Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-21
HTzGERALD'S HARD LUCK He Tried to Commit Suicide, but
 Failed. ASHERIFF TRIED TO HANG HIM But the Rope Broke a"d Spped Him to the
 6rot V-
 zS "''"''''s"t"T s2o "'0"'ETf"'F The Community Z Indignant With the Sheriff for 7 --.rine the Condemned Man. w ssseseed That He Be
 Speedily Executed.
ASHERIFF TRIED TO HANG HIM
But the Rope Broke and :. pped Him to the
MISMANAGEMENT SD lNCoMpETENcY

| St. Louis, Feb. 20.-Mismanagement | immediate incompetency and torture of fciated at the hanging of James Fitz-
 gerald in the Four Courts jail yards this
 morning. The reprieves had heightened
 out the misery of the condemned man.
 At 12 o'clock midnight Governor Stone
 telegraphed from Jefferson City that the
 hanging should not take place before 10
 a. m. When the tower clock struck 10
 Sheriff Troll still hesitated. At this mos
 ment the sheriff received the following teegram:
 Feb. 20, $40 a. m.-Henry Troll Sheriff:
 l decline to further interfere in the case
 of James Fitzgerald. You can, therefore. only discharge your duties.
 w. J. STONE, Governor. Then the solemn procession of the con demned man began. Father McErlane, reading the prayers for the dying, sup ported Fitzgerald to the foot of the scaf- fold. Sheriff Troll led him to the trap and adjusted the rope and hood and the concealed hangman said: "Al right" At exactly 1O:15 o'clock the trap was sprung. FtZgerald's body shot down.
 ward. Instead of stopping when the
 ropes end was reached there was sharp
 snaps wall from the unfortunate
 wretch and Fitzgeralds body lay writh-
 ing on the ground. The rop had broken.
 Officers at once rushed to the spot and
 found that Fitzgerald was still alive and
 conscious. My God! My God! My
 throat" he groaned. Before the horror
 stricken watchers could touch him he
 arose. Standing up with the black cap
 over his face and the broken instrument
 of death dangling from his neck he
 walked into the morgue, where he was
 given stimulants. He was more anxious
 than the executioners for death and begged that the end come quickly. When a second rope was called for none could be had and Fitzgerald lay
 moaning on a slab in the morgue, while a messenger was sent distance of nine squares for new rope,
 Father McErlane bent over the body | of Fitzgerald and recited prayers. Once | Fitzgerald raised his hand and pulled | the head of the priest to his face and | whispered earnestly for half a minute. | What that communication was will never be known, but the face of the priest, then ashy pale, turned scarlet and tears fell
 from his eyes. At 10:45 the messenger arrived with a new rope which was quickly adjusted and Fitzgerald was car
 ried to the scaffold. It was necessary
 for two deputy sheriffs to hold him up while the moose was placed. FtZgerald's
 only words were pleas for haste. At
 Il :02 the trap was again sprung.
 At 1115 the attending physicians pro-
 nounced life extinct and the corpse was given to relatives.
 To say that the community is indignant at the sheriff and his assistants Is put ting 1t mildly Sheriff Troll says all the
 usual tests were applied to the death apparatus before the hanging and that the horrible scene at the first attempt
 was wholly due to some defect In the rope that could not be foreseen. Tt On the night of September "A, 1894, Fitzgerald killed his sweetheart, Annie Naessens and attempted suicide, but
 only injured himself slightly. The two had been lovers for a year and Fitzger- aids jealousy caused frequent quarrels. All the evidence was circumsta ntial