Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-01-23
Came to See Bill Hanged.
Harrisburg Telegraph.

| Harrisburg Telegraph.
Occasionally the Board Of Pardons com
mutes the death sentence of a murderer TO
| imprisonment for life. Some time ago this
course was taken in the case Of q murderer
named William Busch, who killed his
uncle, Philip Busch, up in the wilds of Elk
county. The men were -peelers, and II
you ever saw bark -peeleIs camp in the
wilds of Elk county you can imagine how
they lived The uncle had twice whipped
the nephew one day, and the young fellow,
suffering very much from the effects of the
second drubbing, had gone up on the lof
to lie down. While sleeping he heard the
voice of his uncle shouting that he was
going to click him again." followed by the
unele's appearance up the ladder with ire
in his eye. The young man evaded the
uncle and got down the ladder as soon as
he could. As he jumped to the floor he
ran up against rifle hanging on the wall,
and it was the most natural thing in the
world for him TO grab the rife and turn
and shoot down the old man, who was
bent on his injury, killing him instantly.
A jury found William guilty of murder in
in the first degree and he was sentenced to
be hanged. Eminent attorneys like John
G. Hall were amazed at the verdict, and
the Board of Pardons, convinced that the
only element Of murder in the case was
the killing, and'thar it was not premeditat
ed, nor was it malicious or revengeful and
was purely in self-defense, eommuted the
death sentence to imprisonment for life.
The action of the Board was taken just a
few days before the day set for Busch's
hanging, and the news did not spread very
quickly through Elk county. On the
morning of the day set apart for the hang
ing there drove into Ridgway, the county
seat of Elk county, a nondescript team
that occasioned considerable mirth. A
mule and an OK were hitched together in
an old hay wagon. and on several rudely
constructed seats in the wagon sat the
entire Busch family, the murderer's father,
mother and other relatives. The equipage
came to a halt in front of the Hyde House,
on the principal street. and the party
climbed down. Then the mule and the OK
were unhitched and tied to the rear end of
the wagon to MUNICH the sidehill hay that
was tossed into the box. Forming the
party into procession the elder Busch,
father of the murderer, headed them for
the Jail. A loud rap on the jail door
brought the sheriff out, and he recognized
the party instantly.
"Good morning, Mr.. Busch said the
sheriff
'Mornin',' said the old man.
What is it you wishi''
1--WE kim down to see the hangin'.
What time does Bill go Off"
'There will be no hanging"
"whatf Amt goin to be no hangin'p
said the old man in surprise; "Well, that's
powerful disapintin'."
ssNo,n said the sheriff, ''the Board of
Pardons has commuted Bills death sent
ence to imprisonment for life. He will
not be hanged"
''Sho! Ye don't say so. Bill goin' ter
Jail fer life and they amt goin' to be no
hangin'. Well, if that amt too disapintin
fer anything Say, Sheriff, when did ye
find this QUIT"
Several days ago."
"And We never told us. We thought
Bill was goin' to have hangin', an we
druv twenty nine miles across the noun
tains to see i. It's powesful disapintin'
Then turning to his party who stood in
wide eyed wonder the old man said:
"Sheriff SEE they amt goin' to be no
hangin', Bills goin' tosjail for life. Ye
can all go home. It's powerful disapintin'
but yen hev to stand it."
And the procession filed out of the yard
and took their team for home.
Not long ago before the Board Of Par
dons came a venerable Irish woman, q neat
looking, motherly old lady, who asked for
the pardon of her son, in Jail for some
minor offense. With her daughter, sweet,
shy girl, who stood beside the mother
while the latter. with tears streaming down
her cheeks, plead for her boy. The mem.
bers of the Board were visibly affected by
the scene. When the mother had finished,
the daughter, looking up shyly, said in
voice scarcely above whisper: '1f yei
would take little money to let him free,
have a matter of ten dollars here" and she
showed faded old purse. The member
of the Board blushed and frowned, ant
told the girl that in recommending execu
tive clemency money was not a factor
The poor girl did not mean it as a bribe
| Evidently she and her mother had beer
paying out money to lawyers to secure the
boys freedom, without success, and they
thought it would more quickly effect thei
object if they paid the Board.