The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-05-18
POOR CHRISTIE'S SLAYER.
FRANK ALMY PAYS THE PENALTY FOR
HIS BRUTAL DEED.
Murdered Sweet Girl Because She Would
Not Marry Him-The Execution Bung-
ling Job and the Wretch strangled
to Death.

CONCORD, May 16.-Murderer Frank
q. Almy retired early last evening.
He said nothing to the death watch
aside from bidding them good nlghI
in his usually pleasant manner. Inc
watchers were unusually vigalent but
nothing occurred during the long
vigil to indicate that the condemned
man was not resting as well as he had
since they began their duties. AT b
sharp this morning he arose and after
,Gheerily greeting the watch dressed
'lmself. He ate a hearty breakfast
With apparent relish. Chaplain Viii.
kins went to prison early and was
with Almy until the end, but the
condemned man paid no attention to
the chaplain's remarks. At 40 o'clock
sharp the warden, with the death
watch as witnesses, formally delivered
Almy to the sheriff. The latter in
formed Almy that he might say any
thing he wished before going to the
scaffold, but Almy said he had moth
ing to say.
Meanwhile the witnesses had as
sem bled in full view of the galloWs.
Upwards of $50 persons were present.
At 1913 o'clock the death march was
taken up, and in half minute the
scaffold was reached. Officers quick
ly strapped his arms at the elbo As
and then strapped his lower limbs,
standing in front of the prisoner. AS
the sheriff Strengthened up Almy
looked into the officers face and said
twice in almost inaudable tone:
MAY | speak?" The sheriff shook his
head. Almy even then appeared to
want to speak, but the cap was hasti-
ly put over his face. and he said moth
ing. Hurlbert, after the cap was
fixed, placed hangman's knot under
the left ear, and at 1918 o'clock touch
the spring. The drop fell heavily
and Almy's body went through the
trap.
TO the horror of the spectators his
feet struck the floor below. His knees
bent under him. The rope was evil
IDENTIFY too long, as it did not stretch
any. The body bent to the right and
slightly forward. Inside of minute
the officers on the platform of the
scafold swung the rope and pulled
the body up several feet. Another
feature of the execution that caused
the witnesses to shudder was the POSI-
tion of the rope and knot. me
former pulled over the left ear, Whlle
the knot was fully one foot above the
neck. 1t was evident the condemned
man strangled to death and the ex-
ecution was not a success In detalls.
But one or two tremors or tWltchlng
motions could be seeu and then an
entire absence of struggle. At lO:3O
O'Clock Almy was pronounced dead.
The doors were then opened and spec.
tators filed by the gallows and lett
the prison. The gallows were taken
down and put away before the dinner
hour 80 as not to be seen by the other
prisoners.
Almy, or Roster Abbott, although
only 35 years old, was one of the most
remarkable criminals ever known.
Although a son of proud and wealthy
manufacturer, Harris Abbott of Abb
bott,s mill, near Salem, Mass, and
equally we'll connected on his mothers
side, who died days after his birth,
he began his criminal career by steal
ing from his school companions at the
early age of 10 years From then
until II years old he committed many
crimes, finally being sentenced to four
years to the penitentiary for burglary:
This broke his fathers heart and
drove him to suicides grave, he
has spent 10 of the past l5
years in state prisons final
Iy escaping from the Vermont
penitentiary, where he was serving l5
years, ir 1887. He undoubtedly went
south where he worked for ranch
man in Texas, as an engineer in Geor-
gia, and as an oysterman on the boats
at Baltimore, and in the spring of 1889
he turned northward. He applied tor
work at farm of Andrew Warden OF
Hanover under his assumed name OF
Frank c. Almy, where he remained
until short time before the murder
of Christie Warden, whom he brutally
murdered before her mothers and sis
ter's eyes because she refused to mar
ry him.