Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-11
SOME one HAD. BLUNDERED.
Bungling Execution of the Bald
Knobbers at Ozark.
sTRANGLEo THEM TO DEATH.
The Hopes Stretch and they Fall
Struggling Through the Trap
Lifted Back TO the
Scanuld.
A Bungling Execution.

exc ;uted at Ozark, to-day. A new page of
hor. .ors is ADDED to the history OF executions.
SOME ONE HAD BLuNDERED.
Strong men turned deathlv sick and rushed
from the awful scene. Terribly affecting
scenes transpired at the Jail this morning
Revs. Grayston aAd TorG offered fervent
prayers for the prisoners broken by frequent
responses from the deeply suffering men.
Several ladies OF Oza;k were kueelng in the
corridor utterly unmindful Of the dirt and
pools of tobacco spit on the floor. The pris-
oners joined heartily in singing famil-
lar songs. John Matthews was asked
to lead in prayer but, instead, he preferred
to sing his favorite hymn, q wierd camp
meeting song, in which none of the others
could join
Reporters were permitted to view the scat
fold inside the Jail yard, with the three awful
ropes already knotted and suspended threat
eningly above. John Matthews wife and
sister were alone permitted to see him
through the grated door, He did not sleep
at all during the night, and looked far more
i, haggard than yesterday.
THE KNoBBER CHIEF SLEPT soUNDLY
from II last night to 4 this morning A
strong guard was posted around the outer
Jail yard, but there has never been any need
for guard, save to keep away crowds of in
quisitive visitors. The prisoners have spent
much time in writing to their friends, and it
was hoped that some statement of the bot
tom facts of the crime would be made public.
Bill Walker was asked
TO MAKE A STATEMENT,
but he replied in "A dignlfied and well-wordeG
note tina statement could not possibly
benefit him nor comfort his friends and that
after he was hanged 1t should never be said
of Bill Walker that he weakened, or tried to
cast any dscredt on the evidence of the
poor women whose husbands had been
killed.
John Matthews talked somewhat exctedly
while putting on the neat black suit IN which
he was to make his exit from all that is NOR
tai. He cxhorted the gathered listeners at
the grated window. He expressed his hope
Of salvation in the world TO come and pro-
tested his innocence of any lremedltated
crime.
At half-past Q the jury and several clergy
men and reporters were admitted to the in
ner iailyard, from which hole had been cut
In Che brick wall through the back end of
the jail. At 0:34 John Matthew'S voice
was heard in loud exhortation. A few mo-
ments after, the three prisoners walked
through the jail steadily and composeuly, and
AsCENDED THE STEPS.
Rev. Horne read passage of scripture
and hymn, and the prisoners joined in the
singing, broken by pious eXclamations from
Matthews. Rev. Horne then offered prayer.
The death warrant was read and the pris-
oners were asked in turn what statement
they desired to rake. Matthews called
loudly upon heaven to witness his innocence
of any premeditated crime.
wollfar OH 10 Tow n o,;,
could not help" Bill. Walker simply re-
sponded Il hope l am fully prepared to
neet my God"
At seven minutes before 10 the trap was
sprung which should have launched the
three men into eternity. Then ensued
MOST FEARFUL SCENE.
The ropes yielded so much that the feet of
both the Walkers touched the ground, and
their nccks were not broken. The bungllng
moose around Bill Walkers neck slipped and
stretched. His head pulled through and he
fell moaning and praying to the ground.
where he lay rolling and lamcnting for
three minutes.
Dave Walker in the meantime mad been
fitted up and the rope shortened He was
left to die of strangulation. Poor Bill was
picked up aud carried TO the trap, which
could not again be sprung until the others
were deaC and cut down. John Matthews
NECK HAD BEEl. BROKEN
by the fall, In sixteen minutes Dave Wal
ker was pronounced dead. During these
awful minutes Bill had sat upon the scat
fold supported by Sheriff johnson, moaning
occasionally and saying to the sheriff "For
Gods sake put me out of this horrible mis-
cry" Again he was placed upon his feet,
and at 1916 the fatal trap again fell, and
agrln the horrible scene, intensified u hun
dredfOld in horror, was repeated.
sTouTHEARTED MEN GREW FAINT
and were. compelled to leave the Jail yard.
Great drops OF sweat rolled from the agon-
lied face of Sheriff Iohnson who was almost
bewildered by the fearful blunder
Bill Walkers neck was broken by the sec
ond fall, ana in fourteen minutes life was
extinct, and his body was placed by the side
of his fathers The bodies were delivered
to relatives to be taken to Sparta for burial
The most deeply pathetic incident of the
day occurred when the wagon with the body
of John Matthews was driven bl the Jail
yard ana his faithful wife and age0 mother
climbed in and
SAT BESIDE THE COFFIN,
the wife crying as If her heart was broken,
while the blind old mother said TO the crowd ;
ave didn't know what IL would come to
when John joined the Bald knobbers. Poor
souls. We didn't have any more sense"
THE CRIME.
IL the autumn of 1856 n band OF night
riders was formed In the rough portions OF
Christian county, who styled themselves
BALD hnobhers Their avowed object was 10
reform the morals of the communities IN
which they lived by leaving warning letters,
accompanied By bundles of hickory switches
at the homes Of the supposed offenders. II
the warning was unheedcd second nightly
visit was made. the doors Of the often
der's home were suddenly burst open and
he was rudely yaEked ont OF his warm bed,
tied 70 tree and whipped with hickory
withes by different members of the band in
turn. saloon at Chadwick was raided, and
several barrels Of whisky were poured
out and the owners SO terrorized that they
left the country.
hut the rough and ignorant members Of
the band undertook 10 regulate and amend
all matters NOT IN accord with their ideas.
Their meetings were held with great Sc
crecy. There was terrible cath Inhcling q
death penalty for lmparting ANY Information
20 outsiders or for the betrayal of secrets.
on their raids they wore hor'
r.ble masks, conccahpg their ident-
ity. To speak disapproyiTgy Of their
methods was pretty sure To be followed by "A
warning, printed roughly in huge red letters
ornanented by a skull and cross bones. Vari-
Gus whipp.ngs occurred without blnodshed
until one fatal night, tho lith of March,
1887. The band, TO the number Of thirty,
met at night IN dark hollow at place
called the"Old Shelter where they sworc in
two new members aud talked and planned