St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-23
THE HANGMAN'S MOOSE.
Scenes at the ScaffO1d and the
Last Preparations.


All this time the room in which the
gallows stood was slowly filling up with
spectators. At $50 Superintendent of
Police Bracket, who had been called to
assist Sheriff Eye, called Deputy Sheriff
James Hines, and the two soaped the
ropes and the lever in the trap. so that
there would be no hitch when the awful
moment came. This proceeding was
watched with breathless interest by the
spectators. At the entrance to the
room stood Lieut.. Thomas Nelson,
while License Inspector Ray and Dep.
uty Sheriff Rauen took up the admis-
sion cards. AS the moments passed the
crowd in the room kept growing larger
and larger, until every available foot of
standing room was occupied. Deputy
Sheriff Shepley was guarding the out
side door of the Jail, and it is safe to
say that no more than three or four per-
sons Dot holding passes secured an en-
trance. The SheritfS of the state
occupied the space just in
front of the gallowS, and passed
the time in commenting on the murder
and matters incident and pertaining to
it. The board of examining physicians,
composed of Coroner Towers. DR.. A. A.
Ames. DIR. J. Ii. Dunn, County Physi-
clan Burton and DR.. t. T. Quinby.
stood just at the foot of the galIows,
talking among themselves in low tones.
AT 1917 Sheriff Eye and Deputy
SheriffS Hines and Langum and Car
penter Sperl removed the sacks of sand
from the nooSeS and put the nooseS on
the platform, where they were thor
Oughly soaped once more by Supt.
Brackett. A few moments later Sheriff
Eye called Sheriff De Frate, of
,r1a
burg, of Otter Tail county, to the plat
form on the gallows to assist him.
Sheriff De Frate is the man who hung
John Lee at Alexandria, while Sheriff
Brandenburg executed Nels o. Holong
at Fergus Falls Oh April 13. 1888. AS
soon as these experts were on the plat
form the work of arranging the nooSes
was begun. They were drawn up so
that the men would get fall of almost
five and half feet. The nooses
when let fall just touched the trap.
While this was going OH one venture
some individual crawled around Oh the
iron cage, halfway up to the ceiling,
and clung there, where he could get
full view of all that was taking place
on the platform beneath him. At 1890
the
ROPES WERE FIXED,
the one for Tim being on the north side,
nearest Eighth avenue. When all was
completed Sheriff Eye pulled the lever
which spruug the traps, to see that ev-
erything worked smoothly. AS soon as
the powerful lever was pulled both traps
went down with lightning speed, but so
silently that nothing was heard but
rustling sound. Ten minutes later the
strans and handouts for the prisoners
were brought in and hung over the iron
grating of the cell just back of the gal
lows. Just then big white envelope
was handed theu sheriff by a
deputy. 1t was at first thought
that this was from the gov
ernor, reprieving Pete, but it proved to
be only a business message from one of
the county officials. The spectators
watched the sheriff read it, and all in
voluntary sigh went up from some when
it was found that the document meant
nothing.
Ex-Sheriff Swenson was called to the
stage and took his stand near Patrol
man Robert Golden, who was guarding