St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-23

the corridor on the first floor there was
| less SOlemnlty. they stood near the
staircase aHd clustered about the door
| OF the Sheritf'S Office, but all carefully
| avoided the space beneath Il wooden
trap in the floor above, which they eyed
constantly while they talked in low
| tones. Among them was the coroner
| and other physicians. several court
officers and two or three others whose
! influence or persistence had gained
them entrance. A Scuffiing of feet on
the flGor above teid them when the
| prisoner was being led TO the trap: a
follower sound informed them or the
| exact moment when he took his stand
Ill The center OF the trap, and from that
moment they talked no NOR. bur only
watched and listened. They heard the
| two priests low tones as they offered the
| hndl prayer. Those nearest the stairway
! could distinguish some of the words.
| lhey heard others step upon the boards
Of tine trap and suddenly move of.
| There was an instant OF silence and
then a bang. followed almost instantly
by that horrible dull noise of the rope
suddenly coming taut, and GOhetnS
body was dangling on level with their
eyes. They mad seen the hanging, or
at least the latter end of il, and, no
any person whose duty does not call
him there should want to see man
Killed IN such a CHASTITY way, passes
comprehension.
Awaiting the Summons.
center OF the thoughts of half OF the peO-
pie Of Otter Tail county tonight. for
within its brick walls Adelbert GOheen
was awaiting the hangman'S SUMMONS;
and his name is better known to thOuS-
andS in this nelghbOrhoOd than that or
any state officer Of Minnesota. The
doors of the sheritf's residence and
Office, which communicate with the jail.
were locked late in the evening. and
after that none gained admittance eX
cept the select few who had a Ilght to be
there. Colleen did not 90 to bed.
Outside the Jail in the sheriff's
Office the deputies and officials sat
and waited. One Ivy one the few
spectators, the coroner and the priest.
Rev. Father LANCE, arrived, and were
admitted by Deputy Chris Johnson,
WHO acted as outside guard.
A few curiosity hunters came to
the place ana prOWled around the out
side, but the found sightseeing an i'm
possibility. The windows opening on
the corridor in which the execution was
to occur had been securely blanketed,
and nothing met their eyes but blank
walls and muffled windows; the night
was chilly, and one by one they went
away.
Before Midnight
not one was left outside. The sher-
IFS disposition of his guards was
as follows: Deputy Johnson and
three others on the lower floor,
nh Of
intrusion and enough to lift GOheen
in case the rope broke or any other
accident happened; five, including HIM
self on the upper floor, three of the five
standing among the spectators in read
mess to give assistance II called upOn.
One of tie last corners was Father
Lange, and soon after his arrival prep
aratiOnS for The last scene began. 1t
was II: 80 when Goheen was taken from
the corridor up stairs. He entered
small room with the priests and Holmes
and remained here half All hour, dur
ing which the priests cOnVerSed and
prayed. The Waterman asked the priS-
oner if he cared for anything to eat,
and he ate bowl of oyster soup. At
II sharp GOheen called for MI Hoefling,
county commissioner. to arrange for
a coffin and disposition Of his body.
1t was scarcely five minutes after II
when Sheriff Billings entered the CORR
dor to read the warrant. This ceremony
over, GOheen was offered and drank
some stimulant. He was still as nervy
as he has been during the past few days,
and passed some light remark with
those around as he drank. Nov,
Bert" said the sheriff, 1.-The time has
come, you must show yourself to
be brave man" Goheen said
nothing, but shut his lips tightly. and
when Watchmcn Holmes stepped for
ward TO manacle him he
Put His Tzands Behind Him
promptly. The march to the trap
in tue upper corridor began, Sher-
if Billings leading the way. Father
LANCE had already assembled the stair
case. The prisoner walked with aquick,
firm step, and held his head up As def
antly as if he were, indeed, innocent.
Ahead of him walked Waterman Thay-
er, behind him the other night watch.
Holmes. trained athlete and one Of
the strongest men in the county. The
direction was from the cell into the cen
trail Jail corridor, thence into the trans
verse hall, in the ceiling of which was
the trap. A glance at the diagram be-
low will show the arrangement of the
rooms. The prisoner glanced quickly
up at the trap aud around at those wait
ing in the hall. Then he mounted the
iron staircase to the second story with
tim same determined air that he had
shown from the start. There were more
people III the upper hall, and it was
better lighted than the lower. He had
been told tO take the position he was
expected to take, and walked directly to
the tran and took it without any assist
ance; ne stood facing the long way of
the hall toward the west, the lever of
the trap at his left. Mr.. Thayer stepped
back. leaving only Sheriff Billings and
Mr.. Holmes near Goheen. Father Lange
advanced and offered q brief prayer
not that this man might be. saved, but
that. even at this last moment, he might
himself pray for salvation and repent
OF his misdeeds. The good father
then stepped back, and Mr.. Holmes
fastened the manacleS around GOheen'S
ankles and straps at his knees and
around his body, pinioning his arms to
his sides. The sheriff then adjusted the
moose
About His Neck,
and asked Goheen if he had anything
to say. He said: well, gentlemen,
this is one way to die" At the
last moment he called out from under
the cap, LET her 60, JACKIE He stood
firmly and squarelY Oh his feet and
looked straight in front of him, still
with a look of fixed determination i'll
his face. 1t was sheer pluck, for he
was perfectly aware he was going to die
the next minute. The sheriff stepped