Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-19
~ LII l. l. 1O4Ns
FROM THE GALLONS.
Three Murderers Punished for Their
Grimes Today.
DOUBLE EXECUTION AT MIDNIGHT.
A Criminal Respited for the Eighth
Time.
GENERAL TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THREE MURDERERs EXECUTED.
Elmer sharkey and Henry Popp Hanged
Shorflv After MidulVhf
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THREE MURDERERs ExECUrED.
Elmer sharkcy and Henry Popp Hange<
shortly After Midnight.

Elmer Sharkey and Henry POpp Hanged
shortly After Midnight.
COLUMBUS, ONO, Dec. l9.-Elmer Sharkey
and Henry Popp were executed by hanging in
the annex of the Ohio penitentisry shortly
after midnight. sharkey was the first to 60.
and, contrary 10 expectations. he did not
weaken. He stepped on the scaffcld at 1905
and six minutes later was pronounced dead.
His neck was not broken and death resulted
from strangnlation. He made no confession
nor statement from the gallows. simply saying:
Il will answer to God for what have done and
forgive all" Eight minutes after Sharkey was
pronounced dead his body had been removed
and the scaffold prepared for Popp, who
stepped out from the death cell at 2:29. In
less than one minute his arms and legs had
been pinioned, the black cap and rope adjusted
and the lever pulled which launched him into
eternity. His neck was broken by the fall and
he died without a struggle.
THEIR CRIMES.
While Sharkeys mother was living in bed, in
January. 1889, he bea. her on the head with a
maui until she was dead. Later in the night
he appeared at neighbours house i'm an APP
parently dazed condition and stated that burg
lars had attacked the house and. he feared. had
killed his mother. An examination of the
house showed that several windows had been
broken in, as though by burglars. The bloody
maui was found on The porch covered with
brains and gray hair from the murdered
womans head. Many minor circumstances
seemed to point to Sharkey himself as the muir
derer and he was arrested. Pending the cor
oners inquest he confessed having committed
the crime. but declared afterward that this con-
fessioG had been extorted from him through
fear. A plea Of epileptic insanity urged in
his behalf. but he was convicted before the
courts OF two different counties and the su-
preme court of the state, the state board OF
pardons and the governor have all passed nd-
versely upon his case. He was TWENTY-FIVE
years old at the time of his crime. The motive.
it was alleged, was fear that his mother would
disinherit him if he should marry a young lady
to whom he was engaged.
Henry Popp killed saloon keeper at Can
ton. Ohio. He had been assisting In some
work about the saloon. in return for which the
saloon keeper gave him sufficient liquor to
make him drunk. He then became noisy and
was elected. Returning after short time he
was again put out He then came back and
| fatally stabbed the saloon keeper. At the trial
his guilt was admitted but the plea of intoxi-
cation and the extenuating circumstances
urged against the infection Of the death pen
atty.
Late yesterday afternoon Gov Campbell re-
| spited Isaac Smith, who was to have been
| hanged in the penitsntiary last night. This
is the eighth time Smith has been respited.
REM LA MONTAGUE HANGED.
SHERBRooKE, QUEBEC Dec. 19-Remi Ia
| Montague was hanged at 9:26 this morning
His last words we're: May God have mercy on
my soul"
The murder for which La Montague wal
| hanged was a brutal and cold-blooded crime
| and the story of the circumstances leading Il
| it is most revolving. The murdered man. Ma
poleon Michel. had suspected that his wife Wa,
| criminally and unnaturally intimate with l.
! Montague, who was her own brother, anC
charged the latter with crime. One evening il
| July, 1888, after Michel and his wife had re
| tired, La Montague went to the house with ;
bottle Of whisky. The couple arose and sat fol
a while with their visitor. drinking the liquor
When La Montague left Michel accompanied
him short distance 10 light him on his way
| They had gone but few yards when La Mon.
tague turned upon Michel and fired two shot,
| at his head Michel fell and when he regained
consciousness he found himself in his owl
| kitchen, his throat cut, his wrists nearly de-
| tached from the arms and all about him in
flames. He crawled through a window. man.
| aged to reach the house of a neighbor, where
| he told his story, and died in a few hours.
La Montague and Leda Michel, the deceased's
wife. werearresto d. The former fedsnd the latter
| managed to secure an acquittal on the charge
| of being an accomplice. She went to the United
States. Her brother hid in the woods till a re-
ward Of 81 COO was offered by the government
| for his arrest. Feeling sure that he could not
be convicted he went to friend who handed
him over to the police, it being understood
that the money should be used by the friend to
pay the expenses Of the defense. The recrean'
wife was arrested in Boston on the charge OF
| arson and was extradited. chiefly with the OBJ
ject Of securing her evidence in the murder
trial, but she refused to testify and WIS sen.
fenced TO one years imprisonment and fined
| $3.50 for contempt of court. Notwithstanding
her silence La Montague was found guilty OF
murder in the first degree and sentenced to be
hanged today.
| SHERIFF WEBB DROPS DEAD.
| This mornings tragedy was a double one, for
it involved the death of Sheriff Webb as well
The sheriff arrived at the Jail few minutes be
fore O'Clock and was admitted to Jail TO Read
private apartments. Ten minutes afterward
messengers were running for Dir. Austin. bu,
when he arrived at the Jail the old sheriff wac
dead. Death was due to acute heart failure in
duced by excitement.
Senator Sherman for Governor.