The Washington critic. (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890, 1890-02-20
THREE BRUTAL CRIMES.
PERPETRATORS PAY THE PeNALYT
WITH THEIR LIVES.
Two Hapglngs Mt Philadelphia aud
ono mt Bellefonte, Pa.--Jacob $.
sehoop, Thomas y Cole asd Will
lam s, Hopkins Suspended.

and Thomas j. Cole, were executed in
Moyamensing prison this morning In
the presence of the properly accredited
persons permitted to witness the last
dread chapter in the history of two ter
rible crimes.
Schoop spent the night uncomplain-
ingly; he slept calmly and peacefully
for six hours, and when awake he list
ened earnestly to the words of comfort
that came from the devout lips of MIR.
Schroeder, his spiritual adviser. He
read religious book at intervals and
ate frequently and with evident relish.
lie was very calm, but his apathy
seemed to take the form of trance, or
as IL 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 mcditated
with the priest who has SO assiduously
attended him through the dread ordeal.
His brothers Frank and James came
TO the prison early In the morning and
an affecting farewell was the result
This trying moment was the turning
point rs TO whether his weak condition
would cause him to make scene. He
broke down and cried bitterly for few
minutes and then quickly recovered his
tirmness, continuing calm and appar
emily cool until he died.
AT $3.50 o'clock the officials and others
appointed to witness the execution as
sembled at the prison. Shortly before
10 o'clock Sheriff Krumbhar left the
assistant superintendent room and
walked with Mr.. Richardson slowly
down the corridor toward the scaffold,
the others following in double ranks.
AS the head of the line reached Coles
cell they halted, the door creaked on its
hinges and Cole emerged for his last
walk, accompanied by his spiritual ad-
wiser, Father Masterson. Cole walked
slowly but firmly ;shis eyes were fixed
on the ground, and he appeared in a
dazed condition. The reverend father
held the crucifiX in front of the murder
ers face and now and then he mumbled
inaudibly.
A few steps further and another halt
was made. This time the door creaked
loudly and weirdly in the death like
stiffness, and Schoop issued forth. The
wretched man paused for second and
looked first at the prison officials in the
rear and then at his brother murderer.
Rev. Otto Schroeder was at his elbow,
and the reverend gentleman with
Schoop took their positions and walked
slowly after Cole aad his spiritual ad-
wiser.
Again the procession was set in mo
ton, the rear brought up by the deputy
! sheriffs and the prison keepers. When
the scaffold was reached the black caps
were placed over the mems faces aud
the ropes adjusted A moment later,
at 1904, the trap was sprung and both
men dropped, having Il fall Of about six
feet.
After hanging twenty minutes the
bodies were cut down. Prison Physi-
clan Sharp pronounced life extinct and
the sherifr's jury viewed the bodies
and the usual formal verdict was re
corded. Coles body was handed over
to his brothers and Schoop's will be
buried in the Potter's field, as his rela-
tives and friends had all deserted him
and he was absolutely alone in the
world.
The crime for which Jacob Schoop
was executed was the horrible
butchery of Anton Schilling. The re-
mains of Schilling, who was formerly
Schoop's partner in little grocery
shop, was found by four boys in Fair
mount Park, in the water pipes, on
December 26, 1888. After an investi-
CATION Schoop was arrested. He denied
all knowledge of the crime, but finally
broke down and made a 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
to the kitchen, where the previous even.
ing he had left some food from the
evenings meal, but 1t was gone. Al
this time Schilling came in. Schoor
charged him with taking it. Some
words ensued, when Schoop knocked
Schilling down, and then grabbing q
knife, stabbed him until he was dead
He then cut the body up and placed il
in sacks, which he afterward carted tC
the park and placed in the water pipes
Schoop was tried on February 90, 1889
convicted and sentenced to hang.
The murder for which Thomas Cole
suffered the death penalty was one oil
the most brutal in the annals of crime
On the morning of July 5, 1888, Walter
McAllister, brakeman on the Penn
| sylvania Railroad, was found murdered
in bed at his boarding house
He had returned from his worl
and had just gone to bed, wher
his bcd-fellow, Thomas Cole, entered
the room and, without any warnin!
whatever, severed his head from hi
body with an axe. Cole then left thu
house and escaped. A short time after
ward McAllisters sister came 10 SCI
| him on some business, when a littl
girl in the house told her that Uncl
| Walter was upstairs and very sick.
The sister, on reaching the room
, found the mangled corpse and imnedi
| ately sounded an alarm, which resulted
IN the capture of Cole in an old barn
His clothing was clOtted with his vic
TINS life's-blood, and the mystery wa
! quickly solved. The only defense tn
> prisoner made was that he had quar-
: relied with McAllister about the break
ing of a hat and over young lad
: from West Philadelphia, but the youn
lady could never be found.
Cole was of an envious, vindictive dis
position, and, in fact, committed hi
awful crime on no preteXt whatever
, During the trial he apparently saw tina
: his was hopeless case, and res Ime
,, his old ferocious expression, Both @
! the condemned men have manifesto
a entire resignation TO their fate sine
$ their doom was settled, and they hay
c assumed an air of religious devotion fc
several weeks past.
BELLEFoNTE, PA, Feb. 2O.-Wi
liam Seely Hopkins was hanged her
this morning for the murder of his wifi
and mother in-law. The convicte
4 man rose about o'clock and ate
Q hearty breakfast. He then spent sel
a eral hours with his spiritual advisers