Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-12
HANGED FOR MURDER.
William W. blanchard Executed for Kill
a Con-Gs;e IL Year Ago.

William W. blanchard Executed for killing
Com-asie IL Year Ago.
SHER3RookE. QUE. Dec. 12.-Wm. Wallace
Blanchard was hanged here this morning fer
the murder Of CHARLES \. Cabin, on November
Is. 1899. The drop fell at 9:0G' and ut $3.50 the
surgeon pronounced him dead. The cxecu-
toner wa, Eadcli..c. who al-o hanged RirC hall.
and the whole proceeding was without I'M
pleasant Incident.
NJ clock this morning Fathers !afcbyre
and ElZc ttc. accompanied by thru I.ieSt.
celebrated ligll mass i. the corridor o., Viii, n
the condemned mans cell opened. Blanchard
joined III ;he exercises with much feryor and
when 'hcy were over expressed himself rs thor
OuGiLv rcnItent and prepared to die. BY .
y clock the approaches to the jail were filling
up and :; few minutes afterward those who
we're to witness the execution. to the NUM-
Der of sixty. filed into the yard. The
SaliowS was erected under wood she'd
and WAS of the usual type with the anne
weight that did duty for BirchaI. soon the
procession appeared. sheriff Webb and Deputy
sheriff Witoher leading. Then came the two
Priests with the doomed man between them.
followed by the guards. Blanchard walked
onto the scaffold calmly and firmly. knelt down
beside kneelng priest and was absolvcd. He
arose and. turning to the crowd. thanked al.
who had been kind to him AMI badc them all
farewell The cXccutIoner adjusted the cap
and drew the cord. The weight fell and the
victim rose into the air four feet and dropped.
turning half round. Scarcely "a trcmor was
Eerceptible and not sound was heard. In one
minute Dr. Austin felt the pulse. which was full
and rapid. 1t decreased gradually and became
hardly perceptible. and i'll twenty-four minutes
Blanchard was pronounced dead. The body
was cut down.a post-mortem examination made
and death was found to have resulted from
strangulation. The feeling here is that the exc
cution of Blanchard was inadvisable, the
crime was not premeditated.
BLANCHARDs CRIME.
The crime for which Blanchard was executed
this morning committed in November, 1899.
at Ayers Flats in the district Of Sherbrcoke.
At that time he appeared as a stranger; no one
knew where he came from. and he himself
admitted that he American tramp. He
became acquainted with man named Calkins.
and the two were together continually. One
evening they were having carOuse III Calklns
house. being alone. When Mrs. Calkins returned
from Il neighbOring house. where she had been
visiting. she found her husband dead. and as
she knew the two had been together Blanchard
suspected of the crime. He escaped across
the border. but was speedily brought back and
tried at SherbroOke. At the trial il came out in
evidence that there was 10 presentation Of
the deed. 1t merely the outcome
of drunken brawl. Blanchard pro-
duced revolver and bOasted of his
proficiency with the weapon. Calkins remon-
strated and a scuiile ensued i'll which the weapon
discharged and Caikins was instantly killed.
Blanchard took not the slightest interest i'll the
trial and asked that he be hanged rather than
sentenced to imprisonment for life. He was
convicted and sentenced on the 18th Of October,
and this morning his wish was gratitcd. All
the jurors memorialized the department of jus
tice for clemency. but not even an answer was
received. Yesterday the member of parliament
from Sherbrooke sent an urgent message and
received in reply from the minister of justice
the following: NO communication probable"
Executioner Radcliffe vii! proceed from here
to WelE,nd To o.fciate at the hanging of Dey
next Thursday.