The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-11-14
SLOWLY TORTURED.
,Sickening Scenes Accom-
pany the Execution of
Birchall This
Morning.

WOODSTOCK, Ont., NOV. IA. l5yU.-Kegl-
nald Birchall, who was convicted Of the
murder Of Frederick G. Benweil In a
swamp near Blsnheim was hanged 10 the
jail yard here at half-past eight O'Clock
this morning. Birchall did not retire un-
til after one o'clock last night. His wife
did not leave him before that time. and
their parting was most affectionate and
effectng. He slept until four O'Clock.
when he was awakened by Sheriff Perry,
who told him that Dean Wade. the chap
lain. had come 10 pray with him. Birch
all angrily exclaimed that he did not care
TO see the clergyman, but quickly chang
ing his demeanor. asked, with smile.
what there was for breakfast. He ate a
hearty meal OF eggs, chops and coffee, and
drank some liquor
He put on the new suit of black clothes
that the Sheriff had bought for him, and
put velvet slippers on his feet, saying,-
II don't think will have time to take
cold.'
THE MARCH TO THE scAFFoLD.
For fully half an hour before the execu-
tion the spectators were assembled In
semicirc.e in the jail yard, with the gal
lows tor the centre. There were at least
$50 spectators in all. 1t was a keen. sharp
ground, though the yellow sunlight of the
beginning of an Indian summer day fell
on everything with warm gov. 1t was
just e:18 O'Clock when those In the
jail yard heard the voice of the clergy
man saying:-"I am the resurrection and
the life" the first words of the Episcopal
burial service. moment later appeared
two constables, and after them the cler-
gyman wearing the clerical robes and
readiug from the prayer book as he came.
Birchall followed Immediately after On
one side of him, and holding him by the
arm, was his friend and schoolmate,
Arthur Leetham; on the other, his day
guard, George Perry.
stick close beside me, Georgia." he
said to the latter, and that was the last
thing he said save mere goodby.
His face was pale, but on 1t there was
not the slightest trace OF anything like
fear.
REFINED CRUELTY
He had traversed half of the twenty
odd PAGES to the scaffold when the most
agonizing part of the mental torture be-
gan. Here he was halted, and with the
gallows straight before him and not ten
feet away, he was kept mercilessly stand
ing for a time that seemed an eternity
even 70 the spectators, while the clergy
man droned out the prayers and the pOr-
tions of the lugubrious funeral service.
Finally this agony was over. and the
unhappy man was moved forward under
the scaffold bar. Here the clergyman read
service for the dead. By hardly any in
genuity could anything more calculated
TO produce the very ecstacy Of mental
agony have been invented. Birchalls
friend, Arthur Leetham, now came for
ward and grasped his hand, and Birchall
warmly kissed MIN and bade him goodby.
Then the clergyman came. and him, too,
Birchall kissed and bade goodby. his
face lighting up with smile as ne did SO.
SLOWLY STRANGLED TO DEATH.
Then ensued the horrible scene which
those who witnessed 1t will pray they
may never see again. Slowly, 50 slowly
that it made one faint and sick at heart
TO look at 1t the man suffered death by
strangulation. The black cap, which had
not been pulled entirely down over the
face at the start, was jerked still further
hack by the face and revealed the mus
tache and portion of the cheek. Over
this those who could look upon the thing
could see the dark blood slowly settling,
until it became as ink itself, and in the
meantime those horrible convulsive
efforts at respiration were going on with
all the CHASTITY Accomplishments Of clutch
ing fingers and hands vainly striving to
reach the strangling cord.
Then the rope was put about his neck
and the black cap put on his head, but
not pulled down for moment, during
which Birchall kept his eyes fixed upon
his friend Leethan. Then the hang
man quickly pulled the cap down over
Bichall's face, and gave the moose a final
adjustment. There was q click, sound
of rafting puileys, which seemed to oc-
cupy a great length of time, and then
Birchall shot obliquely into the air. fell
back with quick, vicious jerk of the
rope, aud hung swaying.
For fully two minutes this sickening
spectacle continued, and then the move
ments became slowly more feeble, and
the hands dropped Imply to the sides.
Bnt still the man was not dead. It was
nearly five minutes later that the doctors,
with their hands on his wrists, announced
that the pulse had stopped beating, but
tnrning sinwlr in the hr,ght snni;gb1 =
terrible thing to see.
The physicians held an autopsy and an
nounced that the windpipe was broken by
the jerk, but that the neck was not.
Death was from strangulation.