St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-22
AT PEACE WITH MANKIND.
Dan Lyons, Murderer of Athlete
Quinn, Legally Choked to De ath,

Dan Lyons, Murderer of Athlete
Quinn, Legally Choked to Death.
Special to the Globe.
New YORK, Aug. 21.-Daniel Lyons
was hanged this morning in the yard of
the Tombs prison for the murder of
Joseph Quinn July 5, 1887. The drop
| fell at precisely Ills O'Clock. Lyons
| passed his last night On earth in a per-
feetly cool, calm and collected manner.
| His indifference to the fate that awaited
him was not bravado. ATT o'clock last
| night he critically examined the gal
| lows, and remarked to the sheriff that the
weight was not sufficient to hang him.
| Early in the evening his faithful at
tendant, Father Gelinas called. Lyons
confessed and was given dissolution.
| Then the priest entered the adjoining
| cell and remained there until O'Clock
! this morning. After supper of lobster
| and fruit Lyons took bath and retired,
| requesting TO be called at 4 o'clock.
He slept quietly throughout the night
and at O'Clock was called ana arose.
| At 5 o'clock Fathers PendergaSt and
Gelinas arrived and were received by
| Lyons and procession formed to the
prison chapel. After services the little
party filed back to the condemned IN ans
cell. Lyons was
| AS UNCONCERNED AS USUAL.
AT 6 o'clock Deputy Sheriff McGoni-
| gal took possession Of the Tombs.
Lyons then took walk in the prison
yard. laughing and talking with the two
deputies who accompanied him. At
6:35 Hangman Joe Atkinson and his
assistants arrived, and shortly after
them Sheriff Grant and his deputies. In
the plnOning room, while the eXecu-
fIOnnr
the latter joked and laughed, and re-
quested Atkinson not to hurt him. The
procession to the gallowS was then
formed, the two priests meantime re-
peating the burial service of the
Roman Catholic church. On the
gallowS Lyons stood without tremor,
although his lips were pale. The
priests were praying while Lyons re-
peated the words after them. Father
Gellnas pressed the crucifX to the con-
demned mans lips. who exclaimed:
Lord have mercy on me-" Atkinson
then pulled the black cap over Lyons
cuti0ner, at signal from the sheriff,
severed the rope and Dan Lyons body
was
SWUNG IN THE AIR.
His cOnvulsive struggles for mo-
ment were painful to witness, but very
soon life was extinct. After hanging
for fully twenty minutes the body was
cut down. placed in coffin and taken
to an undertakerS on First avenue. from
whence the funeral will take place The
only persons present at the execution
were few newspaper men, the sheriff,
his deputies and physicians.
The crime for which Lyons to-day paid
the death penalty was the murder of joseph
j. Quinn on the evening OF July 5, 1887.
Lyons shot Quinn in the abdomen, while en-
gaged in conversation on the corner of
Thirty eighth street ana Second avenue.
The shooting grew out of quarrel that Lyons
had with letter carrier named Meehan
over a girl named Kate Cassidy. At a pic
nic held on May 30. Lyons resented the at
tentions that Meehan showed the girl In
the quarrel that followed. Quinn took
Meehan's part and wanted Lyons to apollo
gize, but Lyons refused. On the evening of
July 4 the quarrel was renewed. fresh insults
being exchanged on both sides and Quinn
assaulted Lyons i'll q brutal manner. At
the trial, three girls. who were familiar
with both the men, testified that they
heard Lyons threaten that night, after he had
been beaten by Quinn, to 'geteyen the next
night and one OF them testified that Lyons
swore he would put BALI in Quinn the
next day. William Meehan also testified to
Lyons having made threats against Quinn.
On the 4th of July, Lyons borrowed a pistol
and laid in wait for Quinn, shooting him the
next evening. Lyons was captured about
three weeks after the murder in Pittsburg
AT the trial, the jury found him guilty after
being out three quarters of an hour. Recorder
Smyth sentenced him to be hanged on Nov
u, 1887. but the case was appealed. On
Feb. IA, the court of appeals decided against
him and last month Lyons was resentenced
to be hanged on Friday last. Gov. Hill
granted stay. however. until to-day.