The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-09

Meets Death Calmly, Asserting His In.
nocence to the Last-Iiis Crime.
COLUMBUS, O., Aug. 3.-Charles, alias
.Blinky" Morgan, the principal figure In
the Rayenna rescue -
! ! : e !" =. 4 ! !
and the murder of
Detective Hulligan, of -
Cleveland, O., O.,wasex- IA -
ecuted at the Ohio = ~
peniteEtiary early AoHNA X
this morning. The MVV
prisoner spent quiet [4>@D2yR
day, refusing to see z%zkHA#M
visitors except those z&AIx rDsHZr
with whom he h ad %NNA/If
been mt mate and -"
who had taken an in BLiShf' Mok"AN.
terest in the communication of his sen
tence. To all with whom he talked he
protested his innocence of the crime.
On Thursday Morgan made out an order
turning his body over to DR.. Clemmer, the
physician Of the prison, with the request
that it be used for the benefit Of the
sciences and afterward cremated. After
giving the order, however, he received .
letter from Nellie Lowery, of Cleveland,
who is reputed to have been his mistress,
asking that his body DE sent to her.
She had been refused the pleasure
Of seeing him alive, and she claimed
it was no more than right she should see
his face after death. Morgan changed his
mind after reading the letter, and asked
the physician to relinquish his claim,
which was done. A post mortem, how
ever, will be held this morning.
The execution was witnessed by thirty
persons. Morgan was on the scaffoid when
the spectators entered the execution de-
partment He looked like q high-toncd
gentleman dressed for an evening ball.
The warrant was read. and Morgan re-
fused to say word, but stood like statue
as the ropes were adjusted. When all
was ready, the cap drawn down, and the
rope began to tighten, Morgan spoke in q
loud tone: Good bye, Nellie" and passed
through the trap. The work was not \
success. The body writhei in the greatest
agony and the legs jerked, while the arms
swung and the hands clutched. He slowly
strangled to death.
1t has been discovered on good author ty
that Morgan's real name was Charles Nc
Donald.
Morgan prepared a letter before his exc
cution, in which he thanked the prison
officials for their treatment of him, and
again declared that he was innocent of any
connection whatever with either tho theft
of the furs, the rescue of McMunn or the
murder of Detective Hulligan.
MORGAN's CRIME
On the night OF January 90 1881, the fur store
of Benedict & Ruedy. on Superior street,
Cleveland, O., was burglarized. and 5000
worth OF scalsk garments carried away
Just at the break of day. The furs were
taken out of the front door and carried to u
house on st. Clair rect. where the eracksmen
had engaged lodgings. The burglary was dis
covered in the morning at ! o'clock when an
employe arrived at the store. The thieves left
the city with their booty, going to Allegheny
City. on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh railroad.
Detective HulligIn. together with Cap
tain Hoehne, went to the latter place. and
| the day after their arr val arrested young
man who gave the name of Harry Me-
Mum. He was nfterward identified by Cleye-
land shop-kee.ers as having been hanging
around their stores. and also as having had .
prominent part in the shipment Of the goods.
Requisition rapers were served and the pr;s-
| oner was taken aboard the. train by Captain
Hoehne and Detective Hullsan, being
| shackled to the latter. Caief OF
| Police Murphy, OF Alleghens City. and
| Cleveland officers Had they not done so IA res
cue would have been attempted at the depot.
| The presence OF so many officers. how
ever, frustrated the scheme. McMunn
| behaved quietly, and seemed anxious to
make the officers as little trouble m
| possible. The prisoner and his captorl
| were in the smoking-car. At3 O'Clock in the
| morning five men entered the car. There was
| no recognition between the prisoner and them.
| At Rayenna, thirty miles from Alliance, they
stepped across the aisle to wherU McMunn sal
shaekled to Detective Hullisan. and draw
ing their pistols, said: Give him up.'
Both Hulligan and Hoehne drew the!l
| weapons. and rapid firing commenced. Both
the officers were shot several times, but would
not yield. Finally one OF the rescuing party
took Il coupling pin from Il newspaper ant
struck both officers over the head, knocking
them senseless Hullisan was dragged to the
| Car door. where the shackles were broken anC
| McMunn was free.
The wounded officers were brought to Cleye
land, Detective Hulligan being taken to hi.
home, where he d ed four days later. anC
Captain Hoehn to the city hospital, where
| he was carefully nursed back TO health unl
| strength. A reward OF x4600J was ofYerct
| for the capture OF the mlrd srars, anl
| then began the long hunt for the Ravenna res
| cuers, as they We're called. Word came from
| Alpcna, M.ch., finally that 'Blinkey :
Morgan, Billy Harrington, Pat Hanley ant
Harry McMunn, the men desired in the polio,
circular, were believed to be in the city. Th'
one supposed to be McMunn disappeared
rather suddenly. however, and on the night o
| June -, when the arrests were made, onl,
| Morgan and the two supposed to be Hanley an,
| Harrington were captured. Morgan was takel
| into custody at the house where he was stay
ing, after desperate struggle, in which he sho
Sheriff Lynch, OF Alpena, in the leg, prU
ducing wound which finally caused tina
officers death. The other two men were az
rested as they were about to board boat 20
ing from Alpena to Oscoda Mich. Morgan an,
his companions, who proved to be James Rot
inson and John Coughlin, were brought Il
Cleveland Friday morning, July ], an
after being in Jail there four days wer
| taken tn Rayenna to await their trial for muI
der. On October a 1887, Morgan was brough
into court at Ravenna for tr.al. The witnesse
for the State, one after another, gave testi
| mony which connected Morgan with the bur
glary and subsequent murder on the Clevelan,
| & Pittsburgh train. The jury. after hayin
been out one hour and twenty five minutes, r.
turned a verdict OF guilty OF murder in tn
| first degree
| The trials OF Coughlin and Robinson followe
| that OF Morgan, and each was convicted Of mu
| der in the first degree, though both brought n
| array OF witnesses to prove that they were nc
! present at the time the murder was commit
ted Coughlin was afterward granted u ne,
trial, and finally his case was nolled. Robir
son was also granted new trial, and he is no.
In Jail at Ravenna.