Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-11-19
DIED WITH LIPS SEALED.
story of RenwelIs Murder Wiped Out
with lei S SIayer's Life.

Story of Renwelps Murder Wiped Out
with H sIayer's Life.
WOODSTOCK, Ont, Nov. 14.--Burchell,
the murderer of Benwell, was hanged
this morning. The drop fell at 8.29 At
$3.50 he was pronounced dead The
murderer's neck was broken.
Burchell had early in the evening
asked the cook to take him up a supper
at II O'Clock, but it was not afterwards
asked for and he ate nothing during the
night. He preserved his usual demean-
or all through the night.
All night there was in the jail the air
OF death; the guards spoke under their
breath, and as they walked across the
brick floors tried to make no disturbin,.
noises. Doors were closed with care.
and amid all this death-like quiet the
broad tones of the executioner' S Devon
shire tongue sounded as much out of
place as they would be in the chamber
of death.
Breakfast was brought into BurcheIl>s
cell by the cook at o'clock promptly.
Burchell looked at it and said he did nor
feel like eating anything. The cook lef-
the food, however, and withdrew, and
on second thought Burchell turned to it
and ate little. He disposed of
couple of eggs and then pushed the tray
from him. Then he began to prepare
himself for the final terrible ordeal.
He put on white flannel shirt with
coat and vest over it, but had previously
asked Turnkey Forbes to see that this
was replaced after execution by the or
binary white shirt with starched collar
and tie. He would not wear sterched
collar at the execution, he said, because
it might interfere with the placing of
the rope.
About half-past 6 o'clock and from
then on, crowd began to collect in
front of the jail, chiefly newspaper men
from all over Canada and the United
States but including good many resi-
dents. At about half-past 7 Deputy
Sheriff Perry arrived, and the doors of
the jail were opened and the crowd Of
waiting men admitted, and passed
straight through to the yard in which
the scaffold was erected. About 100
subsequently increased by about so.
Ihe awful march to death began at
8:2o O'Clock. First came the rural dean,
the Rev. Mr.. Wade, in his surplice and
leading the Church of England service
or the dead; behind him DIR. Cham
oerlain, followed by A. D. Stewart and
Deputy Sheriff Perry. The prisoner
came next, deathly pale but reso-
lutte. his jaws locked with the fixity OF
death. He came down the stairs with one
hand on the railing, for from his elbows
steady. His jet black hair and NOUS
tache made the pallor Of his face like
marble. He was dressed in dark-col-
ored tweed clothes, white fiannelshirt
with black bow at the collar, and light
patent leather shoes. He looked SO
young, and there was such an express
sion of unmovable resolution and I'M
daunted 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 friend in the back in
lonely swamp. The faces of half the
men there were as white, almost, as that
of the doomed man.
Burchell stepped firmly forward and
took his place under the scaffold with
his face to the south and turned up
slightly. He took Leetham's hands in
his, and the friends kissed each other on
the gallows. The executioner put
strap around the prisoners legs just
above his knees. The clergyman took
Burchell's hand and kissed him.
AS the priest entered upon the Lords
prayer the executioner put the black
cap over the head of the doomed man
and adjusted the moose about his neck.
Burchell did not say word after leav-
ing his cell, except it might have been to
mutter word to Mr.. Leetham or Mr..
Wade when he babe them goodbye
with q kiss.
The words "deliver us from evil'
gave the signal, and quick pull on the
small rope by the executioner released
the immense weight. 1t tell to the
ground and sank six or eight inches in
the sod. The jerk of the moose drew
Burchell's body first obliquely and then
up, and into the air about five feet.
Then it fell until its feet were within
two feet of the ground.
The drop was made at 8:29 o'clock.
The commissions commenced half min
ute later, but they were not at all vio-
llent, more resembling heavy breathing.
with slight twitching of the hands and
legs.
Burchell's body was cut down fifteen
minutes after the execution. When the
black cap was removed, the dead mans
face was found to be greatly discolored.