Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-11-21
HE Died GAME.
REGINALD BIRCHALL HANGED AT
WOODSTOCK, ONT.
MAINTAINS HIS NERVE TO THE
VERY LAST.
The Sorrow Of His Unfortunate
Wife and His Friends.

der Casa case whose details, from the
finding of the victims dead body in the
swamp few miles from Woodstock, Ont,
Canada, last February, to the present
time, has been followed with the closest
interest and attention by thousands of
readers in both America and Europeans
played at the Oxford county Jail in Wood
stock, on Friday morning, Nov. IA, when
Reginald Birchell paid the penalty for his
crime by giving up his life on the scaffold.
TO the last the convicted man maintained
q firm and unyieldipg characteH protes t.
ing his innocence of the murder of Ben
well, but refusing to make any statement
concerning his connection with the case.
His nerve, indeed, was something mar
Vicious, and his courage, could it have been
exercised in the proper direction, would
have been pronounced heroic.
The last night Of BirchelPs life was
spent in interviews with his wife and his
spiritual adviser. AT seven o'clock
Biichell had just finished supper when a
carriage drove up to the door of the
prison. 1t contained Mrs. Birchell, Mrs.
West Jones and Mr. Leetham. All three
went into the Jail, but only Mrs. Birchell
climbed the circular iron stairs to her hus-
bands corridor Her sister and Mr.
Leetham went into the governors Office to
wait for Mrs. Birchell.
In the narrow corridor in the Jail two
hearts were holding u last earthly COM
munion. a man who had promised to love
and cherish woman through life was bid
ding her goodbye; and a woman who had
promised to love, honor and obey man
unto death was making the last sacrifice.
Until ono o'clock in the morning they
continued their conversation. During the
whole of this long last meeting and long
last parting in the very valley of the shadow
Of death, Turnkey Forbes was in the CORR
dor with them, but they cared nothing for
it. Early in the night the Rev. Rural Dean.
Wadewent into the corridor and made him
self ready to spend the night
AS one o'clock came the eave-taking oc-
CURED, and the weeping woman was led
out through the barred door and down the
narrow stairs, down which her husband
seven hours later went to his death.
The time during the hours after Mrs.
Birchall left the Jail were passed by
BirchaQ and the preacher in reading script
ure and talking. The turnkey took u nap
while Mr.. Wade was with Birchall in his
cell and Mr.. Forbes, who is one of Birch
alls executors, went in and spent some
time with him, talking about his temporal
affairs. Birchall had little to leave, ex-
cept legacy which he expects to fall to
him next spring. The extent of his prop
erty was the 81, 800 he received from the
autobiography and $3.50 he received by his
agent from the proprietors of Toronto
museum for the clothes he wore on the 18th
of February and also authority solely to
exhibit cast Of his head bust and figure.
At S:15 o'clock the procession started
from the Jail TO the yard in which the exc
cution was TO take place. First came the
rural dean, Wade, in his surplice, and
reading the Church of England
service for the burial Of the dead.
Behind him DR.. Chamberlain, fol-
lowed by A. ID. Stewart and Deputy
Sheriff Perry. The prisoner came next,
deathly pale, but resolutc. His Jaws
locked with the fixity of death. He came
down the stairs with one hand on the rail-
ing, for from his elbows down his arms
were free. His step was steady. His jet
black hair and moustache made the pallor
of his face like marble He was dressed
in dark colored tweed clothes, and light
patent leather shoes. He looked so young
and there was such an expression of I'M
movable resolution and undaunted courage,
that the men who saw him and knew him
to be worthy Of death in the eye
of the law, forgot that he had shot q
friend in the back in a lonely swamp. The
faces Of half Of the men were as white
almost as that of the doomed man.
The principal actors in the tragedy stop
ped With their charge about fifteen feet
from the gallows and the solemn tones of
the Anglican service thrilled everyone
there with a horror that hardly let them
realize the tremendous Importance Of that
in which they were taking part. Birchalls
eyes had not trace of the frivolity that
lightened his Imprisonment. As he stood
listening to the low-toned priest, they
were fixed on the blue sky over to tie
north. There was not hunted look Ior
was there any fear in his eyes, but fixed
purpose that seemed to consume his reason.
At ser, six minutes after the procession
started from the corridor. the words
Deliver us from evil" gave the signal,
and Ia quick pull Oh the small rope by the
executioner, who stood behind the laws
victim, released the immense weight. 1t
dropped with the rapidity of thought, it
fell to the ground and sank six or eight
inches in the ground by the force of its
weight. BircBell had been placed close to
one of the uprights, and the jerk of the
moose drew mis- body first obliqucly and
then up. The body was iorked into the
air about Eve feet and fell until his feet
were within two feet Of the ground. The
drop was mado at 1920 o'clock. Tho
commissions commenced half minute
later, but they were not violent, more re-
scmbling heavy breathing, with slight
twitching of the hands and legs. At
$780, the commissions had ceased, and at
s:35 DR.. Chamberlain, who stood with his
hand on the body, declared that life was
extinct. There was just six minutes from
the drop until the doctor declared Birchall
dead A post norton was held by DR..
Odlum and Coroner McLay presided at
the inquest DIR. Chamberlain said the