Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-11-15

for them. A crowd of sharp reporters
were watching for the return of the trio
TO the hotel. Ten o'clock passed and
eleven o'clock struck, midnight came
and the number of newspaper watchers
had diminished, but the wife, sister and
friend had not come.
At one o'clock came the leave taking,
and the weeping woman was led out
through the barred door and down the
stairs, down which her husband, seven
hours latcrwent to his death. Mrs
West-Jones had been waiting down
stairs for her sister, and assisted To the
carriage the woman already widowed In
the eye of the law. When they alight-
ed from the carriage shortly after one
O'Clock, Mrs. Birchall walked up the
stairs of the hotel with a firm step and
Immediately to her room. The time
during the hours after Mrs. Birchall
left the gaol were passed by Birchall
and the divine in reading scripture,
praving and talking. The turnkey took
a nap while Mr.. Wade was with Birch
all in his cell. During the night Mr.
Wade came out of the cell and Mr.
Forbes, who is one of Birchall's execu-
tors, went in and spent some time with
him talking about his temporal affairs.
Birchal had early in the evening
asked the cook to take him up a supper
at twelve o'clock, but it was not after
wards asked for and he ate nothing dur
ing the night. He preserved his usual
demtanor all through the night.
The guards were much affected by
the near approach Of the end of Il pris-
oner who had been always cheerful aud
courteous to them, and succeeded in eX-
citing their deepest pity. When guard
Midgely came down from Birchall's cell
at a quarter to five o'clock he said that
the prisoner WAS bcaring up well ana
that there was no question he would
make a big effort to die game. Birch
all has begun to fear that by. some
means "fakcdr confession may be
worked of on the public after his death
and to guard against this he gave out
this document:
"WooDsroCK GAoL. Nov. 10, 1890.
c-All rights reserved. If, after my
death, there shall appear in the press or in
any other manner whatsoever, any confess
sion that had any hand in the murder OF
Mr.. T.. G.. Benwell, or any personal
| knowledge of SAID murder with intent or
malice aforethought, or any personal CON
nection with the murder on the lith oil
February or other day, or any knowledge
that any such murder was likely to be COM
mitted. or any statement further than any
that may have made public previous to
this date hand this statement to the care
of George Perry, of Woodstock, Ont, that
he NAV know that any confession or par
tial confessions are entirely fictitious and
in no way were written by me, neither
emanated from me in any way whatsoever
10 anv person, and the whole are fictitious
and without a word Of truth. This like
wise applies to my story in the Mail, in
which have made no such confession or
partial confession. This holds good
throughout.
Signed, kEG. BiRCHAEL.
Breakfast was brought into Birchall'S
cell by the cook at & o'clock promptly.
Birchall looked at it and said he did not
feel like eating anything. The cook
left the food, however, and Withdrew,
and on second thought Birchall turned
to it and ate a little. He pushed the
tray from him after eating a couple OF
eggs. Then he began to prepare him
self for the final terrible ordeal. lie
nut on white flannel shirt, with coat
and vest under it, but had previously
asked Turnkey Forbes to see that this
was replaced after execution by the or
binary white shirt with starched col
lar and tie. He would not wear a
starched collar at the execution he said,
because il might interfere with the plac-
ing of the rope.
The executoner appeared on the
scene at twenty-five minutes before
eight, rope in hand, and began immedi-
ately TO put things in order. At s:l5
o'clock, the hangman having completed
preparations outside, came in and took
from his valise a long black Prince AL
bert coat. and removing his hat walked
about in the jail bareheaded for some
minutes. A consultation was had on
the iron stairs with the prison officers.
The awful march to death began at s:25
o'clock. First came the Rev. Wade in
his surplicc aud reading the Church OF
England service for the dead. Behind
him DIR. Chamberlain, prison inspector,
followed by A. d Stewart and Deputy
Sheriff Perry. The prisoner came next,
dcathly pale but resolute, his jaws
locked with the fiXity of death. lie
came down the stairs with one hand on
the railing, for from his elbows down
his arms were free. His step was steady.
His jet black hair and moustache made
the pallor of his face look like marble.
The march was slow along the corridor
and out into the yard. The principal act
ors in the tragedy stopped with their
charge about fifteen feet from the GAL
lows and the solemn tones OF the An
rlican service thrilled every one there
with horror that hardly let them realize
the tremendous importance OF that in
which they were taking part. They felt
an overpowering pity for the black
haired, white faced young man standing
on the threshold of eternity. His eyes
had not a trace of the frivolity that had
liphtencd his Imprisonment. In the
service, Birchall stepped firmly forward
and took his place under the scaifold,
with his face TO the south and turned up
slightly. He took Leetham's hands in
his and the friends kissed each other
nnder the gallows. The executioner
mt strap around the prisoners legs
inst above his knees. When the clergy
man took Birchall's hand and
kissed him the witnesses were sure
the end was near. and the suspense was
terrible. As the priest entered upon
the Lords Prayer the executioner put
the black cap over the head of the
doomed man and adjusted the moose
ohout his neck. Birchall had declared
that he would say nothing at the scaf-
fold and the witnesses did not expect
that he would break his silence, 81:
ience that seemed by the intensity OF
A. 10 silapea concentrated n