The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-07-08
DOOMED THUGS.
Death Watch Placed Over -Four
MurdererS
ABOUT TO BE EXECUTED
Within the Walls Of the Prison at Sing
Sing, N. Y.
REPORTERS WATCHING
And Waiting for News From the Chamber
of Death.

OF Death.
SING SING, N. Y, July 6.-All prepar-
atoms for the execution of the four
murderers who are under sentence OF
death here were completed Sunday, and
although no intimation has been given
by Warden Brown of the time when the
execution will take place, 1t is the gen.
eral opinion that the men will be exc
cuted after o'clock this morning, al
though there is nd. reason why the exc
cutions should not take place before or
after that hour il the warden thinks
best At Auburn at the time Kemmler
was executed, in August last year, the
power used to run the dynamo was the
power used in the shops of the prison
and it was necessary that the execution
should take place before 7 o'clock so
that the convicts could be put to work
at the regular time. Here there Is no
such necessity. The machinery is inde-
pendent of the power used for the dy-
namos and the execution can take place
at any hour without interfering with
the work Of the prison.
What makes it seem likely that the
execution will take place after I o'clock
is the fact that none of the witnesses
had appeared in the town up to o'clock
last night The fact that none of them
had come made it seem altogether likely
that they had not been told TO come be-
fore this morning, and that they would
arrive on the early trains. Warden
Brown remains as uncommunicative as
ever. He says that although the death
certificate with the signatures OF the
witnesses is to be placed on file at Al
bany and made public at some time
hereafter, he will not make il public
here, and therefore it is likely there
will be no complete list OF the witnesses
of the execution published until this
document is forwarded TO the state
capitol.
At o o'clock last evening a death
watch was placed around the prison
walls A regular patrol was estab-
lished along the side that runs in front
of the prison and along the sides OF the
prison about ten yards from the walls.
The guards placed on this duty were
uniformed and armed with repeating
rifles, with instructions TO shoot any
one who approached the prison within
the line without authority. guard
was placed at the end Of the long tres
tie that runs over the lime kilns just
south Of the prison. From the top OF
that trestle full view OF the execution
room could be had, and although they
were covered with canvas, the warden
was afraid that some view of the inte-
rior might be obtained from the trestle,
or that some one watching the windows
could obtain an idea by the raising or
lowering OF the lights within when the
execution was about TO occur. The
lime company which leases this proper
ty from the state has sub-let II for this
occasion TO New York evening paper
whose reporters were to be stationed
on the trestle; but last night guard
with loaded rifle stood at the end of
the trcstle and the little group Of re-
porters sat watching him and waiting.
One of the reporters on the trestle
SoihS hoai pSihB ohOb carly III INC cNcu-
ing. He came with lineman to have
wire connection made, and when the
guard told him TO halt, he kept on. The
guard cooked his rife and pointed it at
the reporter, who took to his heels. The
head keeper explained matters TO the
guard and under authority from him
the wire connections were made.
At o'clock last night, shortly after
kd6pers Partridge AMI Baxter went on
duty in the condemned mems cells, the
head keeper visited the four men. No
one has been near them since. He found
them in apparently good spirits. They
had eaten a good dinner. Dinner and
supper are one meal in the condemned
cells-that is, the prisoners have what
is sleft Of their dinner and make cold
supper OF H. The four murderers gave
their orders for breakfast rs usual to
the keepers. None Of them referred
TO the fact that this was likely to be
tieir last meal. They are taking mat
ters as calmly as one could. remains
to be seen whethor their courage will
carry them quietly through the ordeal
of the chamber of death.
-----