Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-05-08

PnllaQelpnla, IA, May i.-f1elIhdH
W. Mudgett, alias H. H. Holmes, was
hanged at Moyamensing prison to-day.
The drop fell at 10:12:30. 1t was fully
a half hour later before he was official
ly pronounced dead
A half minute before he was shot into
eternity he made this declaration to the
solemn assemblage gathered about the
scaffcld:
Gentlemen. I have very few words
to say. In fact. l would make no re-
marks at this time except that by not
speaking l would appear to acquisce in
my execution. l only wish to say that
the extent of my wrong-doing in TAX
ing human life consisted in the death
of two women, they having died at my
hands as a result of criminal opera
tions. l wish to state here, so there
can be no chance of misunderstanding,
that | am not guilty of taking the lives
OF any of the Pitezel family-the three
children and Benjamin, the father, of
whose death l was convicted and for
which l am to-day to be hanged. That
is all have to say
The words were we'll chosen and dis
tinctly enunciated. The voice Of the
condemned man never quavered; the
hands. claSped on the dark railing OF
the scaffold. did not tremble. The
nerve which had all along characterized
this most marvellous Of assassins, did
not desert him at the end. AS the last
syllable fell from his lips, he turned
to his attorney. Mr. Rotan.
Then ne cheerfully buttoned his coat,
nodded to the sheriff. and an instant
later he was shot up into the air.
He was undoubtedly the most stolid
Of any Of that assemblage OF more than
fifty men.
Holmes spent his last day of life un-
eventually. During part of yesterday
Father Daily. Of the Church of the An
nunciation. visited him and said pray
ers. 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 de-
votional books. Father Daily came
again early in the evening and remained
until 1915 o'clock After he left,
HOLMES WROTE LETTERS
of farewell until midnight. 1t is un-
derstood that these communications
were addressed TO his wife in Gilman
town. n H., and Georgianna Yoke. Of
Franklin. Ind. the so-called third wife,
whose testimony did much to bring
about to-day's execution. He also
penned a letter OF instruction to Mr.
Rotan. his counsel Absolute secrecy
is maintained regarding the contents Of
these letters.
At II O'Clock Holmes undressed and
vent to bed under the watchful eye of
Keeper Weaver, who was fearful lest
the man in the cell beyond might COM
nit suicide. Holmes slept like an inno-
cent babe and at o'clock in the morn
ing it required two calls to waken
him
At o'clock Fathers Daily and Mac
Peak arrived. HolrceS received them
silently and knelt with them while they
went over the communion service. ac-
cording TO the rites of the Catholic
Church. to which he had been converted
during the past week.
A rope had been stretched across the
entrance to the passage way leading to
the convict department. and inside Of
this were assembled the sheriff. city
officials. jurors and newspaper reporters
who had been invited to witness the
execution.
The gates were opened at 9 o'clock,
and the party filed in.
The instrument of death loomed high
in the centre Of the corridor on the
first floor of the convict side of the
prison.
The platform. which stood eight feet
above the level of the floor, was ap-
preached by fight of stairs.
The witnesses passed around the
structure and faced it. Silence follow
ed 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 gal
lows.
A moment later they mounted the
stairs and came into view, the priests
stood on either side of the condemned
man and chanted the Psalm Miserere
Holmes. his eyes fixed upon the cruci-
fly which he clasped in his hands.
walked steadily between them. He
wore a sack coat and trousers of gray
material. and white shirt There was
a thin growth of beard on his chin.
THERE WAS A PAUSE
as they reached the trap. and then
Holmes stepped forward and delivered
his speech. 1t took him exactly two
minutes TO utter what nearly every man
there regarded as the last of a series of
lies. Father Daily knows. if any living
man does. whether or not Holmes went
into eternity with a lie on his lips. for
to him Holmes. either last night or to-
day. made a final confession. What
the murderer confided to the priest is
secret of the confessional and it will
never be made public.
After shakings hands with his law
yer. who then left the scaffold. Holmes
turned and tade farewell to Superin-
tendents Perkins and Richardson and
the priests. who we're the other occu-
pants Of the gallows. Then he and the
elergymen knelt in silent prayer They
arose at 1912 o'clock. In another half
minute the end had come. Five min
utes later six physicians examined the
body. They gave no official opinion,
but DR.. Butcher privately stated that
broken neck had undoubtedly caused
death. The heart beat feebly for fully
fifteen minutes after the fall. but to ali
irtents and purposes the man was kill
ed by the drop.
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