Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-05-07
William P. Taylor Hanged at
Carrollton, Mo-, at 1857
Thursday Morning.
HIS NECK WAS BROKEN AND HE
DIED IN II MINUTES-PRO-
TESTED HIS INNOCEN-
CE TO THE LAST.
He Gave Out a Statement Before He
Left His Cell-The Militia Was
Out but There Was No
Disturbance.


CARRoLLToN, Mo-, April 30.-At
1857 this morning William P. Taylor
paid the extreme penalty of the law
for his part in the murder of the Meeks
family nearly two years ago, by being
hung by the neck until dead. Seven
teen minutes after the trap was
sprung the body was pronounced dead
by the coroner's jury present, and all
that was mortal of "Bill" Taylor was
cut down and placed in a metallic cof-
fin, and will be shipped to Laclede for
burial.
The day dawned bright and clear,
and, although the town was full of
visitors, there was no disturbance of
any kind. Early in the day the militia
were called out and had any attempt
been made to raise disturbance it
would have been speedily quelled.
A few minutes before the hour set
for the hanging the death procession
took it's way to the scaffold, which had
been erected in the Jail yard. Taylor
was dressed in the new suit with
which he had been invested by Sheriff
Stanley yesterday and at his side walk
ed Father Kennedy, of the Roman
Catholic church, clad in the sombre
garb of his office and repeating pray
ers for the repose of the soul which
was SO soon to be borne before it's
Maker.
Up the scaffold steps the doomed
man walked with steady and firm
tread, looking around at the crowd of
nearly five hundred people which had
gathered within the enclosure with a
calm expression on his face. Having
arrived on the scaffold, deputies Cum
mings and Shelton fixed the straps on
the doomed man and Sheriff Allen,
of Linn county, tied the fatal knot.
Before the black cap was pulled
over his head he was asked if he had
any statement to make, but said that
his written statement, which he had
given out just before he left his cell,
and which is given in full below, was
all that he wished to leave to the
world.
At exactly 1857 Sheriff Stanley took
hold of the lever and gave it sharp
jerk, the trap gave way, the body shot
downward and after convulsive
shudder hung still and motionless. No
groan escaped the lips; the fall had
broken the neck and in seventeen
minutes the attending physicians and
Coroner's jury pronounced life ex-
tinct. The body was Immediately cut
down and put in a coffin, which had
been prepared for it.
Mrs. Meeks was a witness at the
execution, but none of Taylor's rela-
tives were present.
TAYLoR's STATEMENT.
The following statement was given
out by Taylor just before he left his
cell for the scaffold:
"CARRoLLToN, Mo-, April 20, 1885,
To THE PUBLIC: I have only this
additional statement to make. / ought
not to suffer as am compelled to do.
Prejudice and perjury convicted me.
By this conviction my wife is to be
left a lonely widow; my babies are
made orphans in cold world; my
brothers to mourn and my friends to
weep. You hasten my gray-haired
father and mother to the grave. The
mobs and that element have bounded
me to the grave. I had hoped to at
least live till the good people realized
the injustice done me, but it cannot
be so. 1 feel prepared to meet my
God and 1 now wing my way to the
great unknown, where, l believe
everyone ls properly Judged. hope
my friends will all meet me in heaven
I believe 1 am going there. Good
bye all. W. P. TAYLOR"