The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-07-20
THE NEWS BY TELEGRAPH,
Prendergast Hanged at Chicago
Other Matters of Interest.

Other Matters of Interest.
Chicago, July I3.-Witllin the
gloomy walls of Cook county Jail
all was hustle and suppressed
excitement as the time drew near
when Patrick Eugene Prender-
CAST, the condemned murderer of
Mayor Carter Harrison, would
expiate the crime with his life.
Prendergast rested easy last night
and seemed calm and collected.
He refused until late last evening
to receive spiritual consolation,
but when nightfall came he asked
for Father Muldoon. Between 6
and 7 o'clock Prendergast partook
heartily of ham and eggs, and
about 9 O'Clock sent word to Jail
er Morris he was again hungry.
The jailer had the prisoner served
with another hearty meal, which
he seemed to relish greatly. The
assassin talked freely with his
spiritual advisers, and several
times remarked: "You must stay
with lie to the end.' AS the
hour for tie execution came
nearer Prendergast showed signs
of slightly increasing nervous
ness, bat OH the whole was re-
nlarkably calm and collected.
Father Barry was in constant
attendance upon Prendergast all
morning. The little assassin was
most deferertial. He announced
with a trifle of bravado: cpl die
game, and set a great and shining
example to my country" At II
a. II. Pre11dergast Was removed
to tie anteroon Of the Jail Office,
where the last kind Offices were
performed. Prendergast especial
ly requested Sheriff Gilbert to
allow him 20 minutes to make a
dying statement, but it WIS
thought he would at the last mo-
ment forego the determination.
The jury and physicians at
1I:1o filed in and inspected the
scafold and appurte11ances. Fif-
ty deputy sherif5 were ranged
around the corridor. At 11:42
Sheriff Gilbert and Jailer Norris
appeared at the right of the scat
fold. The prisoner, pale and
unsteady, walked behind. He
stood without apparent nervous
ness, though a trife weak and
unsteady as his arms were being
pinioned. He looked calmly out
on the assembled crowd below
him. While the sI1roud was
placed about him, barring little
restless movement Of tbs eyes, he
made no motion. Jailer Morris
placed the rope about his neck,
the white cap over his head, and
at 11:4S his body shot downward.
His head twisted to one side, his
neck having been apparently
broken. A short spaslnodic
of the legs was the
only sign of life apparent. Sur
rounded by tie jury and pllysi-
clans, the corpse swung to and
fro, and at I1:57, nine minutes
after the trigger was sprung, he
was pronounced dead. The assas-
sin made not an audible sound
from the time lie left lis cell,
apparently being lost in conteln-
plation of his awful fate. He
was gently dissradcd by Sheriff
Gilbert from a determination to
make speech. At 1858 Ja;ler
Morris unloosed the anchored end |
of the rope, and the shroudcd |
corpse was slowly lowered and |
laid in the coffin standing under
meath the platform. The face
was not badly distorted. though |
the mouth was open and the
tongue protruding. The color of
the features was a blush tint,
which, with his unke1npt reddish
hair Struggling down over the
forehead, made a sight long to be
remembered.