, 1890-11-20
.BIRCHALL EXECUTED.
Great Courage Exhibited by
the Condemned Man.
LAST OFFICES OF FRIENDSHIP
woetham Walks to the Gallows
With His Friend-Death by
Strangulation.

WoopsrocK. Ont. Nov. AT 8; 90 this
uorn,ny Reginald Birchall was launched
into eternity for the murder of his fellow
countryman, 4. q. Benwell. He par
4 took sparingly of breakfast at o and
4 tben began to prepare for The final ordeal.
| He nut on hnnnel white shirt, with
coat and vest, bat asked the turnkey to
see this replaced after the execution by
an ordinary white shirt with starched
collur and tie. He would not wear
starched collar nj the execution he said,
because II might Interfere with placing
the rope around his neck. 1t was now
a. 20 and from then on the crowd began
10 collect in front of the jail, chiefly
n,wspa,er men, from all over Canada
ond the United States. All 80 the doors
were all opened and the crowd admitted
and passed through to the yard in which
the scaiiold was erected. About l50
were admitted.
The executioner appeared on the scene
at twenty five minutes before 8, rope
in hand and began to put things in or
der, The sCalfold was made of three
pieces of tinbor, six inches square, two
uprghts sunk in the ground and the
third timber crossed the top. The rope
ran over pulleys on this cross beam and
aclnisicr weight, $50 pounds Of iron, was
attached to the opposite end of the moose
and held up by cord to staple. CUT
-~fing this cord close the weight falls and
4 jerks the condemned upward four feet.
At S;l5 the hangman having com
peted preparations outside came in in q
long black Prince Albert coat, and re-
moving Night Guard Midgley, who had
q hard look about the mouth, but the tell
tale moistness about the eyes, climbed
the stairs and stood on the gallery be-
side Birchalls corridor door. This old
soldier stood gloomy and sorrowful un-
til the sad procession passed out aud
down the spiral steps. At 1928 the exc
cutioner was beckoned to go up. He
had been walking around the rotunda,
in his hands strap with which to tie
Birchalrs arms waiting for the signal
lie put behind his back and partly un-
der the skirt ofhis coat the russell colored
straps, and went up stairs. A minute
or two he took to strap the prisoner
arms behind his back, aud then tue aw-
ful march to death began at 1928.
First came rural Dean Wade, in sur
service for the dead behind him was DR..
Chamberlain, followed by A. ID. Stewart
aud Deputy Sheriff Perry.
The prisoner came next, deathly pale,
but resolute, his jaws locked with the
fxity OF death, his step steady, his jet
Ablack hair and mustache making the
}lllor of his face like marble. He was
dressed in dark colored tweed clothes,
white flannel shirt, with black bow ut
the collar, and light patent leather
shoes. He looked so young, and there
was such an expression of unmovable
resolution and undaunted courage, that
men who saw him, and know him
worthy of death in the eye of the law,
forgot that ho had shot friend in the
back in lonely swamp. The faces of
half the men there were white, almost
as that of the doomed man. At the
foot of tue spiral stairs the procession
formed, and his friend Weetham walked
on at one side OF him, with Day Guard
George Perry on the other Jailer
Cameron followed, and after the hang
man the aged sheriff, being supported to
the door of the corridor overlooking the
west yard.
The march was slow along the corri-
dor and out into the yard. Weetham
walked close, and held one hand in both
Of his, with all the assurance of friend
ships heart clasp. Here the actors in
the tragedy stopped with their charge,
within fifteen feet from the gallows, and
fn solemn tones of the Anglican service
A.key told every one there the horror that
->PlEdly lot them realize the tremendous
hportance of the event in which they
we're taking part. They felt an over
powerng pity for the black haired young
man standing on the threshold OF eter-
nifty.
His eyes had no trace of the frivolity
that lightened his imprisonment; as he
stood listening TO the low-toIed priest
they were fixed on tho blue sky over to
tie north. There WAS not II haunted look,
nor was there any fear In his eyes, but
liked purpose that seemed to consume
MS reason. 1t Is not possible to imagine
the expression of his face. He was liy-
Ing a lifetime in that hour, and no one
there but shared the strain of his hor-
rible ordeal. 1t was not despair, but he
had strung his whole being up to die
game. At the words: "Dust to dust"
- WV SciNiCo pHChuii StopPou III my
forward took his place under the scaitold
with his lace to the south and turned up
slightly. He took Weetham's hand in
MS, and his friend kissed him under tho
gnlIows. Tho executioner put strap
around the prisoners legs just above
Knees. When the clergy man took
birchalPs hand he kissed him. Wit
hesses were sure the end was near, and
Tile suspense was terrible, terrible on the
witnesses. No human knowledge can
say how terrible to the man standing
Alone there on the green sward.
' 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.
birchall had declared he would say
nothing at the scatiold, and the wit
heSses did not expect he would. His
hlence seemed by the intensity Of his
purpose to be silence concentrated a
hundred times. He did not say word
alter leaving his cell. except 1t might
uave been to mutter word to Weetham
OF Wade, when no bade them good bye
with kiss.
Az 1927, six minutes after then pro-
eession started from the corridor, the
words, Deliver us from evil" gave the
slgnal, and n quick pull on the small
pe oy the executioner, who stood be-
n'hu tue laws victim, Released the i'm
nense weight. 1t dropped with the
tapld!ty OF thought and sank six or eight
ts,t h. 4 -. 60 x.f 80