St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-19
standing the deputies used every pre-
caution TO prevent such acts.
THE ROPES TESTED.
Morbid Curiosity Presented a Re-
voting Sight.

= LII Il 1.Of*S lESTED.
Morbid Curiosity Presented q Re-
voting Sight.
All day long, with the exception of
two hours in the afternoon, crowds of
men. women and children surged
through the Jail to see the saatTod. This
instrument of death was completed
"Wednesday. The sheriff decided to al
low the people to see it. This converted
the hallway of the sherit1's house and
the lower corridor OF the Jail into pub
lie highway. There seemed to be 10
end to the stream Of morbid humanity
mat poured into the jail. The people
were admitted at the west door of the
the sheritf's residence. They jammed
their way through the hall. and were
passed into the Jail in installments of a
score or more. Upon entering it they
turned to the right and were directed
toward the three steps that led down to
the scatfOld, and still further down to
the room beneath, where the dead bodies
of the murderers were suspended this
morning. Deputy Horst stood upon the
scaffnld platform and pointed cut to the
people, as they walked down stairs, the
dangling ropes, the traps and the lever
which was to drop them. AS they
passed down, the women and children
sazed with awe-stricken countenances
upon the
Grewsome Machinery Of Death.
while the men looked at it With an cX-
preston of inquistive interest, not un-
mixed with acertain mechanical air, as
much as to say: II would like to see
how that trap works."
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon the
doors were closed to the people i'll order
that the ropes might be tested. For that
purpose two sacks of coal weighing
about eighty five pounds each were
bound together and tied to the end of
the rope that was TO hang Wonigkeit
When all was ready Sheriff Chapel
pulled the lever and the drop fell. The
rope was too long, however, and the
sacks of coal rested upon the ground in
the apartment beneath. The eXprri-
ment was tried again, the rope
being shortened, and this time
it proved entirely satisfactory. The
rope stretched considerably, as it had
not been wet, but it wlthstood the ten
sion without any breaking of the
Strands. The rope that hanged Err
miseh was similarly tested. and found
equally satisfactory. Though Only
seven-siXteenths of an inch in diameter.
it showed no signs of weakening.
Sheriff DE Frate, of Douglass county,
who executed murderer Lee, was pres
emit to assist Sheriff Chapel in the tests.
Mr.. De Frase Owns the Lever
that was used this morning. 1t is the
same lever employed in the execution of
the Barrett boys in Minneapolis. Lee at
Alexandria aud Rose at Redwood Fails.
AT 100 p. III. the doors OF the Jail
were again thrown open to the people,
and again they swarmed into the build
ing to see the scaffold. From to
p. III. the doors were closed, but at the
latter hour they opened. and the pro-
eesSiOn was renewed. While the
doomed men were on their knees in
prayer, while they were singing songs
of worship to their Creator, the sound
Of thousands OF shuffling feet came up
from the corridor below, as the multi
luue CIOWucu d'iu puSueu It's way W
the scaffold where those men were so
soon to meet their Creator. 1t was
Revolving Exhibition
of the mnrbidneSs of humanity. 1t Was
the last place In the world for child,
yet many little ones were in the thrOng.
There were crowds Of~people outside
the Jail, too. They blocked up the pas.
sage way between the Jail and court
house. All the afternoon they stood in
the passage way east of the scaffold and
gazed patiently and steadily at the wall
of the Jail. They seemed to expect
the faces of the murderers to
appear at one of the windows.
For hours they stood there. They
were mostly women in this aggregation.
Meanwhile men and boys were enter
tanning themselves trying to peer be-
tween the cracks of the frame work en-
closing tho gallows. People no longer
climbed GU. on the Lodges of the court
house windows. as the entire enclosure
had been covered over with canvas
about noon.
Three incandescent electric lights
were strung across the upper portion OF
the enclosure, where the men stood. and
two were placed beneath, thus insuring
ample light.