Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-20
Jacob SchOop and Thomas Cole Hung
for Their Crimes.

PHILADELPHIA. Feb. 20.-Jacob Schoop and
Thomas Cole we're hanged at 10.O4 a. m. SchooI
spent the night uncomplainingly. He slep
calmly and peacefully for six hours and wher
awakened he listened earnestly to the words oi
comfort that came from the devout lips of Mr.
Schroeder, his spiritual adviser. He read q
religious book at intervals and ate frequently
and with evident relish. He was very calm
but his apathy seemed to take the form of a
trance or as if he were under the influence OF
opium.
Cole spent most Of his time in prayer. At {
O'Clock this morning he took the sacrament and
afterward meditated with the priest who has SC
assiduously attended him through the dread or
deal. His brothers. Frank and James, came to the
prison early in the morning and bade him fare
well. This trying moment was the turning poin!
as to whether his weak condition would cause
him to make a scene. He broke down and
cried bitterly for few minutes and ,hen
quickly recovered his frmness, continuing
calm and apparently cool until he died.
SCHOOLS CRIME.
The crime for which Schoop was executed
was the murder of Anton Schilling. The re-
mains of Schilling, who was formerly Schools
partner in a little grocery store, were found by
TOUR boys In Paramount park, i'll the water
pipes, on December &c, 1888. After investiga-
tlon Schoop was arrested. He denied all
knowledge of the crime, but finally broke down
and made confession. Schilling boarded with
Schoop, and several attempts were made by
Schoop to poison him and then get possession
OF the little money he was supposed to have.
On Christmas morning Schoop arose earlier
than usual and proceeded 20 the kitchen, where
the previous evening he had left some food
from the evenings meal, but it was gone. At
tins time Schllling came in. Schoop charged
Inn xvrfh sal-r
Schoop knocked Schilling down and then.
grabbing knife, stabbed him until he was
dead. He then cut the body up and placed it
in sacks, which he afterward carried to the
park and placed in the water pipes. Schoop
was tried on February 20, 1889, convicted and
sentenced to hang.
COLES CRIME.
The murder for which Cole suffered the
death penalty was most brutal July 5, 1888,
Walter McAllister, a brakeman on the Penn
sylvania railroad. was found murdered in bed
at his boarding house. He had returned from
his work and just gone to bed when his bed
fellow, Thomas Cole, entered the room and
without any warning whatever severed his
head from his body with an ak Cole then left
the house and escaped. A short time after
ward McAllister's sister came to see him ON
some business, when little girl in the house
told her that Uncle Walter was upstairs and
very SICK. The sister on reaching the room
found the mangled corpse and Immediately
sounded an alarm which resulted in the capture
OF Cole IN an old barn. His clothing was clot-
ted with his victims life blood and the mystery
was quickly solved. The only defense the pris-
oner made was that he had quarreled with Nc
Allister about the breaking of hat and over
young lady from West Philadelphia, but the
young lady could never be found. Cole was of
an envious, vindictive disposition and, in fact,
committed his awful crime on no pretext what
ever. During the trial he apparently saw that
bis was hopeless case and resumed his old fe-
rocious expression.
Both OF the condemned men have manifested
entire resignation to their fate since their
doom was settled and they have assumed an
air of religious devotion for several weeks
past.