The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-17
lie Is Carried to the Scaffold by the Execu-
tioners, Struggling and Begging Pit
eOusly for His Life.
lie Dies Declaring that Others We're
Implicated in the Murder.
The Rope Breaks Twice, and He Is Finally
Held Suspended Until the Execu-
tiOn Can Be Completed.
The Sickening Manner in Which the Life oi
Coffee Was Worked OF

CRAWFOKDSVILLE'S FIRST HANGING.
The Sickening Manner in Which the Life OF
Coffee Was Worked OF.
From STAFF Correspondent of the Journal
CRAwFoRDsvILLE, Oct. 16.-The hanging Of
John W. Coffee today was heart-sckeninc
spectacle, which will doubtless long haunt tha
vision of those who witnessed it, and as the first
execution by the officers of the law which has
ever occurred in Charlottesville, it marks a red
letter day in the history of the little city, which
is known best by its reputation for beautiful
homes and cultured society. In Charlottesville,
however, as we'll as in less pretentious places.
there is much of the uncomfortable morbid
curiosity for witnessing the execution of
human being. and hardly mad the sun
risen this morning upon a day that
proved almost ideal in its autumnai
beauty, before people began coming into town
from all directions. A circus could not have
been more of an attraction than the hanging of
Coffee. the murderer, seemed to be. AS early as
9 o'clock crowd was gathered about the Jail
where the condemned man was confined, and all
of the main thoroughfares of the city were
thronged. Farmers came from all of the sur
rounding country with their wives and children
Ss~~N
for the moment when the condemned man
would be launched into eternity; yet
there was nothing that they could
see, because only a limited number
of persons, to whom tickets had been issued, were
admitted to the ineosure in the jaiyard,
where the execution took place. For more than
three hours dense crowd, in which every per-
son was held in his position like wedge, hung
about tie fence surrounding the Jail, waiting
for the gates to open to those who held tickets
of admission 1t was after II o'clock when is
was announced that ticket-hoders could be adj
mitted
THE CONDEMNED MANS LAST NIGHT.
Itwas the intention of Sheriff Harper to hang
the prisoner as soon after 10 o'clock as pos
sible, but the execution was delayed by
Coffee's hysterical conduct He passed the
night without sleep, and was wildly restless.
His step sister, the only living relative of the
doomed man, spent nearly the whole of the
night with him in his cell, besides the two at
tendants who kept watch upon him during the
last fifteen days of his life. Elder Philips. his
spiritual adviser, was also with him during q
part of the night About o'clock he was in
duced to play his harmonica, which has given
him some relief from the gloom of his fate dur
ing his imprisonment, and he was rather cheer
fI until O'clock when he again began to lose spir
it, and from that time until his execution he was
hysterical. convusion, caused by his emotion,
made it necessary for the attending ply ysician
Dr. F. I. Montague, to administer chloral,
which had the effect to quiet him some. He ate
nothing during the morning except piece of
pie, which he seemed to relish. The dread OF
his awful fate seemed to grown upon him as the
hour for the execution approached and he passed
his time moaning piteously. beseeching help in
tones of anguish, and crying out, 1T is terrible!
1t is terrible!' In his quieter moments he talked
about the crime, and once, as his mind seemed
to wander during his rambling talk he
cried out, pointing to imaginary object
Look, there is John Fritts carrying one of the
bundles up in the loft' and again, as a vision of
his horrible crime seemed to rise before his
mind. "Old Jim will kill me- will he9 0, God!
o God" and as he uttered the words there was
an anguish of soul in the voice of the miserable
wretch which cannot be described or imagined
FINAL CONFESSION.
In the moments when his thoughts wandered
back to the murder he evinced desire to give
some information which he had withheld and
was, therefore, encouraged by his spiritual ad-
wiser to fully confess the truth before it might
be too late. He finally asked DR.. Montague and
Mr.. c. " Williams. who were 10 his cell during
the morning, to take down what he desired to
say in addition to his third confession and in the
intervals between his outbursts of emotion he
made rambling statement which gives some
new information regarding the muir
der: 81 made great mistake in my
first confession, and my second too" he said
once during the conversation; but there was
some truth in both and the world knows the
true story now. If the McMullens were here
would ask their pardon L believe in a merciful
God and believe will be forgiven for what
have done" In his confession he said: II want
to add Martin Curtis to the crime" He declared
further that the comfort on which James NJ.
Dennis. who was convicted with him in the first
trial, slept taken from the house of the mur-
dered McMuilens that, on the night of the
crime, he carried away tea kettle
filed with articles taken from McMnlen's
house, and he wanted them hunted up.
He said that he had helped to carry bed from
the house of the murdered people to ''old lady
Rankin's." and in this connection he declared
that .'old man Rankin" had murdered the Nc
Muens, and to make this assertion more posi-
tive, added earnestly, And that is fact. The
others ought to suffer as well as me-" He said
that there were four loads of quits taken from
the McMullen house to the home of the Rankins
"Do you know who got these goodsi' was
asked by the doomed mans minister.
Yes" he replied; John Fritts and wife got
some of the money. Twenty dollars in gold.
think, was given them by Dennis Dennis went
back to Frtts's after the murder. Fritts got
some blankets and bed They can be found
there tonight Mrs. Rankin got one feather
bed.n
'Can you go furtherl' again asked Elder
Philips.
mo- was the answer. II have told ALL
Afterwards. however, he said "Jim Dennis could
tell more if he would and he ought to- / want
justice. and l want Others to have some, too
He said. further that Martin Howard's folks
knew all about the crime that Mart Curtis took