Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-19
Duncan Said His Soul Wa,
That Color.
HE FELT HE WAS FORGIVEN.
The Notorious Murderer, After Long Delaying
is Legally Hung.
A History of the Horrible Crime for Which
He Paid the Penalty-ETorts Made
TO save His Neck from the
Scanold-Other Hausings


| the governor that the law must take il
/ course, and death watch of six
men We're placed III Duncau's
/ cell He was writing when
/ the watch entered. and expressed surprise
! l. was decided 10 move him from his mar
; row cell To 4 larger one. where he and the
| guards would be more comfortable. hut hI
/ refused. ami the sheriff did not insist On
| the change.
/ At midnight DunC=in'S brother. who had
/ just arrived from Austin. called At The all
and told the condemned man that the gov
! eInor had refused assistance. Duncan heard
! this unrOvcd, and when the visitor LEFT hs
! Joined the guards in spinning warns, laugh
| Ing and Joking. This continued till = a III.
! when he laid down and slep' souudly IL. u
| o'clock. He awokc in tue best OF
! spirits and apoogilcd 10 the cap
| tain of the guards. whom he had
/ cursed the previous night for refusing
! him his razor. AT : he ate hearty break
fast. During the greater part Of the fore
/ noon ne couvcrScd with his spil'itua. adj
| wiser. Father Oliver, b, whom he was bap-
I tiZcd.
THE DEATH WARRANT READ.
Al 9o'c,pck sheriff Cooke read tie death
warrant. The prisoner listened unnovrd.
The aduonitiouS ami teachings OF Father
Oliver alone seemed tn affect him.
and he went when spoken 10 about
lis mother anu the church.
| The necessity for forgiying ami bcius
| forgiven seemed to deeply impress him.
and he sent for al those with whom ne had
been bitter and asked their forgiveness. 4
few minutes after II o'clock The sheriff an
nounced THAT a. was ready The prisoner
embraced one of his guards. saving To him
in il whisper, Years after am dead hey
will find the rea. murdered" and was led
into the corridor
Here he took leave Of his fellow prison
ers. A. a DYING request lie Dcsought the
TO u h.. ~ =,
unbound. and thus a;tircd in Il neat suit, q
cluster Of fresh flowers pinned Ia the lapel
of his coat, and accompanied by the dcpu-
ties. the clergyman and the phys
iciar. lie assembled the ,cafold which
was erected in the rear of the cells in The
rear of the Jail. To the priest is he stepped
on the platform he said Il feel that YOU
10 think | am guilty" Then turning e
the sheriff, 10 whom he had been very abus-
i've, said: Forgive me, My. Cooke: know
that God has forgiven me and feel that ]
have heard from him. Goodbye; l hope
We will meet in heaven. | feel that ] AN
going right there aud feel that l will h.
pdrdoued of my sins and washed whittier
than show" He then kissed Tn,
CrucitX and embraced il. WhcI
asked by the sheriff whether h,
had anything 10 say To his friends the con
demned man said: Il don't know | hay,
amy friends here. | would be awfuiiy-gla
to talk TO my friends, but | think | am pre-.
pared. feel the Loru has ceanscd III.
whittier than snow" Then to the people
Any friends here can shake hands with
me. | hope TO meet YOU al. every one N
You. Ill heaven. Good bye ~.
\ number present shook hands with thu
condemned man. after which he was pin.
Toned, adjusting his arms tO facilitate tht
binding. Asked If he had any more 10 say
he replied in the negative. The moose wal
adjusted about his neck AMI the black cal
drawn on.
To the question
Are you ready
The prisoner answered firmly
Il am
The trap was sprung and the tall form
disappeared through the floor. The eight
foot fall broke his neck. \ tremor pusset
through his form, then another, then all
was still Not "a groan escaped
In five minutes the doctors pronounced him
dead, and few minutes later the body was
removed and embalmcd for transportation
to San Saba.
Thus persisted Il man convicted OF the
most horrible crime perpetrated in Texas
The facts connected with this quddrupls
murder as known prior TO the arrest Of
Duncan, and the terrible strong chain OF
clrcumStantia evidence upon which he was
convicted, may have escaped the memory Of
many readers of The GAZETTE. The former
are therefore briefly narrated and he latter
fully epitOmizcd below:
On the 2ith of February, 1889. some
women washing clothes on the east bank Of
the Rio Grande, short distarce above the
Hart coal mines. about seven miles north
Of Eagle Pass, noticed Il body floating down
stream. They hailed two men, who rOped
t ashore. II was the body OF a woman past
middle age y stone weighing thirty
pounds was suspended from her waist Ia Il
thrcc-eighth-inch rope. The city authorities
of Eagle Pass We're notified. and the bOuy
wa, hauled 10 town and exposed for identI-
ticatIOn.
On the following day, February Is. an
other body was recovered from 'he river
near the same spot. The BODY of Il grown
girl. y twisted apron enri"cIed her neck,
ana heavy rock dang!ed from her waist ~
the end of L stout rope. Her h, al was
fearfully ga>hed behind. Tins body was
also brought TO town for examination.
Four days later two more bodies wers
found IN the river near the same place. \
young man. five fee. seven inches SHINY
built and Il stout youn" woman. badly de-
composed. Meanwhile tie body first found
was identified as that OF d woman named
Lopez. who lived on ranch :. few miles
north on the Mexican side Of the Rio
Grandc. and the second body was believed
70 be that of a girl who lived with her. On
March officers arrived i'll town with two
Men l,.IrOrrpd TO ne connected with fhH