Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-15
PREPARING FOR DEATH.

duu spent some time Win MIN, talking
about temporal affairs. Birchall had little
to leave, except legacy which he expects
to fall to him next spring. The extent of
his property was the 81, 500 he received for
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
Birchall gave Midgley gold pencil for
his son, and said he had left instructions
sent out from England for the old soldier
himself. Jailer Condor visited the prison
about 8 o'clock and then returned to his
house. The guards were much affected by
the near approach of the end of prisoner
who had been always cheerful and courteous
to them, and had succeeded in exciting their
deepest pity.
FoREsTALLING FAKE CONFESSIONS.
Birchall had begun to fear that by some
means faxed" confession may be worked
off on the public alter his death, and to
guard against this he made out this docu-
ment:
"WooDsTocK GAoL, November TO- 1890
Ian Rights Reserved1
'1f, after my death, there shall appear in the
press, or any other manner whatsoever any
confession that had any hand in the murder
y. q
edge of said murder with intent or malice
aforethought, or any personal connection with
the murder on the 17th of February or any
other day, or any knowledge that any such
murder was likely to be committed, or any
statement further than any that may have
made public previous to this date, hand this
statement to Mr.. George Perry, of Woodstock,
ontario that he may know that any confession
or partial confessions are entirely fictitious
and in no way were ever written by me- neither
emanated from me in any way whatsoever, to
any person, and the whole are fictitious and
without word OF truth. This likewise applies
to my story in the Mail. in which have made
no such confession partial confession. This
holds good throughout
[Signed] "REG. B1RcHALL."
HIS LAST MEAL.
AT $50 the cook began to prepare Birch
all's breakfast, which had been ordered for
6 o'clock. This consisted of poached eggs,
toast, canned peaches, canned raspberries
and coffee. Breakfast was brought into
Eirchall's cell by the cook at o'clock
promptly. Birchall looked at it and said
he did not feel like eating anything. The
cook left the food, however, and Withdrew,
and on second thought Birchall turned to It
and ate little. He pushed the tray from
him after eating couple of eggs. Then he
began to prepare himself for the final terri
BILE ordeal. He put on a 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
dinary white shirt, with starched collar and
tie. He would not wear starched collar at
the execution, he said, because it might In
terfere with the placing of the rope.
About 7:30 Deputy Sheriff Perry arrived
and the doors of the Jail were opened and
the crowd of waiting men admitted, passing
straight through to the yard in which the
scaffold was erected. About 100 were ad-
mitted, but the number was subsequently
increased by about 30.
THE DEAD MARCH.
At 1923 o'clock the executioner was beck
oned to go up. He had been walking around
the rotunda, in his hands the straps with
which to tie Birchall's arms, waiting for the
signal to go up. He went up the stairs,
took a minute or two to strap the prisoners
arms behind his back, and then the march
to death began at S:25 o'clock.
First came the Rev. Rural Dean Wade,
in his surplice, and reading the Church of
England service for the dead. Behind him
DR.. Chamberlain, followed by A. D. Stewart
and Deputy Sheriff Perry. The prisoner
came next, deathly pale but resolute, his
jaws locked with the hxity of death. His
step was steady. His jet black hair and
mustache made the pallor of his face like
marble. He was dressed in dark colored
tweed clothes, a white flannel shirt with
black bow at the collar aud light patent
leather shoes. He looked so young end
there was such an expression of 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 friend
in the back in a lonely swamp.
THE PRISONER BOUND.
As Birchall stood listening to the service
there was no indication of lear in his eyes,
but fixed purpose that seemed to consume
his reason. At the close he stepped firmly
forward and took his position under the
scaffold. He took Leetham's hands in his,
and the friends kissed each other under the
gallows. The executioner put strap around
the prisoners legs just above his knees.
When the clergyman took Birchall's hand
and kissed him the witnesses were sure the
end was near, and the suspense was terrible.
As the priest entered upon the Lords
PRAYER the executioner put the black cap
over the head of the doomed man and ad-
iusted the moose about his neck. Birchall
had declared that he would say nothing at
the scaffold, but the witnesses did not ex-
pect that he would make his silence seem,
by the intensity of his purpose, to be silence
concentrated hundred times. He did not
say word after leaving his cell except it
might have been to mutter word to Mr..
Leetham or Mr.. Wade when he babe them
goodby with kiss.
THE FATAL DROP.
At S:27. six minutes after the procession
started from the corridor, the words "De-
liver us from evil" gave the signal, and
quick pull on the small rope by the execu-
TONER, who stood behind the laws victim,
released the immense weight. 1t fell swiftly
and swiftly and sank six or eight inches in
the ground by the force of its weight
Birchall had n% been IN. % placed close to one Of
his body first obliquely and then up. The
body was jerked into the air about 1--WE feet
and fell until the feet were within two feet
of the drop.
The drop was made at s:2s o'clock. The