The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-08
Charles T. Howard Hanged Yes
terday at Rawlins for
Murder.
DIED ALMOST INSTANTLY.
sGoD HAVE MERCY on MY SOU. ?
HIS LAST WORDS.
Died Relieving insthe Catholic Faith.
and With the Hope Tint He
Would Be Forgiven lser A u the
Wrongs That He Had 'Done--TitS
story as Told to a sfteraId corres-

Rawlins, Wyo.. Dec 7.-tspeciaL1
With firm step, Charles 7. Howard,
better known as Frank Howard,
walked to death on the gallows this
morning with scarcely a perceptiole
tremor. The rope was put about hts
neck, the black cap drawn, and With
a loud supplication. God have mercy
on my SOUL he died.
| The trap was sprung at 1910, and at
lp:A he was pronounced dead by Dr.
Carter
| The drop was 6 feet IL inches.
/ His neck was broken, but he was
lleft hanging for II minutes. His re-
mains wi.l be buried here at the coln-
tty'S expense, as he had no relations. I.
! The condemned man spent a Very
good night.
At 7:45, when The Herald corresponds
tent called, he was in excellent spirits
Yesterday afternoon, by request, ne
visited the ga1Iows with the jaiIor,
and after examining the rope and trap,
ip1ayfully remarked: sit don't look very
bad after ail''
He knelt and prayed on the trap. He
retired at u O'clock. after praying
with his spiritual adviser, and got UP
at 6 this morning.
| Father Ternes administered COM
munion at Z O'Clock, and at $50 How
| ard ate a light breakfast of eggs and
coffee and took six drinks of whisky.
The time until Sheriff Hansen made
his final summons was spent in prayer.
| He received the simmons to death
|! without comment, and by the SIDE of
| his spiritual adviser walked firmly to
the gallows and directly on TO the trap
| His legs and arms were bound, his lips
moving in silent prayer the while. His
voice trembled and he made several
attempts before ne could talk.
| 81 die believing IN the Catholic faith, y
said he, and hope God will forgive me
for any wrong l have done. want to
/ thank you all for your kindness, and
TASK God to have mercy on my SOUL
Then in a. loud voice he repeated,
God have mercy on my soul" The
trap sprung and he dropped like a
shot He never moved but once after
4 the trap was sprung.
Talked to Herald Man.
In conversation with The Herald cor.
respondent yesterday, Howard convers-
ed more freely, probably than at any
|
prisonment, nearly a year ago. He
seemed even cheerful, and ventured
once or twice to crack q mild
joke about getting too tony to smoke
a pipe any more-the best cigars are
none too good for me now"
But, reverting to the fate that await
ed him on the morrow, his voice would
tremble and he turned away his head
several times to conceal the tears that
| IT. ac.I, n of he
weakness.
Il bear no ill-will to anyone" said
he IT don't know as L care to make
any statement. l have had my trial
and, Godr'-he almost broke down as
he gave voice to this passionate excla-
mation-"you don't know what a trial
it was. I had never appeared in a
court before, and it seemed to me as
if L was wholly without friends.
Told the Truth.
81 gave my evidence then, and it was
the whole truth have nothing to add
to it now Let the people think as
they see fit. Whoever has done me
any wrong, God will judge them as he
has judged me.
"If ever you write anything about
me- he continued, after pausing n few
moments to collect himself, ''all 1 ask
is that you do me justice. That's only
fair between man and man. l have nc
| complaint to make about your treat
ment of my case-I believe you always
tried to do me justice, and L appreciate
it.
Say" he continued, with short
laugh, "the time passes swifter right
now than I ever thought 1t could. Be
fore my trial the hours dragged pretty
slow in here, but now"-and he shud-
dered and tried to laugh again, but ii
was a CHASTITY attempt.
Would Die Game.
ooh, yes; I'll die game he ex-
claimed. Then he touched upon his
recent conversion to the Catholic faith
Christian" he said. thoughtfully "but
I am really happy that the suspense is
over, and l have no fear of death now. .
All attempts to secure a photograph
Howard emphatically refused to con.
slider, and not until yesterday morning
| when his spiritual adviser, Rev. Father
/ Ternes, asked him for one, did he con-
sent to sit for one. A snap shot at him
was impossible, as he was in the jai
cage all the time. where the light was
very bad. Sheriff Hansen and Father
Ternes sat with him for the one youl
correspondent secured, and it is con
sidered a very fair one, though takeI
in the dark Jail corridor.
Little Known About Him,
Charles Francis Howard was born il
Hazel Green, Green county, Wis, forty
four years ago the second day of this
month He was raised in Illinois
| where he stated his father mother anC
one brother died. At the age of II hi
was turned out on the world without
a relative or friend. About two year:
ago, after drifting around the west fol
several years, working at blacksmith
ing, he appeared in the town of Dixon
the scene of his crime, in the southern
end of this Carbon county, and aftel
working there several months, HI
opened shop for himself.
His Crime.
On Sunday, New Years eve
1893, Howard committed the crime
which he expiated on the gallows to
day. 1t seems to have been a pecul
iarly deliberate and cold-blooded one
The scene of the crime was a brothe
conducted by a notorious woman
named Grace Bicktold, better known
as "Bigtoe." At the time stated How
ard, by an article, drew Charles Horn
i a cowboy for the L Z outfit, to tn:
door OF the brothel, and as he appear
ed on the threshold he put bullet II
his brain from a Sharp rife and Horr
fell back into the room, dying a few
moments later. The cause which le6
to the killing was that Howard hat
been supplanted in the courtesan's af
fections by Horn. They had quarrel
y 10 - IL f<Nt-n