The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-13
FROM VARIOUS POINTS.
Two Men Hanged While Tn
conscious through Poison.
A VERY STRANGE PROCEEDING.
Match-ParDell's Mother-The
Pan E1ectric-Notes.
The Hanging of Ford and Murphy.

New ORLEANS, March H. The follow
ing additional particulars are cleaned
of the hanging of Ford and Murphy to-
day. At 1890 am. service was neld in
the chapel by members of the St. Vim
cent Society. At 2 o'clock the men
became unusually calm, so much so
that they seemed hardly able to realize
The fact that the fearful doom was
awaiting them. AT $50 am. Ford said
he Was tired and he and Murphy went
sheriifs and reporters. They entered
left alone. The men appeared to be
sleeping soundly at 7.36 am, wuen
efforts to arouse them revealed their
condition. They were lying on their
backs; Ford was bre thing very loudly.
white Murphy appeared to be sleeping
calmly Efforts to arouse Ford were
unayaiIing, but Murphy was aroused
and when asked how he felt replied,
Very bad a tremOr passed over Hin,
and he again sank into Inconsistencies
Two pieces of paper were found in the
cell which had evidently contained bel
ladonna. In view of the fact that the
condemned men had attempted
suicide, Rev. Father O'Callahan, in &C
cordance with the rules of the Catholic
Church, refused to administer the last
sacrament to them. Preparations for
hanging begun at 1908 pm, when the
yard and corridor were cleared of prison.
ers. Both men were lying In their
cots. Murphy was IN the same semi
conscious state, and although his eyes
wandered in all directions, he could not
understand what was going on. Only
once did he return 10 his senses, and
then he held out his hand to Ford and
endeavored to shake hands with him
This was only dor an instant, for he
once more lost consciousness, notwith-
standing the fact that the emetics ad-
ministered to him caused him to vomit
poison, which was of . green
and legs of the men were
pinioned. While they were still in re-
cumbent position, six witnesses were
sworn in by Sheriff Butler and the
death warrant was read to the senseless
men. They were carried to the scaffold
at 1856 pm. Finding that the men were
unaole to sit on the chairs, the ropes
were heightened somewhat so as to
reach them as they lay in a
half-recumbent position on the gallows.
The rain last night caused the ropes 10
stretch, so that when the rope fell Muir
phys feet touched the pavement and
Ford's feet almost touched it. 1t only
took few minutes for the executioner,
robed in his black domino and wire
mask, to adjust the rope and the
black cap, before he returned to his
cell, followed almost instantly by
a sharp "swish" of an axe as
it cut the rope; then the bodies of John
and Pat Ford shot through the
air to come up with a sudden jerk. The
drop was about eight feet. The bodies
were allowed to hang Twenty-Five min
utes and were cut down at LIS p. m.
The same jury which witnessed the
hanging viewed the bodies and Assist.
ant Coroner Jones gave "a verdict of
death by hanging, which dlslocated the
necks of both men. The bodies will be
taken charge of by Ford's family. Sher-
iff Butler in an interview, stated he had
taken every precaution to avoid what
had happened. He had taken precau-
ton to avoid what happened. He had
taken precautions not only against the
sdmission of poison, but also against
any attempt at rescue. When at
ldSI Lue uedCu WdIIduL WAS IGCclfcu,
he had, without giving the CONDEMNED
any reason for the act, removed every
thing from their cell. This was done
for fear that poison or some other
means of taking life might be secreted
there. He also refused to allow any
cigars or other luxuries to be sent to
them by persons outside. He said a
rigid investigation would be made as to
how the poison was conveyed to the men.
Ford's wife and Murphy's sweetheart
we're in the jail previous to the execu-
ton, but were kept in ignorance of the
mems condition. In Ford's vest
pocket was found the following.letter:
NEW ORLEANS, March 11-At night
To the good Sisters of Mercy and all
my religious friends:
cannot bear the terrible disgrace [
bring on my innocent offspring, don't
deserve this terrible ending. Ny
enemies have triumphed this time.
Baker and Cunningham, | leave you
my curse; to balance, my blessings. |
have been respondent to-day. l will
answer all to my God. Good frie0ds
and "Minos" DR.. Hollands and c. H.
Parker, it is your turn next. To the
lear Sisters forgive me, as well as all.
Iood-bye -