St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-14
BY STANDARDIZATION.
The Long Drop Fails to Break the
Prisoners Neck.

The Long Drop Fails to Break the
Prisoners Neck.
At 1 80 the ministers again visited the
cell and were left alone with HOlong.
At l As the sheriff and death watch,
Samuel Dimond, entered. 'The time
has come to do my duty, Nels,' said the
sheriff. His hands were manacled be-
hind him and the death warrant read to
him, and then he was led out between
the two. At this time the horrible GER
tainty of death seemed to strike him for
the first time with full force, and he
wilted like leaf. He could scarcely
lift his feet from the floor, and with
face as white as sheet and trembling
limbs, he was partly led and partly
dragged through the sheriff's office into
the enclosure through the waiting
crowd and up the stairway to
the scatfold. Here he gathered
himself together and evidently
nerved himself to look around.
1t was his first breath of free outside
air since last autumn, and the sunlight
appeared to dazzle his eyes, and the up
turned faces to scare him, for he
dropped his eyes at once and looked
abroad no more. Most of the visitors
half-grOwn, stubby beard of the past
fortnight was still on his face, the
sheriff thinking it most prudent not to
allow a razor to be used around him.
He wore the same clothes that he has
had on since last fall, all frayed and
worn. He was bare-headed and with
out collar. He was as abject looking
a specimen of humanity as could well
be imagined, and his pallid and wOe-be-
gone cOuntenance expressed most hope
less and utter despair. His misery was
so complete that feeling of pity stole
into nearly every heart and remained
there, despite the thought Of the in
human butchery of the fair young girl
who was the victim of this mans lust or
passion. AS Rev. Mr.. Void began his
final prayer in Norwegian, hats were
lifted and
A SOLEMN HUSH
fell on the assemblage, which was
rudely broken in upon by the chatter
and laughter of the careless and noisy
prayer was brief. The clergyman
asked Gods guidance and protection,
returned thanks for the salvation of the
world through Christ and invoked
special mercy for this mans guilty soul.
He concluded with the Lords Prayer.
During the prayer Holong's fingers
worked nervously together in and out,
but he stood up without help. Once
he leaned forward to spit, lost his bal
ance and almost fell, but was caught in
time by the sheriff and guard. At its
close Rev. Void walked down the stair
way slowly, and the sheriff took from
valise pair of manacles, which were
fastened around his ankles. A strap
was buckled tightly around his legs
above the knees and another fastened
around his arms above the elbows.
The black cambria cap was then adj
justed and Assistant Dimond stepped
down quickly, leaving HOlong and the
the rope, which had been swaying to
and fro in the soft breeze, and adjusted
it carefully around the prisoners neck.
He worked slowly and methOdically,
and seconds seemed hours to the breath
less spectators below and in the win
dows. "Be a man, Nels," said he to the
covering and almost paralyZed man in
a low and intense voice, and at that in
stant he slid the knot down tight under
the left ear and stepped briSkly back
pace, graSping the lever in both hands.
Without seconds pause he gave a
quick, powerful jerk and left the scat
fold at once without looking behind.
THE TRAP FELL
with clatter to the ground and the
body of Holong dropped through the
opening thus made with a plunge like
that Of diver into the sea. 1t was
plunge into eternity. AS the slack of
the rope played out and reached its full
length there was sudden thump and
the rope vibrated taut in the air with
Holong's body dangling at the end of it
two feet from the ground. The drop was
six feet. HolOng gave half a dozen con-
vulsive twitcheS and then was still.
Those near could hear horrible SmOth-
cred gurgling sound from under the
black cap. The cap was slipped aside
little by the shock of the fall. and till
the physicians replaced it the distended
veins, staring eyes and tongue lolling
out its full length, could be seen. 1t
was terrible sight. Everything was
still as death for several minutes. Even
the crowd outside was quiet, for it had
heard the trap fall. Then the physi-
clans stepped forward and held the
pulse. In eleven and half minutes it
stopped beating, and in twenty minutes
the tiutterings of the heart ceased and
HOlOng was pronounced dead. His neck
was not broken, and death occurred
1TOfl SUfdllS uidlIOH. Lie UOuY Was lelG
hanging ten minutes longer, then cut
down and put into coffin already pro-
vided, and taken at once to the potter's
field, it having been impossible to get
permission to bury it in any of the
Scandinavian cemeteries. The drop
fell at :53, and in forty minutes the
place of execution was deserted and the
workmen were taking down the scaf-
fold. Short pieces of the rope were cut
off and given to the sheriff and others.