Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-16

fairly earned the tito Of the American
Jack Ketch." From his grewsome service
he has saved enough to buy fine farm in
Kansas, ard there he will pass his declin-
ing days in peace and quictncss. He had
hoped to hang his ono hundrcdth man be-
fore retiring, but subjects have been COM
ing in rather slowly in recent years, and
Maledon became discouraged. Then, too,
there is not SO much money in hanging
men nowadays as there Is in farming.
Malcdon says he believes his record of 80
hanged is safe anyway from being broken
by any other man, SO he will have the ccr-
ISOLATION in his retirement of knowing that
he is champion of the world in his line
He loves to talk about his work and took
rs much pride in it as n carpenter would
in n neat job he had done. He followed a
regular system and seldom had mishap.
A hanging by Maledon was worth going
miles to sec. 1t was q thing of scientific
beauty. From tho moment the subject be-
gan to prepare for the march to tho scat
fold the little Dutch hangman was at his
heels. He had been up before daylight,
greasing his ropes, oiling tho hinges of the
gallows trap and adjusting and readjust-
ing his moose. He followed the subject to
tho gallows, and when the foot of tho steps
leading up to 1t was reached tho little
hangman would trot around and trip
jauntily up tho stairway ahead Of all the
rest. From that moment Maledon's face
was study for physiognomist. He
needed not tho spectators or any one on the
scaffold except the subject, and he moved
around him with an air of ownership.
Sometimes, II the subject was slow and
backward, Maledon would encourage him
with few well chosen words of impatient
hurry, as:
"Oh, come on now; it's nothing at ALL
You won't feel it, and I'll have it oil over
in u jiffy."
Maledon would stand the victim on the
trap, and then generally would take
chew of tobacco and stand with tho moose
ready In his hands while tho Clergyman
prayed. After that it was not minutetill
George had the moose fairly adjusted, the
black cap over the head and tho trap
sprung. As the body hung limp and
swaycd gently back and forth tho little
hangman would walk around the square
hole of tho trap with his hands on his
hips, looking down Mt the swinging body
and surveying 1t critically from every
point of view, while he chcwcd tobacco
anxiously and vigorously and spat down
through the hole past the body. When
Malcdon had from two to ten to hang at
ono time, he attended to it all alone, nd
justing tho nooses with his own hands.
Maledon gained his proficiency as
hangman by experience. He was not SO
successful with his first two or three Jobs
rs he was with later subjects.
Maledon's moose has fallen to George
Lawson, who tried his prentice hand on
the notorious Cherokee Bill the other day.
He made u good job of 1t, for Bills neck
was broken without an abrasion Of the
skin. For some time Lawson had been
employed as guard in the Jail. As an
executioner he works slower than Maledon
and lacks the easy movement on the gal
lows that the old hangman had. He is
man about As years of age 5 feet inches
In height and will weigh $50 pounds. He
Is married and lives in n little cottage in
side the old fort almost under the caves of
the Jail. His son Will. who has taken his
place ms Jail guard, tied the knot for
Cherokee Bill and assisted In the prelimi-
naries.
Lawson is not likely to become as ia
nous n hangman as his predecessor, but
he has many notorious cases on hand.
There are now ten prisoners In the Jail
whose only hope to escape the gallows Is
pardon by the president. Among them
are the members of the brutal Buck gang.
The gallows on which so many mon
have met their death is o massive affair.
1t stands just south of the United States
Jail and about 100 yards away. There Is
q we'll worn path running from the Jail to
the gallows. along which the men are led
to execution. The drop on this moustrous
gallows is 20 feet long, giving ample room
for hanging ten men ut one time. Seven
men have been hanged at once by Malcdon,
n feat which broke all previous records
and has never been equaled since. Six
men were hanged at another time, and
there have been several quadruple anil
triple hangings. Surrounding the gal
lows and Mt distance Of about 30 feet
from il is board fence % feet high,
which completely hides the gallows from
public view. Nearly all the men who
have been hanged here were dssperadoes