Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-11-14
BIRCHALL EXECUTED.
The Murderer of BenWeH Dies
 This Morning.
HE WAS BRAVE TO THE LAST.
Leugh-d at the Gallows and Refused tt
 Make a Confession.

He Said He Gave Up His Life for . Crime
 He Did Not COmmit-His Body Buried
 in the Jail Yard-HOw the Murderer
 Spent His Last Night Earth Hle
 Wife Paints After the Execution. s-
 WooDsTocK, Ont, Nov. 14-A few min utes .-- 0 o'clock this morning J. Reg inald Birehall expiated on the gallows the crime of killing young Frederick Corn wallis Benwell, whom he lured to this country and shot on the edge of the Princeton Swamp last February.
 How beautifully dawned the last morn- ing of the murderer on earth. The sun rose clear, and reflection of it's brilliancy glanced across the walls of the Wood stock prison and danced into the cell where the prisoner already lay awake. His keepers said that the suns beams were not more cheery when they pro- claimed the day than was the face of Reginald Birchall itself when he arose.
 After light breakfast of ham and fried eggs and buttered toast, the clergyman in attendance during the night entreated Birchall to make his peace with God, but it could be seen that the doomed man cared little for prayers.
 The March to the GaIlOws.
 A few minutes before o'clock the sheriff and hangnan entered his cell and the murderer was securely pinioned. When asked by the sheriff if he had any thing to say, he laughed in 8 half-earnest manner and said:
 No; have made all the bequests I had to my wife and my lawyer. My life will not, perhaps, be held up as an ex- ample to budding youth-it may be as the awful example yet I am not as black as have>been painted. I shall go to the scaffold for a crime which person ally did not commit
 He was then led from his cell, down the iron spiral stairway to the jail TO- tunda, thence out through a gloomy corridor lined with cells on either side of the western yard of the jail. From the jail doorway dozen paces took him to the foot of the scaffold, and in less than five minutes from the time he mounted it he was swinging in the air a dead man. lie was true to his promise. and died "game."
 Buried in the JaIl Yard.
 Strenuous efforts were made on behalf of Mrs. Birchall to get the authorities to consent to allow her to take the remains of her husband to England, but the sad desire was frustrated by the receipt of a telegram this morning by her solicitor, Mir. Finkle, from the AttoFney-G General, oathe effect that the provisions of the law must be carried out to the letter. Hence BirchaH was buried in the jail yard. The hope of burial in England had to be abandoned but the refusal of the authorities of this last favor has caused much indignation.
 The Hangman.
 The hangman's name was Thomas Ratley, and he is the Steward of the Sun nyside Yacht Club of Toronto The hanging of Birchall was his nineteenth execution.
 Mrs. Birchall was kept under the in- fluence of opiates all night, but she awoke at 10 o'clock, and when in formed that all was over she moaned pitifully and tainted.
 How He Passed the Night. P.
 During the night he took few old let ters and papers that were not sent out in his trunk, tied them together and gave them to his keeper, telling him to give them to Mrs. Birchall, but not until to- morrow ' '~''- 94 J." it'' A''.'''!-'- 't D
 In talking with his guard about the execution, Birchall said: "Oh, we'll, hang ing is as easy death as any other. I shall never know what hurt me-" 'No doubt that is true," replied the guard. "The hanging will not be pain full The walk to the scaffold will be the worst; that will be 8 terrible ordeal,n "I know that very well," said Birchail, rather sadly, and then he relapsed into a reverie for few moments, but was soon laughing and talking in his old way.
 Utterly DeprAvsd.
 Just before Birchall was told to pre- pare for death he smoked 8 cigar and talked with Keeper Perry. ''I'm sorry for you, my boy, it's too bad" said the latter. "Oh, you needn't be-" answered Birchall, ''I'd just as soon die this week as any other. They can't begin too soon for me; this delay is tedious" While standing on the gallows the miserable wretch looked down on the 250 upturned faces and smiled. After the black cap had been drawn over his face, and the hangman was moving away to make the last preparations Blrchall said "Well old man, ain't you going to shake hands before I go." For a moment the hang man was unnerved, but he recovered his composure, shook the murderer s hand and in few seconds cut the rope and all was over. In nineteen minutes life was pronounced extinct.
 When the rope was cut Birchalfs body shot up into the air and then strengthened out. After few seconds he drew himself up and his whole frame writhed in agony. The nails of his fin gers cut into the flesh causing the blood to flow quite freely. The neck was not broken, death being caused by strangu-