The Butler weekly times., 1896-05-07

the tFOWu Will
Hrs. Meeks, Mother of the Murdered
Man, Sees the Hanging and Openly
Rejoices-Many Women Present.
Carrolton, Mo, April 30.-Bill Tay-
lor died on the scatfold here this
morning, unfinchingly. His neck
was broken by the drop at 1907
O'Clock. Thirteen minutes later his
pulse had ceased to beat, and four
minutes after that his body was
lowered into his coffin. He ascend.
ed the scaffold firmly. Directly be.
meath the steps he saw the coffin
that awaited him, partly covered by
a white counterpane, but his face
did not change as he passed over it..
In his hands had been placed a cru.
cifx, and on this he intently gazed.
He died with sealed lips. With a
irm tread, and proud, almost impe
rious bearing, he walked from bis
cell to the trap, and stood as straight
as an arrow. A grave like pallor
covered his features, it was the only
indication of approaching death.
He looked out on the crowd with.
out q word. He may have seen the
aged woman whose son and grand
children he was charged with slay-
ing, halfway up the incline of the
jail yard. He did not show it, if he
did. His eyes took one last rowing
glance over the enclosure, but his
expression never changed. There
was not the slightest twitching OF
his lips, not the quiver of and eyelid. !.
His palIid face and emaciated body
seemed chiselled and immovable.
Taylor's last gaze rested upon a
stunted maple to the west of the
scaffold, which dropped its winged
seeds upon the gallows steps at
every little gust; patch of blue
above, unmarked by single cloud
heck. Directly before him stood the
bare, dead north wall of the county
Jail; to his right, not far from this
wall, was a stand on which photog-
rapher stood with his camera. Be-
low him was the surging crowd. The
tall board fence enclosing the gal.
lows shut out all else of the world
except the hum OF the great crowd
outside.
"He's the same Bill Taylor that
used to walk our Streets" said a
Brownington man. Every one mar.
veled at his courage. On being sum-
moned from his cell and during the
march to the gallows through the
lines OF uncovered men, Taylor dis.
played the same unflinching nerve.
His usually sallow face grew no
paler. He passed Mrs. Meeks and
her son as he went to the scaffold,
but although they bent forward and
almost peered into his face, SO that
even the guards brushed against
them, they did not catch his eye 1t
moved carelessly their way, but
there was uot the faintest evidence
OF recognition. Taylor seemed and
acted like man who had no longer
any interest in the world or thought
Of what he was leaving behind on
his march to the gallows. And after
the body had been lowered into the
casket, and Mrs. Meeks had said,
with a ring of grati6ed revenge, "He
will murder no more babies" she
added, ''but l did not think he could
stand it so we'll Even she and
her son recognized Taylor's wonder
full nerve, and it half awed them.
Impressive was the immobility of
the man. The crowd seemed to be
iransfixed by his stolid, unfeeling
entrance to the grave and no specta.
tor seemed to move. Impressive
was the awful silence, out of which
the pleas for mercy, growing more
and more subdued as the last mo.
ment approached, issued as from an
empty tomb. Then the black cap
was swiftly adjusted, and scarcely
had it settled upon his shoulders
before the trap was sprung.
Taylor had reached his end. The
crowd surged closer to the gallows
beneath which the body was swung
absolutely motionless. Still uncov.
cred was the crowd and completely
silent. The physicians composing
the coroner's jury stepped beneath
the scaffold and began to time the
hanging mans pulse. While it con
tinued to tlutter in the senseles:
frame the crowd stood almost mo
tionless, The women, awed anc
hushed, hurredly slipped away-al
save Mrs. Meeks, who, unpurturbeC
turned to her son and said: 1T is al
over, George. He will kill no NOR,
babies"
At 1854 the march to the scaffolt
began. Deputy sheriffs Shelton ant
Cummings led the way, followed b,
Taylor, who walked between Sherif