The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-08

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, May III.
H. Holmes was hanged in Moyamesing
prison this morning. The drop fell at
1O1215. Half an hour later he was
pronounced dead The neck was
broken by the fall.
Even on tie scaffold he was prob
ably the coolest man in the solemn
assemblage. In few well chosen
words he proclaimed his innocence of
any murder. including that for which
he was convicted and hanged. He de-
clared the only wrong-doing in taking
human life for which he could be held
responsible consisted in the death OF
two women who died as a result of
criminal operations at his hands. He
did not name these victims.
Holmes spent his last day of life I'M
eventually. During part of yesterday
Father Daley of the Church Of the
Annunciakion visited him and said
prayers. In the afternoon his lawyer,
Samuel P. Rotan, spent short time
with him. The rest of the day Holmes
spent in reading his Bible and other
devotional books. Father Daley
came again early in the evening and
remained until 1915 O'Clock. After he
left Holmes wrote letters of farewell
until midnight.
At u o'clock Holmes undressed and
went to bed. He slept like an limo
cent babe, and at 6 o'clock in the
morning it required two calls to
awaken him. At o'clock Fathers
Daley and MacPeak arrived. Holmes
| received them silently and knelt with
them while they went over the COM
npunion service. The only sign OF de-
fiance that he made was just after
the priest left.
STEADY AS A ROCK.
cam 1 nervous?" he asked, stretch
ing his hands out to Keeper Weaver.
They were steady as a rock.
Meantime a nervously eXpectant
crowd had gathered outside the gates
OF the prison. A rope had been
stretched across the entrance to the
department, and inside of this were
assembled the sheriff, city officials,
| jurors and reporters, who had been
admitted to witness the execution.
The gates were opened at o'clock
I and the party filed in. SherifT's So
licitor Wagrew read the list of jury
men in the superintendent office at
the head Of the corridor containing
the scaffo1d. The sheriff administered
the oath and at minutes after 10
| o'clock the procession to the gallows
was begun, headed by Prison Super
| intendent Perkins and Assistant Su-
perintendent Richardson. Fifty or
! more men, with uncovered heads,
made up the parade and halted before
| the scaffold.
| The platform which stood eight feet
above the level of the floor was APP
preached by fight of steps
The witnesses passed around the
structure and faced it. Silence fol-
lowed for a moment. Then a murmur
arose from the other side Of the scat
fold. 1t was the
PRAYERS OF THE PRIESTS
who were escorting Holmes to the gall
lows.
A moment later, they mounted the
steps and came into view. The priests,
arrayed in their secular vestments,
stood on either side of the condemned
man and chanted the psalm 'Miserere."
Holmes with his eyes fixed upon a.
crucifix which he clasped in his hands.
walked steadily between them.
There was a pause as they reached
the trap and then Holmes stepped for
ward and delivered his speech. 1t took
him exactly two minutes to utter what
every man there regarded as the last
of a series of lies.
During IQe QeIIVeTy u HIS SpSGCu,
the voice of the condemned man never
quivered; the hands, clasped ON the
railing of the scaffold did not tremble.
The nerve which had all along charac-
terized this most marvellous of aSsas-
sins did not desert him at the end.
After shaking hands with his lawyer
who then left the scaffold, Holmes
turned and babe farewell to Superin-
tendents Perkins and Richardson and
LIT
pants of the gallows. Then he and
the clergymen
KNELT IN SILENT PRAYER
They arose at 1912 o'clock. In an
other half minute the end had come.
Holmes hands were manacled behind
him, the moose and the black cap were
adjusted and the stiffness was broken
by sound that echoed along the cor
ridors like TIE sharp crack Of pistol.
The body hung without tremor. Five
minutes later physicians examined the
body They gave no official opinion,
but DR.. Butcher privately stated that a
broken neck mad undoubtedly caused
death. The body was allowed to hang
until 1915 o'clock.
AT las o'clock the doors in the rear
of the prison swung open and an under
takers wagon rolled out. In it was a
plain black walnut casket containing
the body. The wagon drove rapidly
to Mount Moriah cemetery. where it
was placed in a vault. Here it will
probably remain for two or three
days. when it will be quietly inferred
in another grave yard. Whether or not
it will finally be buried in consecrated
ground depends upon Holmes last
words with Father Daily and the will
of Archbishop Ryan
HIS LAST WORDS.
Holmes speech on the scaffold was
as follows:
Gentlemen. 1 have very few words
to say, in fact I would make no re-
marks at this time, except that by not
speaking 1 would appear to acquiesce
in NV execution I only wish to saw