The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-22
BEHEADiNG A WOMAN.
swedish Ph@dra Expistes Her Un-
natural Crime.

Swedish Ph@dra Expistes Her Un-
natural Crime.
kr;stiansstad Letter to Galignani
Ine beheading of woman is fortunately
very rare occurrence in Sweden. The
deed for which Anna Mansdotter yester-
DAY paid the extreme penalty of the law
Is quite out of the common. This
modern Phedra. who wrought her
terrible fate with her eyes open, died
because she had wiilfully murdered
her young and innocent daughter-in-
law. The murder was the outcome of an
other even more revolving and unheard-of
crime. While Anna Mansdotler paid for
her evil deed with her life, her son and
feliow-sinner was condemned to penal
servitude for life, and has already for some
time been confined in Kariscrona Jail. In
0rder to shield him the mother confessed
10 the crime. taking upon herself the
whole guilt. Death sentences are not FREE
quent. and executions still rarer here in
Sweden. 1t is about thirty years since a
woman died on the scaffold, but on this
occasion, believe, all those concerned
were unanimous that the law must run its
course. King Oscar. who is him.
sell member of the highest court, voted
even there the has two votes) for the death
sentence, and the appeal for mercy was
hopeless from the outset, AS far as the
mother was concerned. Not that Anna
Mansdotter seemed to care much. She has
spent the greater part OF her imprisonment
sitting almost motioniess. She has, as far
as know, shown no sign of repentance,
nor would she even listen to the chaplain,
who has been indefatigabe in his efforts,
and she refused to take the Holy Commun-
ion the evening before the execution and
drank glass OF wine yesterday morning.
The morning was as line as the previous
night promised, and the earth looked very
TAR when those deputed to witness the
terrible drama, or rather tragedy, went
down the fine old avenue leading
TO the prison. In the prison yard
primitive scaffoid had been erected,
and the executioner and his man are there,
clad in new miiitary-Iooking uniforms,
wearing as scarf-pin in his white silk tie
Q diminutiye axe, just as jockey might
Wear horseshoe or q little whip. 1t is
his first execution, but he seems 10 have
every confidence in his big axe his
muscles and his nerves. Just as the
clock strikes 8 the magistrate COM
mences reading the judgment, and, this
done, the doors are opened and Anna
Mansdotter begins her last short walk She
is alfred in wide white gown, with q belt
round the waist. and there are still traces
of beauty in her face, white and haggard as
II Is. She is AZ years old, but has still that
straightness and, one might almost say.
ladylike carriage which is SO often found
among peasant women in Sweden. She
seems comparatively calm, and the young
chaplain VINO walks beside her, is appar-
emily more affected. Still the nervous
twitching OF her hands betrays her fear.
Having assembled the scaffoid the chap
lain said theLord's Prayer and whispered to
her words OF announcement. Anna Mans
dotter then took her last look at this world,
a
she did SO. The executioner severed her
head from the body at one stroke, his as
sistant holding it up to show that the law
had been fulfilled. A second or two after it
was in the hands of Professor Lindgren.
from Lund, who, with a number of medi-
cal students, is going to further examine
the body before it is ANONYMOUSLY con-
signed to the dust. The eyes were wide
open some seconds after the deadly blow
bad fallen, and the heart continued its
function some little time after the sever
ance Of the head from the body.