put strap around
her skirts at the ankles and drew it tight.
.Oa, Christ Oh, Christ - she moaned,
as he was adjusting the strap. After the
moose had been placed around her neck
another piece OF paper was held before
her face by the Sheriff. The words on it
we're The time has now arrived when
the extreme penalty Of the law will be ex-
ecuted upon you. The Lord have mercy
upon your soul'' The woman half shut
her eyes while looking upon the parer,
and an unintelli2ible cry, barely audible,
was her response. The black cap was Id
justed. and almost instantly the clark of
the falling trap again broke the painful
silence. The drop fell at 1904.
The woman hung. to all outward ap-
pearaDces, as though llfeless from the mo-
In the first minute her pulse made 80
beats. 1t fell to 81. and then rose to l3G,
and gradually fell, till at the end Of six.
teen minutes it was lmpreceptible. One
strong throb was detected thereafter. A
minute later the prison physician, DIR. j.
D. Brewster, pronounced the woman dead.
The body was taken down after hanging
twenty-eight minutes, and was placed In
sitting posture on chair. The physi-
clans said that the neck had been bro ken.
at the close of the examination the body,
dressed as on the scaffold excepting the
bands and the black cap. was put in q
plain stained coffin, and taken to the pris-
on lot in the village cemetery. A bene-
diction pronounced by the chaplain was
all there was Of the service at the
grave.
The thrOng outside of the prison at the
hour Of the hanging filed the street.
There were many women In it. Sons OF
them were the wives of farmers who had
come in to see the woman die. When the
drop fell, AlmOn Meeker was in his cell
hundred feet or so from the gallows. The
warden's room interviewed so that it would
have been impossible to see the the gall0ws
or hear the noise of the fall. He had asked
not to be sent to the shops with the prison
ers iu the afternoon. He spent the time
walking his cell, or sitting with his head
bowed.
The murder for which the woman was
executed was of iendish character.
The son Almon bought the poison, and
then hired team at a stable and drove it
to the back of the barn. His mother had
put Alice to bed with her clothing on. Mr..
Meeker had gone to bed. The woman
took the child out through window tell
ing her that she was to have ride.
While riding along the strychnine was
given to the girl in cup Of sweetened
water. They kept on driving, and in about
twenty minutes the poison began to take
effect. 1t threw the child into convul-
sons. and the woman held her hand to
her mouth to prevent her making noise.
The little girl died in the vehicle, and was
buried in the swamp by the roadside. Al
mon further said in his confession that af
ter he and his mother had been arrested.
she urged him, and,he promised, to talse
the blame on himself and attempt 10
clear her.