Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-02-21
HORRIBLE HANGING.

The Rope Broke, Letting the Condemned
Drop to tho Ground-After Suffering for
Hour n Second Rope Was Procured
and the Culprit wns Swung on.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. O.--Mismnnaqement,
incompetency and torture ofiiciated at
the hanging of James Fitzgerald in the
Four Courts jailyard Thursday morn
ing. Two repricves had heightened
out the misery of the condemned. AT
12 o'clock, midnight, Gov. Stone tele-
graphed from jefferson City that the
hanging should not take place before
10 a. m. This gave everyone but Fitz-
gerald hope of communication, as the
parents Of the murdered girl wired
strong pleas to the governor for the
condemned. Father McErlane labored
seduously to comfort his charge, but
Fitzgerald was indifferent
When the tower clock struck 10
Sheriff Troll still hesitated. At this
moment the sheriff received a elegram
from Gov, Stone dcclifiing 70 further
interfere IN, the case. Nv i, 'n,3,t
Then the solemn procession from the
condemned mans cell began. Father
McErlane, reading the prayers of the
church for the dying, supported Fitz-
gerald to the foot of the scaffold.
Sheriff Troll led him to the trap
and adjusted the rope and hood
and the concealed hangman said: "All
right" At exactly 1917 o'clock the
trap was sprung. Fitzgerald's body
shot downward. Instead5 OF stopping
when the ropes end was reached,
there was n sharp snap, n wall from
the unfortunate wretch and Fitzger-
AIDS body lay writhing on the ground.
The rope had broken. Officers ut once
rushed to the spot and removed Fitz.
gerald to the morgue. He was still
alive and still conscious. -
my God. My God. My throat" he
groaned.
Before the horror-stricken watchers
could touch him ne arose. The doctors
recovered themselves and found him
still conscious. Standing up with the
black cap over his face and the broken
instrument of death dangling from his
neck, he walked into the morgue. He
was given stimulents and revived.
He was more anxious than his execu.
blohCIo lOl uCdbu iuu DcSRCu IldU Iut
end come quickly. When second
rope was called for none was to be had
and Fitzgerald lay moaning on slal
in the morgue, while 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 minute. What that com.
munication was will never be known,
but the face of the priest, then ashy
pale, turned scarlet, and tears fell
from his eyes.
AT 1o:45 the messenger arrived with
a new rope, which was quickly ad.
justed and Fitzgerald was carried to
the scaffold. 1t was necessary for two
deputy sheriffs to hold him up while
the moose was placed. Fitzgerald's
only words were, please for haste"
At 11:O2 a. m. the trap was again
sprung. At 11:15 the attending ply
sicians pronounced life extinct and the
corpse was given to relatives. q
To say that the community is indig.
nant at the sheriff and his assistants is
putting it mildly. Sheriff Troll says
all the usual tests were applied to the
death apparatus before the hanging,
and that the possible scene at the first
attempt was wholly due to some defect
in the rope that could not be fore
seen.
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