The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-11
A WIFE MURDER EXPIATED.
Citing Punishment of Charles W. But
Ter for the Crime Of Murder.
The Execution Yesterday at Columbia City
A History of Butler and the Crime
for Which He Suffered Death.
THE EXECUTION.
A Murderer who Complained that the Moose
Was Too Tight

Was Too Tight.
Bpoeiai to the indianapolis journal.
COLUMBIA City, Ind, Oct. 10-Charles W.
Butler mounted the gallows at ll:56, aceompa-
MED by Father Hellfake, who was his spirital
adviser since late hour yesterday afternoon.
An hour before he assembled the scaffold he played
the Knocking Bird" "Home, Sweet Home,
'eWe Won't Go Home Till Morning" on his ac-
Gordon, and danced jigs and turned one hand
spring His sister, Mrs. Havens, of Cincinnati,
was the only relative in the city. He appeared
calm, and assembled the scaffold and made short
speech in a very deliberate manner. d stated
that he was an innocent man; that there was too
much manhood about him to murder woman
that the newspaper men had abused him; that
he could have been a man if he had been let
alone; that the murder was not premeditated,
and he hoped the Lord would forgive all who
had lied about him. At IL NJ the prisoner,
handcuffed and accompanied by the priest,
sheriff and deputies, marched to the scaffold
Butler stepped near the drop and made
rambling incoherent speech of few minutes,
in which he said all connected with his trial and
execution would be sorry for it. After the con
cIusion of his speech, the priest, prisoner and
Butler walked to the edge of the drop and kicked
Viciously to see if solid While the moose was
being adjusted and the black cap put over his
head he cried out in piteous tones: please
take this off; the rope is too tight;
please loosen the rope-it amt right.
The request was not needed He
was assisted onto the drop and at 1908 the drop
fell. Butler stood too near the hinges of the
drop and his descent was slow, his feet scraping
the drop, The noose however, was adjusted
properly. The body writhed and quivered for
some time and in seven minutes was pronounced
dead, Two hundred and fifty people witnessed
tho execution. The remains were shipped to
Columbus, o. his home, where his father, DIR.
George w. Butler, received them for burial.
The mechanical arrangements for the execu-
ton were completed on Wednesday morning.
The scaffold used was the one on which Sam
Mcdonald was executed for killing Laurant, the
Arcola wood chopper. The inclosure was 50x4O
feet and surrounded by a fence twenty feet
high. The pen was located east of the cell de-
partment and Immediately opposite the window
through which Butler gazed upon the construc-
ton Of the inclosure and the adjustment of the
scaffold. The scaffold, which has twice been the
instrument in shutting into eternity the spirits
of two murderers, was placed in the southeast
corner of the pen. 1t was weather-beaten and
the iron trappings rusty, In the inclosure are
several maple trees, a fowerbed and an even
beautiful lawn. Just north of the scaffold, aud
f0w few feet south of the door of the residence
part Of the jail, was where the blanket rope was
adjusted on the evening of March 15 down
which the murderer slid and claimed free air for
nine days. During the construction of the in
closure and erection of the scaffold, Butler was
remarkably Indifferent and gave instructions as
to how the board walls and death trap should be
placed The scaffold was built by G. G. Odds,
aud was positioned by one of Olds's workmen.
The same scaffold is to be used for the
hanging of Boyle, the Adams county MUIR
Fderer, providing his second trial has no differ
emit result from the first. Hundreds Of people
watched the carpenters at work on Wednesday,
many of them conversing with Butler, who
stated that he had the sand" to mount the
gailOws, adding II have to-" Viewing the sun,
as 1t rose above the fence and shone down upon
the gailows, on Thursday morning, he conversed
with his sister, Mrs. Havens and no feeling of
weakness manifested itself. To show his hard
ness Of heart, he requested that he be allowed to
remain on the east side of the dollhouse, where
he could superintend thee erection of the pen.