Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-04-18

but both were more composed than anybody
would have thought, and Capone was the
less effected of the two
The Nooses
were adjusted the first thing, by Sheriff Irish.
They were carefully formed. the rope being
wound around itself five or six times, form
ing circular slip about two inches long,
through which the rope passed as smoothly
as though it had been creased. The nooses
were so placed that the knot came under the
left ear of each of the telons
Capone closed his eyes and gritted his
teeth as he canted his head TO allow the fix.
ing OF the moose. Santore kept talking while
the rope was adjusted,
At two minutes past IL o'clock the black
caps were pulled over the Italians heads and
the strings were tied under their chns They
stood there moment like statues in black
IT they had been carved out of ebony they
could not have been more statuesque Not a
sound escaped them, not a muscle quivered
Alive, breathing, yonder murderer in hi,
black cerements is the reflection of death
The spectacle awed the lockers on. The,
were as motionless as those two manacleG
men on the scaffold. The lookers-on moved
their hat One or two turned their face.
from the sight The sheriff was now alone
on the scaffold with the two murderers, anG
took his position in front of and facing them
On his left were the priests, officers and one
or two newspaper men. Down on the grounc
behind him were a few more witnesses of the
execution.
A deputy moved small box that covered
the spring which held The trap. The las
minute il these Italians lives had come
sickenipg >,n>ation came over some of III,
observers. In low voice Sheriff Irish spok,
the usual formula
'In obedience to the warrant of the Gov
ernor, | now hang you by the neck until yol
are dead, dead, dead, and may God have
march on your soul
When he had so said
lie Kicked the Spring
and the inevitable followed The small tran
about three feet square, raised about ter
inches from the scaffold on which the Italian
had been standing, sunk like a shot and tn,
murderers fell eight feet through the apera
ture.
The ropes were securely fastened to strong
up, there was no break, no slip, and the hang
ing was successful. When the fall wa.
stopped and the moose tightened, as cruell,
and surely as tigers Jaws around the throat,
of victims, the noise was like that of
rifle ball plunging into board | have
heard a good deal about that "dull thud'
heard at hanging. That expression may be
objectionable, but it is correctly expressed.
The victims were whirled around at the
ropes end. The rope twisted one way and
then untwisted, and those men revolved al
the rate of sixty revolutions minute or more
Their bodies did not quiver in the least and
il was evident that thev were hevond sensa-
ton.
At four minutes past twelve those wretches
air that blessed you and me. At five min
utes past twelve they were bloated, black,
ghastly corpses, dangling on those swirling
ropes. Sheriff Irish performed his duty in
teligently and calmly.
His voice trembled a little when he ad-
dressed the last words to the prisoners. After
he pressed the spring, he turned his head
away from the victims and said nothing for
several minutes.
1t was hateful service well done. No
man could have done it better. The few wit
nesses were silent and thoughtful until the
dead men were cut down.
Sheriff Irish was assisted by Deputies j.
NJ. Porter, ID. II. Mansfield, c. X. Morton.
and Specials j. NJ. Peabody of Thomaston,
Deputy Sheriff True of Kennebec county and
Sheriff WadswOrth of Waldo county, True p.
Pierce, Knox county attorney, DIR Roethe Of
Boston, W. O. Fuller, ,Jr, of the Rockland
Courier Gazette, Oliver Otis of the Rockland
Opinion Prison Inspectors Bean and Porter,
Dyer Of the Belfast Journal Dr. II. C. Law
ensaler, prison physician. II. NJ. Lord of the
Rockland Courier Gazette, DR.. f. f. Hitch
cock of Rockland, Sylvester and Leo Avon of
Camden. interpreters, Joseph Bariele of
Rock land, DIR. Banks of Rockland DR. Ger
rish of Portland, G. l.. McClery of the Bos
ton Journal and Andrews of the Lewiston
journal were witnesses of the execution
The corpses of ca bone and Santore with
the black caps still on their heads, now lie in
an ou,honse on the prison grounds. They
will remain there till next Monday. The
Maine Medical School has applied for the
bodies and will probably get them.
THE REL REBELLION.