The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-14
THE EXTREME PENALTY
Execution Of Robert @. Phillips Thursday for
Wife Murder.
The Prisoners Last Hours-The Perfect
Work at the Scaffold-History of the
Murder-Return of the Death
Warrant-NOtes.
India napolis seutinel.i

llnulauapOiiS Seutiuei.i
The stir of the city Thursday morning as
the citizens came out upon the streets, might
have been taken by a stranger as merely the
evidence of an activity in the business world.
but the execution of Robert G. Phillips,
which was fixed for noon, at the Jail yard,
had not little 10 do with the increased hum
on the street. A number of meetings in the
city had materially swelled the resident pop
ulation, but the trains on all the roads
brought strangers who came to witness, if
possible, the execution of the extreme pen
atty of the law at the Marion County Jail
yard.
Phillips spent the last night about like all
the balance of his time, except that he was
visited by his sisters and brother, to whom he
talked pleasantly. He retired to his cell at
o'clock, and slept sOundly until o'clock
yesterday morning, when he arose
and chatted until his attendants,
three of whom had beer on
watch during the night. AS soon as the
papers came to the JAN he asked to see them,
and was engaged for sometime in carefully
reading them, paying particular attention to
the accounts about himself. At $50 o'clock
Father Be ssonies his spiritul adviser, called
to see him, and administered to him the
holy communion. He did not remain very
long and as he left the mother of the
doomed man entered and talked with him
nearly an hour. She was almost Frustrated
with grief and wept and moaned piteously
as she bid her son last farewell Phillips
also was unnamed, but upon the departure
of his mother, he recovered his self.posses-
sion and was as quiet as before.
AT 10 O'Clock Father Bessonies had re-
turned and was given nearly an hour with
Phillips In the jail Office 10 prepare him for
execution. He then came out and John
Healing and John j. Jones, prisoners
were called out to dress him In a neatly fit
ting suit of black. This took about ten
minutes, but when the prisoners who had
dressed him came out they were less calm
and collected than their condemned &C
quaintance. Father Bessonies then entered
the room again and remained with Phillips
until ten minutes before noon, when Sheriff
Carter announced that the time for execu-
ton had come.
GOING To THE sCAFFoLD.
Father Bessonies locked arms with the
prisoner and marched out repeating the cere-
monv OF the Catholic Church for such Occa-
sions. He was followed by Sheriff Carter,
Bailif John Carleton, Deputy Sheriff John
Long, and finally the representatives OF the
press Arrived at the scaffold the little pro-
Cession mounted the wooden staircase at the
right hand of the structure, the reporters
stepping in front. The jail yard was kept
screened from outside observation by
a high board fence, and the curl
Gus multitude on the outside
was kept away from this by the police. Be-
sides those named there were present a num-
Der of Sheriffs from several of the counties
of the State; the Coroner and his deputy. DIR.
Rocker; Dr. Fields, Jail physician, aud DR..
Metcalt, and Number Of other gentlemen.
"Have you anything to say?' he asked, as
he concluded the reading. Phillips shook
his head, when the Sheriff gave way TO
It'll LA
demned man and made the last prayer with
him. Rising from his knees the good Father,
with voice broken and tears In his eyes
shook hands with the prisoner, and with
God bless YOU" stepped back.
THE LAST ACT.
Phillips legs were tied with a rope at the
knees, his hands were bound with leather
strap at his sides and after the rope was put
over his neck and the black cap placed on
his head and drawn over his face. small cords
making this secure, the officers tying it to
the arms, then stepped back, and at 1906 p.
m. Sheriff Carter pulled the lever, the trap
door fell and the body of the pris
oner fell distance of little over six feet.
The rope mad been arranged so as to make
the drop about four feet four inches, and it
was calculated that it would stretch little
over a foot The accuracy of the work was
attested by the fact that the neck of the
prisoner was broken, the bones being sepa-
rated nearly if not quite an inch. The rope
was buried in the flesh of the neck and the
knot had slipped from under the ear
couple OF inches around on the back OF the
neck.
When the trap fell the body spur around
Tor nearly a minute, the strain on the rope
causing it to untwist. There were no con.
tortions OF the body or limbs nothing but
tremor in the hands and feet being apparent.
| The Coroner and his assistants stepped for
ward and counted the pulsations. These
\ were registered for each half minute as fol-
lows: u, q, so, Al, 80, n, Co. 10, a, so, a,
so, Sc, 50, 60, 66, 90, 63, 90, So. As, As,
! 81, s. 81 80 IS At the nineteenth
half minute the pulse became irreg-
ular, but recovered lis regularity
! again and remained so until the twenty
! second half minute, when it again became
very irregular. On the twenty-seventh half
! minute the pulsations were almost imper-
oeptible, and on the next could not be
counted, there being but slight fluttering
| of the pulse. An examination of the heart
was then made and it was fiuttering, but this
ceased in few minutes and Coroner STRAIT
| ford pronounced the body dead. 1t was then
held up by the physicians while Deputy
| Sheriff Long cut the rope, and the legal
tragedy was ended.
The body was carried into the Office OF the
Jail and placed In the coffin ordered by the
mother of the dead man. 1t was then car
/ ried TO the hearse outside the Market street
/ entrance, and taken TO the undertaking es-
adjustment of Ripley & Hedges, where it
/ now lies. The funeral services will take
place tomorrow afternoon from St Johns
| Cathedral. and the remains will be buried in
{ the Catholic Cemetery.
Sheriff Carter performed his unpleasant
duty in the most satisfactory manner There
was no jar. no unpleasant episodes, to make
the work doubly unpleasant. The prisoner
was expected by many to give way under the
| excitement and make scene, but in this
they were mistaken. He remained firm and
collected to the very last. The remark was
made many times during the day by men
who witnessed the tragedy that if there was
anything in religious professions and teach
ings to assist one under such trying circum'
] stances. Father Bessonies had certainly pre-
sented it faithful and effectually TO Robert
G.. Phillips.
HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
Early in the morning of June "a, 1885, 8
man passing through the alley between
Nerd ian and Pennsylvania and Fourth and
Fifth streets, this city, discovered man
and woman lying upon the ground, the
head of the former resting upon the breast
| IF fha Ioffor opd aoch wifh farrihla cash in