St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-05
Wounded by His Own Hand
and Soaked With Blood,
He Goes to Glory.
An Awful Scene on the Scat
fold--His Confessor I'm
der Arrest.
A Florida Outlaw Given a
Dose That PleaSes His
Acquaintance.

KANSAS CITY, Sept. 4.-The history
of the gallows tells no more hideous
story than that of the execution of Louis
Bulling, the st. Joseph wife murderer,
at Savannah, this afternoon. Just be-
fore the time for the execution the
doomed man shot himself, in vain eff
fort to commit suicide, and finally died
OH the gallows, shriellng for mercy and
curSing his eXecutioners. Up to few
days ago Bulling seemed cheerful and
hopeful in the face of approaching
death. He had twice before cheated
the gallOws by jail-breaking. He rea-
soned that that chance still remained,
and to it might be added the hoped-for
Communication of sentence and suicide.
AS these chances faded away he became
Respondent. Last week it was discovered
that he had planned to break Jail again.
Stees were found in his cell, and they
were taken away from him. A perpet-
ual guard was kept over him and all
means of escape were cut off. Then
the doomed man sent for his father and
mothers and pleaded with them to appeal
TO the governor for communication of
sentence.
The Faithful Parents
went to Jefferson City and had several
personal interviews with Gov. Francis,
but the governor was firm in his de-
cision not to interfere. Still the parents
did not lose heart. They made another
call on the governor yesterday and
pleaded for the sons life. But the
governor would not interpose, and they
telegraphed the result to their son.
They had an affecting parting with
the doomed man last night, and never
saw him again. When his second chance
for life disappeared he broke down
completely. He tainted, and was with
difficulty revived. lie was an opium
eater, and during the night he was given
large doses of the drug. 1t failed to
have its accustomed effect. and he slept
less than two hours during the entire
night.
Rev. August Lavake, during Bull
tng's waking hours, spent the time in
reading the Bible and praying, exhort-
Ing Bulling to confess his sins and re-
ceive baptism.
Sheriff Barry had set the hour for the
execution at 10 o'clock this morning.
When he went to the cell at O'clock to
prepare the doomed man for the hang
Ing, Bulling pleaded so pitifully for an
extension of few hours that the sheriff
yielded and gave him until o'clock to
live. Bulling ate light breakfast and
spent the rest of the time in
Pleading With the Sheriff x
for mercy and attending to the religious
exercises condu eted by Rev. Lavake.
He still had faint hope of a commute
ton, but at noon submitted to the
baptismal ceremony and received the
sacrament. When 2 O'Clock arrived he
renewed his SupplicationS to the sheriff
and pleaded for one hour. He fell on
his knees and begged piteously for
mercy. The sheriff granted his re-
quest. Then Bulling asked for whisky
and it was given him. Injections of
morphine were administered, but neith-
er of the drugs had much effect. The
derer with Rev. Lavake. at the same
time removing the guard from the cell
door at Billings request to be left alone
with his spiritua! adviser.
The silence of the Jail was broken
only by the voice of the prisoner. Sud-
denly two shots rang out. The sheriff
ran to the cell. The priest lay PROSTATE
on the floor At his side lay Bulling,
weltering in his own blood. which
flowed from wounds in his breast. He
bad shot himself twice with revolver.
The priest had tainted. A hasty exam
tnation of Billings body showed that
Dne of the bullets had entered the left
breast, and. CHANGING from a rib, had
passed around his body and come out of
his back. The other bullet had inflicted
only slight flesh wound in his left
side. He had not lost Consciousness,
and when the sheriff ordered four depu-
ties to carry him to the scaffold he
Cursed and SVvOre at Them
In a horrible manner. The deputies
dragged the struggling man to the court
yard and lifted him upon the gallows.
He refused to stand and they placed
him upon chair. AS he sat there he
presented revolving spectacle. He
was dressed only in shirt and trousers.
His hands and face were covered with
blood, which also stained his shirt, and
blood was streaming through his shoes,
whence 1t had run from the wounds in
his breast, and formed dark pools on
the floor of the scatfold, dripping thence
TO the ground beneath. He cursed and
Bwore at the deputies, cried and
screamed for mercy and shrieked in
terror.
The sheriff gave him large glass of
brandy, and he swallowed it at one gulp.
Finally, he was told to get up and stand
upon the drop. He refused, and four
deputies held him up while the rope
was being adjusted. The black cap was
placed over his head and, yelling, scream
Ing and disappearing, he shot through
the opening at 2:3O. His neck was
broken by the fall and he died almost
Instantly.
The Rev. Lavake has been arrested
for giving Bulling the revolver with
which he attempted to commit suicide.
The cell was searched last night and
no weapon was found. The only per-
sons admitted to the cell since that time
were newspaper man, the deputies and
Rev. Lavake. Suspicion rested upon
the latter and he was arrested.
Rev. Layake was interviewed by a re-
porter this evening regarding Bulling's
attempted suicide. He said he did not
give Bulling the revolver, and had no
idea where it was from. He was on his
knees praying, he said. when Bnlling
fired the fatal shot. He opened his
eyes and saw that Bulllng had shot him.
self.
The muscular contraction following
the passage of the bullet into Billings
body, he said, doubtless caused Bulling
TO discharge the revolver accidentally,
and the ball whiZzed by his head and
aatteped itself against the cell door.
The priest thought at first that Bulling
was attempting to murder him, but now
he says the shot was doubtless fired ac-
cidentally. A third shot from the re-
vOlver caused Billings second wound.
Dust before Bulling was hanged, and
while ha was heinz held nvpr the drOD