The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-07
HOLMES HUNG.
The Philadelphia Murderer is
Strung Up Today.
Says He Never Committed Amy
of the Murders
THAT ARE CHARGED.
The Alleged confession Ap-
emily a Fake.
Only Fifty People Witness the
Choking.
THAT ARE CHARGED.

Philadelphia, May III H Holmes
was hanged in DIoyamensing prison
/ this morning. The drop fell at 1O:125z
\ o'clock. 1t was not until half hour
later that he was pronounced dead
His neck was broken by the fall The
marvellous nerve of the man did not
I desert him to the very end. Even on
/ the scamold he was probably the cool
/ est person in the solemn assemblage.
In a few well chosen words he pro
claimed his innocence Of any murder,
! including that for which he was con
victed and hanged. He declared that
the only wrong doing in the taking Of
human life for which he could be held
responsible consisted in the death of
( two women who had died as the result
/ Of criminal operations at his hands.
He did not name these victims.
Holmes spent the greater part of his
last night on earth writing letters. At
midnight he went to bed and slept
soundly until o'clock this morning. 1t
took two calls to awaken him. Prompt
ly arising he received a visit from his
spiritual advisers, Fathers DAILY and
DIacpealz. of the Church of the Annun-
eiation.
They administered the last sacra-
ment and did not leave him until near
! ly o'clock During their absence he
[ ate breakfast Of eggs, dry toast and
I coffee About 1O-O2 o clock the SherlT
/ called together the official jury and
after each man had answered to his
name and subscribed to the certificate,
! the march to the gallOws was begun.
As the gathering stood in intense 81
/ lence before the scamOld, a nurmuring
! sound came from behind the partition
erected Immediately back of it. Tt
was the dOlOrOus chant of the two
priests accompanying the doomed man
to the scaffOld. They were uttaring
the Psalm Miserere.
At IO.US they mounted the platform
A moment of prayer elapsed. and then
Holmes stepped to the front of the
scaffOld, and resting his hands on the
| rail before him, made his statement Of
innocence 1t was received in absolute
silence. Two minutes later he had fin
ished his valedictOry. Then at a silent
signal from the priests he bent to his
knees, his eyes fixed on the crucifiE,
clasped in his thin hands. Until 1912
the prayer continued. Immediately
afterward he arose. shook hands with
the priests and his lawyers and in
firm voice bade them good bye.
Without an instant's delay his hands
were bound behind him and the black
cap adjusted. Sheriff Clement placed
the moose around his neck and after an
instant of terrible stiffness the crack of
the bolt rang out like a pistol shot and
the murderer had fallen to his doom
Consciousness left him instantly, said
the doctors, although his heart contln-
ued a feeble beat for fifteen or twenty
minutes After an examination had
been made by several physicians,
Holmes was pronounced dead and the
swinging corpse was cut down.
A half minute before Holmes was shot
into eternity he made this declaration
to the solemn assemblage gathered
about the scamold;
ssCentlemen i have very few words
to saw. in fhct [ would make no re
marks at this time, except that by not
spea king / would appear to acQuiesce
in nay execution. i only wish to say
that the extent of my wrong doing in
/ taking human life consisted IN the
death of two women, they having died
at my hands as a result of a criminal
operation L wish to state here, so that
there can be no chance of misunder-
standing, that I am not guilty of tax
ing the lives of any of the PIetzel fam
ily-the three children and Benjamin,
the father, of whose death 1 was con-
! victed and for which am today to
be hanged. That is all I 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
I the railing of the scadold did not trem-
/ BILE The nerve. which had all along
/ cha ctar-fzed this most marvellous of
/ assasslns did not desert him at the
/ end AS the last syllable fell from his
! lips he turned to his attorney, Mr. Fo-
! tan.
Grasping the right hand Of the young
attorney, Holmes placed his left on the
/ other mans shoulder. and gazing UP in
I to his eyes. said i'm loud voice. Good
] bye" Then he carefully buttOned his
coat. nodded to the sheriff and an in
stant later he was shot up into the air.
He was undoubtedly the most StOlid
] of any i'm that assemblage of more than
I so men The pallOr of his face was no
/ deeper than the ordinary prison bleach
and he stood erect, gazing steadfastly
/ before him. until the black cap shut out
! his last look at earthly things
4 Holmes spent his last day Of life un-
/ eventfully- During part of yesterday
/ Father DAILY of the Church of the An
[ nunciation visited him and said pray
I ers In the afternoon his lawyer sam
/ uel p Rotan, spent a short time with
I him The rest of the day Holmes spent
/ I'm reading his Bible and other deVo-
! tionaI books Father Daily came again
/ until 10. O5 o'clock After he left Holmes
! wrote letters of farewell until midnight
\ 1T is understood that these communi-
] GilmantOn. n. H. Georgiana Yoke. Of
/ Franklin, Ind. the so-called third wife
/ whose testimony did much to bring
/ about tOday's execution.
Z He also penned a letter Of instruction
I to Mr. Rotan. his counsel Absolute Sc
I crecy is maintained regarding the con
! tents Of these letters.
At ~ o'clock Holmes undressed and
l went to bed, under the Watchful eve
] of Keeper Weaver, who was fearful lest
/ the man in the cell beyond might com
I nit suicide
! from the abnormal mind OF his charge
/ Holmes slept like an innocent babe
and at o. clock in the morning it re
1 Quired two calls to awaken hinR.