The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-05-08
EXECUTION OF WIN. MoHUGH.
The Voice OF Law Above the COurt-heuse
Ruius---AnectfnE Last Hours OF the
Doomed Man..-His lOry OF the Crime.

CINCINNATI, May 3.-Wm. McHugh
made the leap into eternity yesterday
morning at 10:15 O'Clock. In fifteen
minutes he had yielded up his life
as the penalty for numbering his wife.
very few moments after ten o'clock the
long procession of deputies moved from the
Jail, with Sheriff Hawkins and Deputy Klee-
man in advance, followed by Father Brady,
in charge of the prisoner. The sheriff and
i've deputies, Father Brady, and the
prisoner, were on the scaffold. Positions
had hardly been taken when, rising from
his seat, the condemned man clasped his
manacled hands and kne1t devoutly at the
feet of Father Brady. The priest stood
and held the crucifix before McHugh, and
offered up-the following prayer for him:
"Oh, my God, whom I have offended
most grievously, I supplicate Thee for for
giveness. have endeayered to amend my
life as far as it is possible. desire to
make amends for my past life, and offer up
my life in atonement for my sins. forgive
all who have ever offended me, and ask
the pardon of all I have ever offended. I
regret exceedingly the example which
may have given by my conduct, and pray
Thee, oh, my God, to have mercy on my
poor soul. Amen"
immediately after the prayer was
rendered Deputy Sheriffs Minshall and
Kleeman began to pinion the prisoner. The
two regular straps were placed around bis
legs and just above the knees, and the
other around the calves. His arms were
pinioned in the same manner. kleeman
then adjusted the moose around his neck.
Sheriff Hawkins then said: "Have you
anything to say, WilliamW The prisoner
never finched. Looking straight before
him into the audience, there was not tre-
NOR visible. In clear, distinct tones that
could be heard all over the Jail yard. he
said: "Good bye, friends" From
a chorus of voices came the response:
"Good by, William" Meanwhile Father
Brady was chanting prayer, which he
| the head. Then all was ready, the lever
was sprung, and McHugh's body shot
f, through the trap and came down with
| swish. There was momentary tw1tch
| ing and drawing up of the limbs; then the
| body was motionless.
Jail Physician DIR. Craig was Immediately
| at McHugh's side, with his head pressed
| against the mans breast, and his hand al
his pulse. He was followed by DR.. Querner
| DIR. E. NJ. Walker, DIR. Stark, DR.. Rothacker
DR.. Rendigs, Coroner Muscroft, DR.. Maley
| DR.. Ransohoff, DR.. Shaller, and DIR. Joseph
| In fifteen minutes the man was dead
His neck was not broken by the fall OF
| eight feet. Death ensued from strangula
than single pang though, as unconscious
ness must have ensued with the shock.
The following were the pulsations, a.
timed by DR.. Craig: After being sus
| pended one minute the pulse was 102, fo
the eight minutes following the pulsation.
the highest being ITO, and in turn decreased
| at the same ratio, until life was declared
extinct, after the body had hung sixteel
minutes. At the expiration of fifteen min
utes there was no pulse.
At 1881 he was pronounced dead, ant
Deputy W. g. Arnold and s. w. Ritten
house proceeded to cut the body down. I
was at once taken in charge by Undertake
Mulvihill. It was laid alongside the cofh
and the moose cut from around the neck b.
DIR. Maley. The features of the dead mai
were but slightly discolored, and were
not for the crimson mark around the nee
the body would have had the appearance
of having died a natural death.
At $3.50 O'Clock McHugh's mother cam
into the Jail, and, meeting Jailer Larke
McHugh, pleaded, "Oh, must see hiL
again. 1 must see him again." ''No. nc
my good woman, you can't; it is imposs
BILE. 1t is for the best, too: You said goo
from the outside then," she said, and starte
around for North Court street. There sh
climbed up the stone wall, and, lookin
through the iron fence, cried out: "Oh, m
darling boy, my baby, speak to me-" an
and main. Reddy's cell window could
seen with neat little white shutters on th
inside. The son could not be seen, but hi
voice could be heard plainly as he al
motherm The poor distressed creatul
then shrieked: "Oh murder, mu
der my poor darling boy!" Thoug
, SO early in the morning, an VI
usually large crowd collected. All SCENE
to understand intuitiyely that it wa
seemed to want to interrupt her. FINAL
some one led her away, and the scene ws
, over. McHugh, in his cell, turned to b
guards and said: "This is horrible. The
ought to keep her away: way F aays ye some ;;. OF
, seemed to affect him very deeply, and |
J repeatedly expressed his regret that b
! mother was allowed to come around.
McHugh, for the third time, was sci
fenced to be hanged Saturday, January 1
, | 1884, but was granted a respite until Ma
! 2, and the case taken to the Supreme Cour
where the proceedings of the lower cou
were affirmed. At three different trials
had been convicted of murder in the fir
degree, and at each trial he was repr
: sented by the ablest lawyers of the Cinci
: natl bar. But all the legal technicalitie
all the nice points which shrewd crimin
lawyer can introduce to save a clie
availed him naught, and at each trial
. was found guilty.
= Cincinnati, with Mayor Moore at its hea
the object of which was the promotion
marriage among the lower class. The
ducement held out by the organization w
a dover of $25 and no expense for
license or preacher. On Sunday, Augu
n 10, 1879, picnic was held at Inwood Pa
e under the auspices of the society. At tn
f picnic, in the presence of over 5000 pc
e pie, "Littie Red" McHugh was married
:. Sophia Zurwelle. The parties lived [
; gether as man and wife, with short and n
:. merous separations and quarrels, un
July, 1881, when the unfortunate wom
met an untimely and violent death. T
22d of July, 1881, was Saturday, and duri
the evening the Sixth Street Market Pla
J. was crowded with buyers, who were la
l. ing in their Sunday supplies. Suddenly
woman's shrek of terror ra
out in the evening air, and Soph
:. McHugh sank to the ground lifeless, al
s her husband, the murderer, was maxi
't his way through the Mortified crowd with
knife, dripping with the victims lifebloo
in his hand. "Little Red" had deliberate
murdered his wife and made his escal
q Several hours afterward he was arrest
f. in drunken condition, when he deni
;. any knowledge of the crime, and ask
70 permission to see the dead body, which
10 been removed to Habig's.
0 "A fine-looking old lady was sent
g prison recently under an assumed nar
n by Il Philadelphia Judge for habitu
e 0ruO kaDneSS Sho ,.o.;JoJ