The San Francisco call., 1895-10-19
ST. CLAIR AND HANSEN PAY THE
PENALTY FOR THEIR
CRIME.
MARSHAL BALDWIN's NERVES.
THE FEDERAL OFFICER SUFFERED
ACUTE NERVOUS COLLAPSE
AND HEART FAILURE.

Thomas St. Clair and Hans Rasmus Han
sen, and the crime they expatlated was
the murder of Second Mate Fitzgerald of
the bark Hesper. Neither of the men
made any speech from the gallows, but
both died bravely and both protested their
innocence TO the last.
The execution can be termed success
only because of the fact that the men are
dead. The proceedings were exceedingly
repugnant to the American mind. mas
much AS they savored of the secret putting
out of the way of Russian nihilists, who
knew too much, rather than the solemn ex-
ecution OF the just decree of a lawful court
in a free land So far as can be learned
the condemned men were dropped into
eternity without any shocking disaster;
but one of them, with rope affixed and
black cap drawn, was left to endure the
mental torture of expectancy while clumsy
hands prepared his companion for the fatal
tourney. And the official executioner. far
from exhibiting the tirmness and dignity
to be expected OF Federal officer, devel-
oped such pitiful case of nervous collapse
as to seriously distract the attention of the
physicians present.
As the execution was Federal function
Marshal Barry Baldwin became ex-officio
the executloner. His duty was to arrange
the prelimnaIies, to ascend the scaffold
with the condemned men and to give
the fatal signal for the spring
ing of the traps. The contemplation of
his unpleasant task caused the Marshal to
become very nervous. and for several days
he has been in such condition that the
condemned men objected to his presence
fearing that his fright would prove con-
tagious.
Yesterday morning Mr. Baldwin had re-
enforced his failing spirits and declared
his determ ination to perform his unpleas-
ant duty unfinchingly- AS the day pro-
gressed, however, his nerves got the better
of him and at the final moment failed him
completely In the condemned cells he
mumbled rather than read the death war
rants. Arm in arm with Warden Hale
and partially supported by that official
he headed the procession to the gallows.
At the foot of the scaffold stairs his courage
failed, and he remained below while the
priests, the guards and the condemned
men marched upward. The rope and
cap were quickly adjusted on Han
sen, and for full minute he re-
manned a prey to untold emotions
while ST. Clair was being made ready.
Then came moments hesitation while
all eyes were turned upon the Marshal for
the fatal signal. 1t came not, and then
| Warden Hae's men, dreading disaster,
took the matter out of the MarshaPs
| hands. The traps fell, and Barry Bald
win, his knees shaking and his hands COW
| ering his face, seemed about to sink
through the floor A physician sprang
forward to offer assistance, but with an
evident effort the Federal officer regained
| the perpendicular. Attention was once
| more fixed upon the swinging bodies and
| in nine minutes in Hansen's case and in
| fourteen with St. Clair life was declared
extinct.
HanSap'S hody fol- ~, oh hxy
Miss Petersen, his fiancee, and removed to
San Jose. 1t will be given q public funeral
on Sunday next by the Society Skiold of
| that city. A committee of two from the
society, II. p. Moller and Z. Ekelsen, at
tended the execution. Every effort had
been made by the society to save Hansens s
neck, the reply 10 the last urgent tele
grams being received from the Danish
Minister at Washington yesterday morn
ing as follows:
Still no reply to application for postpone
ment OF execution. BRUN.
Hansen slept soundly during his last
night on earth, waking only once and then
dropping off again. He spent Yesterday
morning in writing letters to his sweet
heart and his father, but found tine to
prepare a short statement especially for
The CALL. 1t reads as follows:
Knowing that I am about to die, and believ-
ing that l have obtained pardon through the
| sure mercies OF Christ, make this my dying
declaration:
pose OF giving the second mate severe whip
| ping. l know OF no conspiracy whatever 10
kill him or take life. Whatever was planned
or done in that direction unknown TO me
and done without my knowledge consent
Before | was aware of any such intent saw
the fatal blow struck from behind ] was so
unneryed thereby that | was unable TO act.
then for the first time learned that it was the
intention to also murder the captain and the
first mate. then, by strong effort persuaded
them to desist from further attempts, to which
fact the captain has already estitied. These
are the whole facts in the case so far as my re-
lation to them is concerned God is my wit
ness. HANS HANSEN.
October IS, 1895, g O'Clock A. M.
When he died Hansen had on his person
several papers, which, together with his
ring will be removed at San Jose to-
morrow only by his betrothed, Miss Peter
sen. She states that portion of the
papers may be made public. The dead
man was a Baptist and had been q mis-
sionarv among the sailors of both the
merchant marine and the United States
navy, in which he had served. He had
also been in the regular army and had
passed through several Indian campaigns.
st. Clair toward the last showed ex-
tremely high nervous tension. He paced
to and fro in his cell like some wild animal,
and he it was who objected to Baldwin's
n
the special request of The United Press ST.
Clair prepared dying statement and ad-
dressed it to that organization. Marshal
Baldwin opened the envelope and read the
communication as under prison rules he
had right to do, and then with strange
disregard of the rights of property he
made the contents of the statement public
1t reads as follows:
To The United Press: AS am about to un-
dergo the extreme penalty of the law-minus
justice-and, hitherto, nothing has been
said in my favor, but, on the contrary any
thing that would tend to injure me has been
gone over repeatedly, therefore / will here
state a few facts for the consideration OF those
who may feel anyway elated at my sad and,
emphatically say my unmerited end.
To begin with the newspapers from the be-
! ginning have through the evil reports given
! them by those whose interest it was to iniure
| me- the better to shield themselves and even
| if those reports have not been exaggerated by
| the press, or whether they have or not the
result was the same-that the jurors were
preiudiced against me from the outset
| Then consider the fact that Fitzgerald the
| deceased second mate, was, like myself an
| Irishman Two Irishmen among a lot of for
| eignersl Does it look at all right or natural to
| suppose that one would kill the other to in any
| way oblige lot of men who say they did not
| like either of us?