Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-29
THE HANGMAN RUSHING
Four Murderers Prid the Penalty
With Their Necks.
They Died By TwOs But They Died
Very Hard.
Men Turned Sick witnessing Their
Last Struggles.

were hanged in the tones this N ornlDg, |
Nolan, Packenham, Lewis and CAROLYN. |
The frst two were hanged at 6:49 and |
Lewis and Carolin at 1903. Lewis vas
strangled to death. Carolin protested |
his innocence as stood under the fatal
moose.
It was the first time in the history of |
the tombs that four murders explated
their crimes on the gslIows the same
day. TIE only spectators were news
paper men. Nolan ana Packenham were |
takOn from their cells at $40. They had
only about forty feet to 10, and were
soon place under the cross beam.
Both mad already been pinioned and
the black caps were on their heads
ready to be drawn over their faces and
the nooses we're about their necks. Two
minutes later the pooses were &C j listed, |
the black caps drawn and the rope bold
ing the weight was cut. In twinktlng
the bodies OF the two murder-rs shot up
Tito the air distance of about four feet,
and fell back to within two feet of the
GROUND Their st:uggliDgs were very fee
BILE and it was evident that their necks
had been broken. Packenham died in
seven minutes, while Nolan survived a
little longer. They were allowed TO hang
some thirty minutes before being cut
down and placed in the collins provided
for their rem ms.
The most moving scene about this
hanging was the awful express on upon
the faces of the men as they took their
places under the gallOw5. Nolan's jaw
hung down, his lips quivered and for
moment he looked as though be would
collapse. He quickly recovered himself.
and although his lips still trembled there
was a regular motion which showed he
was repeating prayer. Packenham
was evid entity praying. A priest stood
by each of the men. Both of the con-
demned were staring fixedly ahead at the
bare wall of the prison when the caps
were drawn. The bodies were finally cut
down, placed In coffius and turned over
to their friends. When their caps were
removed NoIan's face showed the greater
oontOrtions, although the eyes and mouth
of Packenham we're partly open. Noian's
eyes were standing wide open and his
face wore horrible expression.
Almost on the stroke of O'Clock Lewis
and Carolin oPme ouG from the boys
PRISON, where they had been taken when
their com panions went out so die. The
arrangements for the execution were in
every detail the same as those on She
CAROLYN and Lewis were given less
weight than toe first two. When they
marched into sight of the gallow Carolin
turned pale and olutched the hand of the
priest by his side. He looked straight
ahead while he pulled hard at half
smoked cigar. In strong contrast TO
the demeanor of the German
was the manner in which the
negro Lewis, approached his fate.
His face beamed with smiles and he
shook hands right and left with several
members of the death watch, biodipk
them goodby in cheerful tones, In short
he seemed TO consider bis hanging as the
browning honor of his life. Suddenly
Carolin reEnguished the cruc fix and
moving his pinioned hands, began TO
jabber excited y IL German, speaking so
rapidly that his words could scarcely be
caught. As nearly as could be under
stood this is what he meant to say: 81
die an innocent man, Cd d-p 1t. l
didn't do this thing"
The three priests in attendance looked
shocked, but made no reply to the dying
mans exclamation. Lewis scanned Car
olin oORtem ptuously, and remarked with
the accent of the typical Bowery tough,
'Ah, watts der matter wild yef Die like a
man." with which words he curled his lip
and spat to acceDtuate his contempt.
81 will die like man." exclaimed Car
olin, excitedly, "but I'll die like an limo
cent man." He was still mumbling when
the hangman blackcapped him, while the
assistant drew the cap over the head of
Lewis. Then the "5hree~rsp" signal was
given on the parti ion which concealed
the actual executioner, and with a crash
e ho oil
prison the weight came down and the two
unfortunates were hurled into eternity.
II was 1903 when the drop fell and the
whole scene described occupied but q
couple of minutes. Both men sustained
fractures of the cervical yertebTe and
their death was certainly painless, though
to the unskilled observer this did not
seem to be the case Csrolins hands
twisted and twitched, growing darker in
color. His whole body was agitated once
or twice by muscular spasms and then
hung very still. 1t was not so with Lewis
who, to all appearances, died hard. He
gasped painfully and VIZ G gled violently,
strained ar the fetters aud kicked off mis-
slippers. His struggles were much more
violent an2 prolonged than Carolin's, his
pulse was not SO rapid. He was undoubt
eddy dead to sensibility in a twinkling,
OUT pSlDg StEouS udu JHe dChiOu VI H'S
muscles accounted for his struggles.
Lewis was dead in SIX minutes and Car
olin in four, hut the bodies were allowed
to hang until 7:30. The removal of the
cap reveale Is WIS face as placid as if he
had died in bed.
Patrick Packenham, the Oldest of the
four, about so years, murdered his vie
by cutting her throat, March 13, of last
year. Jack Lewis, Colored, killed Alice
jackson, his former mistress,
on July II, 1888, by shooting her a. the
house where she was employed as a
cook. Ferdinand Carolin murdered his
wife By chopping her in tie face with
Ratchet while he held her head between
his knees James Nolan murdered Emma
Bush, who had left her husband to lead a
life of shame. she had supported Nolan
for some time, but at last tired of him
and looked him out of her room. Next
day he called at the house, asked to see
her, snd as she came down stairs put
four bullets in her abdomen.
BUTTE, Mont, Aug. 23.-Hsrry Roberts
was hanged today for the mu; der of j.
w. Crawford on May IA h last. Crawford
was teamster in Roberts employ, aud
he latter shot him while intoxicated.