Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-18
HANGED AT DEAD OF NIGHT.
Execution of John CrOnin on an Au-
tomato GallOws.

tomato GOlIOws.
HARTFORD, Conn.,, December 1S.--John
Cronin was hanged at 1O1 o'clock this
morning at the state prison in Wealth
ersfield for the murder of Albert j.
Skinner and was pronounced dead nine
minutes after. Tho automatic gallows
worked perfectly. His body was taken
down at 40 o'clock and inferred at Blue
Hills cemetery at 8 o'clock. The moon was
shining through a partially cloudy atmos-
phere when the witnesses were escorted
from the warden's house on seven min
utes' walk around the prison and through
the back gate into the interior court OF the
prison.
The scene was a weird one, not alone for
the novelty of the hanging, occurring at
such an hour of the night, but for the
complete military discipline displayed by
the warden in conductin the man to the
execution house. Every detail was carried
out with strict precision, such as char
acteriZeS an execution at cOurt-mart1aL
Within the executive room was another
uncanny scene. Lighted up by twelve gas
jets the room was bare in its outlines, save
the closet in the corridor inclosing the
mechanism and chair which had been
provided should he faint. AT the center
Of the room hung the moose and on the
walls was the dial which was to tell the
story of the progress of the automatic
movement.
Crorin met death with only a slight
tremor. His arms were bound when he
left the cage and was marched into the
room with Keepers Doolittle and Perkins
on either side. AS he stepped on the plat
form he trembled slightly and stood with
his head bent forward. The fine shot in
the machine was started by Warden Wood
bridge by putting his foot on a lever Dep
uty Warden Baisden placed a black hood
over Cronin's head, and the keepers bound
his legs at the knee and ankles. DR.. e. G..
Fox, the prison physician, adjusted the
moose so that the large knot in the five
eighths-inch MANILA rope was placed d.
rectly under the left ear.
The dial on the wall showed that the shot
had been running in the machine for TWEEN
ty seconds. Surgeon Fox turned away, and
as the deputy warden raised his hand to-
ward the warden, signifying all was ready,
run slowly out which would require twen-
ty seconds more. He at once pressed his
foot on a second lever and jumped the shot
at once.
feet, at an angle of about IS degrees, and
fell back instantly, his feet being about
eighteen inc hes from the floor. The body
was motionless for about ten seconds,
when a perceptible twitching of the whole
frame was noticeable for a few seconds.
His hands became firmly clenched, grow
ing tighter and tighter. until rigor mortis
set in, Just nine minutes after the fatal
trap was sprung.
Successful" said the warden, and nearly
every one present stepped up to him and
shook hands with him. w. X. Sill, one CT
those present, who has attended fifteen OK
ecutions, said he had never seen any SO
perfectly carried out as this. The whole
affair vas perfectly noiseless, the dull thud
of the heavy weight as 1t struck the ground
not beng noticeable in the excitement Of
the moment.
The witnesses. for whom Warden Wood
bridge had provided according to law, be-
gan gathering at the prison early In the
eS ening Several others who had to be
denied admittance to the execution were
among the number who assembled IN the
warden'S house. -
The Associated Press representative and
eight other newspaper men, three directors
of the prison, Messrs. Bollman. Chittenden
and Sumner, Warden Woodbridge, Deputy
Warden Baisden, officers Doolittle and
Perkins, Chaplain Dighton Moses, the pris-
on physician, DR.. E. c. Forbes, Rev. Father
Broderick and John 7. Lynch, Cronin' 8
spiritual adviser, and Sheriff Miles B. Pres
ton of Hartford county were the witnesses
of the hanging.