The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-17
HANGED In A 1o-ACRE LOT.
5000 PERSONS SEE JoHN =. MoRGhN
EXECCTED IN WEST VIRGJNI1.

ne sheriH Hurried the Proceedings Tor Fear
THAT the Governor might sepd . Respite
~ the Afternoon Trnin-RorHan Was nap
tired before the Execution-His Crime.
P~ARKKRsRURo. w. Va, Dec. 1e.-John r.
Morgan was hanged to-day In the presence OF
5000 people at jackson Court House In Jack.
son county. Morgan murdered a woman and
her son and daughter and nearly succeeded in
killing another daughter. He had lived with
the family five years and murdered them In the
hope OF getting a little money which no sup
posed they had in the house. He was arrested
the same day, indicted the next, tried and con.
vioted the next and sentenced the next. He
escaped once after his sentence and was gone
two days. To-day was the day originally set
Tor bis hanging and he had sworn that he would
never DO hanged. He had all the officials in
the county in an anxious frame OF mind for g
month and was doubly guarded night and day.
Even up to last night no insisted he would not
be hanged.
All h~angings in this State are public. but
There has not been an AFFAIR Of tho kind in Jack
son county for forty years, and the re-
suit was that everybody in q days travelling
distance Of jackson Court House turned out to
seo this one. The Sheriff had not intended to
hang the man until the afternoon trains came
in, so that everybody would have q fair chance
~ thC " IN uoEihik, hOWcNoT, INC
Sheriff heard that some friends Of Morgan had
been at work on the Governors sympathies to
induce him to grant q respite. There 10 no
telegraph line TO the town and dispatches reach
there BY railroad.
There was o chance that tho afternoon trains
might bring 4 despatch. so the Sheriff decided
to take no chances, and at IL o'clock Morgan
was told that he would have to be ready In
twenty minutes. He said all right, but he'd
performed and everything was ready. The
scaffold was In the middle of o ten-acre lot
about q mile from the jail. The lot was at the
rounding. ground. The scaffold was on this
dren had gathered on foot or on horseSao iEn or
IN farm wagons around the scaffold. Only o
sured everybody that there would DO no danger
Of trouble and most of them left their guns at
home: In addition to this crowd several hun.
70 sec and accompany the murderer on his way
half.past eleven o'clock and got into q carriage
with tho Sheriff and two preachers. The Sher-
p Imrs saES were mov in a toward SSn wGaf she ' seafolid and H 5hf
the way there the murderer and his spiritual
adviser sang hymns. The scafrold was reached
at noon and way was made through the crowd.
up M'' tSo steps sps alone Gos na and stood b aS@G 1i at T tSss
q chapter from the Bible. This occupied sey.
eRal minutes. There was no demonstration in
the crowd. The other minister said q praye or
In which he told of tho crime.
Morgan was shaking at the knees when this
vas finished. and when the sheriff asked him 4
not A moment later he held up his shackled
hands and said:
II bid you all farewell. Let this be an CT.
ample to you. Let 1t be a warning to young
men. God spare any, young man from going
Morgan bowed to the crowd on all sides and
there were several shouts Of Rood-by. The
Sheriff directed him where to stand and then
adjusted the straps and put the moose about
bis neck and pulled tho black cap over his face.
Morgan asked the Sheriff to Tell him the mo.
ment he was going to spring the trap. Tho
Sheriff said he would, and then, with a jerk,
he drew the moose taut and sprang to tho lever
that unbolted the trap. Morgan's body shot
down more than six feet. His neck was broken.
There had been silence in the crowd for sew.
eral minutes. The moment of the fall CONVEX
sation was resumed and compliments were
hurled at the Sheriff. The body was left hang
ing for half an hour and the crowd stayed and
viewed. It.. Finally IL was taken down. and
was taken back TO Jail in Q coffin and locked
up In o cell. Tomorrow 1t willie be turned
over to the mans widow. who will bury 1t.
A woman was one of the spectators on tho
ecaffold during tho hanging. She. did not
finch. The crowd OF mountaineer farmers
roamed around tho town and were fieeced by
fakirs until late In the afternoon, when they
nfnrfed for their hon,ea