Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-01
AN EXCITING sUsPENsz.
Executing a Man Supposed to Have
Been Reprieved-

A United States prisoner was one Feb
ruary morning marched out from a cell in
the Sedgwick County (Kan.) Jail to die
upon the scaffold for one Of the most
heinous crimes ever committed in the In
dian Territory. He had been sentenced
by Judge Foster at the preceding term
Of the United States District Court, and
had maintained throughout his imprison-
ment the most stoical indifference to his
fate, and on this February morning he
acted more as If be were going to liberty
than to the scaffold.
A wooden pen about forty feet square
and twelve feet high had been built on
the west end of the little brick Jail, and
in the centre of this the gallows had been
erected.
The execution was the first that had
taken place in the State for seventeen
years, and people had come from miles
with the hope Of witnessingit. All night
long parties of morbidly curious people
had been encamped upon the square. Not
more than fifteen people were to be ad-
mitted within the enclosure, and on ae-
count of my connection with one of the
local papers l was one of these.
The condemned man walked coolly
into his death-pen and looked around
him. Passing lightly up the steps he
sat down upon the platform and began
to remove his boots, remarking jokingly
to one of the deputies that sit is bad
luck to die with ones boots on"
There had been no little difficulty in
securing some one to operate the drop
and at last, as the usual resort, Com
anche Jack" was pressed, apparently
very unwillingly, into the service. Jack
had the reputation of having presided
at twenty-four similar affairs, besides
being the means of assisting a score of
desperadoes out of the world in various
other ways. On such an important oc-
casion as hangin' it was to him abso-
lutely necessary that his sensitive nature
be well fortified by liberal supply of
Territory whiskey.
When the black cap had been pulled
over the condemned mans face and his
hands and feet pinioned, Jack stood with
one hand upon the lever of the drop and
the fingers of the other just touching the
poor fellows back, saying In his sweetest
and most assuring tones: "Now be a
good boy-a good boy"
The gate to the pen had scarcely been
closed when there arose on the outside
an uproar which appeared to increase in
volume and intensity each second. A
messenger was seen running towards the
Jail carrying in his hand large envelope.
The crowd made way for him to pass and
soon he fell almost breathless against the
boards.
Here's letter from the President, /"
cried voice as the letter was thrown
into the inclosure. His reprieve y
yelled score of voices from the outside.
Just then "Comanche Jack, !" imagining,
no doubt, that a mob was about to res
cue the prisoner, and having by his
soothing words, "Now be good boy, u
got the condemned man into favorable
position, pulled the lever and a life
less body swung from the rope.
One of the deputies picked up the
letter and there, sure enough, was the
imprint of the "Interior Department,
Washington, ID. c." The time set for
the execution was between o'clock A.
NJ. and noon, and it was not yet 1890
Had the officers in their haste murdered
this man 2' was the thought that flashed
across every spectators mind. Every
face within the inclosure turned pale
and at that instant some attempts at re-
suscitation were made. The immense
crowd on the outside could be heard
mumbling and pushing up more closely
against the boards of the inclosure
At last the officer to whom the letter
was addressed tore open the envelope
as we all crowded around him. Instead
of the reprieve, however, there was a let
ter from United States Marshal Jones,
stating that the President had refused to
interfere in the case.
The color came back to the officers
cheeks and we all breathed sigh of
relief. Il New York World.