The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-04-18
Notwithstanding His Sis
ter's Heroic Fight for
His Life, the Drop
Fell Today.
CALM AND COLLECTED AT LAST.
Only Few Spectators Were Present
at the Execution in Hartford
this Morning.

HARTFORD, Conn, April Is, 1889. John
H. Swift, the boy murderer, was
hanged at eighteen minutes past ten
o'clock this morning. His sisters brave
fight to obtain communication of his SEN
tence created general interest in his
fate, which his cold blooded crime did not
warrant.
The galleries stood not over 100 feet
from the condemned mans cell, where the
two clergymen were administering the
last consultations of religion. On the first
gallery overlooking the gallows were
about fifty representatives of the press,
while in the corridor were gathered special
deputies and other spectators.
At ten O'Clock the spectators were
cleared from the portion of the corridor
between the cell and the gallows and kept
back by a line of police
At quarter past ten the little procession
left the cell It was headed by the Sheriff.
Then came the condemned man between
the two priests, while four deputies
brought up the rear.
Swift was very pale, but seemed to be
composed. His arms were pinioned. Ar
rived on the scaffold the priests intoned
the last service, the condemned respond
ing in low voice
pinioned, and at eighteen minutes past
ten O'Clock the black cap was slipped over
his head and the drop instantly fell
There was no rebound of the body, but
it fell like a dead weight to the extreme
length of the rope and there hung. The
legs were spasmodically drawn up two or
three times, and there was slight twitch-
ing of the hands, and then the body hung
motionless.
COOL AND UNcoNoERNED.
Swift maintained cool and uncon-
cerned demeanor all the morning In
response to query by United Press re-
porter, who called upon him at an early
hour this morning, Swift said he was feel
ing very well; that, in fact, he never felt
better in his life. His mother and sister
took an affectionate farewell of him last
night. They left the jail about 10 O'Clock.
From that hour until midnight the con-
demned mans time was employed in COM
sultation with his spiritual adviser, the
Rev. Father Corcoran. He retired shortly
after midnight and slept uninterruptedly
and peacefully until long after daylight.
Soon after seven O'Clock Father Corcoran,
accompanied by another priest, returned
to the JAIL The last rites were admins
tered and shortly afterward he sat down
to breakfast and ate heartily.
The gallows stands at the southern end
of the main corridor within the jail. 1t is
the same instrument of death that was
used in the execution of Palledonie, the
Italian, at Bridgeport. The drop was
worked by spring in the flooring which
releases the drop.
Swift was married when only nineteen
years old. His wife was two years his
senior. She was forced to leave him on
account of his idle and dissipated habits.
On July z, 1887, he publicly declared his
intention to kill his wife. This declara-
ton was made in saloon where he was
employed as a piano player. To en-
and flourished it around for several
seconds. A few hours later Swift met
his wife returning home from the shop
in which she was employed.
He asked her to live with him.
She refused and, frightened by her hus-
bands manner, started to run away The
latter then fired the shot that caused her
death. She lived long enough to make a
brief ante mortem statement
Swift was tried in the Superior Court,
found guilty of murder in the first degree,
and sentenced to be hanged April 5. The
case was appealed, and the sentence was
confirmed. Swift then petitioned the
Legislature for Communication to impr1S-
onment for life.
A resolution granting the communication
was passed, but the Governor vetoed 1t.
The Senate passed the resolution over the
the veto, but the House sustained the
veto. After that time Intellectual efforts
were made to pass o resolution referring
the matter to the Board of Pardons. The
sister of the condemned man labOred hard
to obtain a communication, but failed.