Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-05-29
They were printed on a neat white
card, with black border.

luey Wele pTlllVCu oii u iCoo "hi'0
card, with a black border.
THE sCAFFoLD.
The scafford on which Johnson was
hanged to-day is the same one on which
Bach, the Wood county wife murderer,
met his death last summer. The rope
used for Johnson is also the same one
that stretched Bach's neck. The plat
form on which the execution took place
was erected in the northwest corner Of
the Jail. 1t is ten by fourteen and one
half feet IN size, with an L projecting
into the corridor of the Jail, and was
eight feet above the floor. The trap
was three feet square, and VIC Led by a
lever. The trap is the property of Col.
Mattice, of Cleveland, who has been
here for the past ten days superindend-
ing the erection of the platform, which
was completed Monday morning, and
tested several times before the execu-
ton to-day.
REPENTANCE.
From the time the sentence of death
was passed upon johnson until about
the first of April he manifested that
same stolid don't-care look which char
acterized him previous to and during
the trial, but as the day of his eXecu-
ton drew slowly on he began to mani
fest great interest in the teachings of
the bible, and selected the Reverend
Brake, Pastor of the Methodist church,
of South Toledo, as his spiritual advisor,
who has visited him weekly for the
past six weeks. During the period of
his repentance johnson has passed the
time in reading the bible, praying and
writing what is supposed to be a con-
fession of his guilt that all the peni-
tential tears of the hereafter can never
cleanse" This manuscript Johnson
placed in the hands of the Rev. Brake
with the understanding that it should
be kept out of print until after the exc
cution.
After doing penance for short time
johnson freely expressed it as his belief
that he had received full pardon for his
crime, and that his soul was going
straight to glory. Possibly it has. II
may be that while the reader is perus-
ing these columns, the blood-washed
spirit of this being, who during his life
showed no mercy, and lived totally OBJ
lliyious of a God, q bible, or hereafter
until the day of his death was fixed
and the time close at hand; it may be
that this same being is at this moment
standing on the battlements of HEAVIER
gazing down the walls of woe at the
hapless victims whom he cut off in al
unsuspected moment, without givin9
them time to utter one word of praye
for pardon. Such condition of thing
NAV possibly exist beyond life's darl
vale. but it is sad, sad indeed to reflec
upon Johnson's life, his crime and tn,
circumstances of his repentance, ant
then think that the great Judge is 60
ing to say to this hardened murderer
"Well done, good and faithful servant
t enter thou into the joy of thy Lord;
, and then turn and say to his innocen
victims whom he waylaid in the dark
ness of the night, and suddenly cut Of
- from them every chance ofsuch repent
$ ance and faith, "Depart from me, y
! cursed, into everlasting fire prepared
for the devil and his angels" There
more hope, then, for themurderer tina
/, for his victim, however pure, and sell
sacraficing and loving the latter ma
have been, if they had not, accordin
) to the prescribed form, repented an
1 believed.
J.. Mans work with Wesley Johnson
done, he is gone forever from the pres
ence of men, he has entered that bourr
: from which no traveller returns, and le
us hope that a just God has q just re
/ ward prepared fora being SO cruel,
f inhuman, so ungodly as this man Johl
son has proven himself to be.