The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-23
WAS BRAVE
TO THE LAST
concluded from Page IL

were pinioned with cords, pair of
handouts on his wrists were all that
kept his hands behind his back.
The clergyman, Sheriff Martin and
Peter stood together on the gallows
while a friend of Wassel, who accom-
panied the priest, stood on the steps
with a lighted candle and a crucifix.
The priest read the bible and prayed
with the condemned. Peter stood di-
rectly on the trap and looked a mo-
ment at the crowd. Still brave and
defiant, he did not show a tremor He
listened to the priest moment, then
raised his eyes towards heaven and his
lips moved in prayer. Suddenly he
knelt down and bowed his head. He
arose unassisted and the priest con-
tinued the prayer, Peter said Amen"
and both knelt again a moment. Then
Father Busavage delivered a short
sermon in the Lithuanian language,
and the condemned man was forced
to stand there for nearly twenty min
utes. But he stood the ordeal brave
ly and did not lose his wonderful nerve.
BRAVE TO THE LAST.
The priest asked IL he had anything
to confess, but the condemned man
made no answer. When asked If he
forgave everybody Peter replied in a
quiet, firm voice that he freely forgave
all and was prepared to die. He said
he would die bravely and did so.
At 1922 the priest said the closing
words and sprinkled holy water on the
condemned man and the crowd about
the scaffold. He moved over to the
steps and stood there reading while
Sheriff Martin hurredly placed the
moose about Wassels neck. Pete did
not show q tremor and his lips were
moving in prayer as the black cap hid
his face from view. Instantly the sher-
iff stepped back and pulled rope which
released the trap and Peter Wassel
dropped into eternity at 1924.
Drs. Fell, Mckee, Sweeney, O'Malley,
Brooks, Wilcox and Hughes stood
around the body as it swung through
the trap. When the body hung three
minutes the pulse registered 161. The
legs were drawn up three times and the
arms moved once. The pulse rapidly
became faint and two minutes later
dropped to 80. At 1871 no pulse was
noticeable but the. phoneidoscope
showed a slight futtering of the heart.
This instrument was kept on the body
until 1896 when Vasalka was pro-
nounced dead, ~ minutes after the
drop fell.
The knot on the moose lay on the
back of the neck and the physicians
thought the necb was dislocated and
not broken, but when the body was
taken down, the neck was found to be
broken.
Undertaken Frank Burba, of Kings
ton, drove in at this time with q coffin
for the body. Coroner Mckee gave a
certificate of death and at 1852, after
the body had been hanging for twenty
eight minutes. it was lowered to the
ground by the sheriff. The rope was
not cut but was loosened from the neck
after the body was carried and placed
in an open coffin which the undertaken
arranged nearby.
The coroner's jury was composed of
I. II. Strauss, Charles Gardner, Thomas
Callary, William Siley, DR.. ]. II.
Hughes. Henry Merritt, Andrew New
berry, DR.. James Brooks, DR.. F. S.
Wilcox, Robert Wallace, John Rice,
James Vandling.
KISSED HIS CHILDREN.
Wednesday afternoon the condemned
man said farewell to his wife and chill
dren. Early in the afternoon he said
he did not wish to see his wife, but
when she was announced he changed
his mind and said she could come in.
He welcomed all and the wife was CIV
en- a seat at the cell door. William
Martin, the death watch, took a seat
between Peter and his wife so that
nothing could be passed to the con-
demned man. They talked together in
their native tongue while the four lit
tie children roamed at will through the
corridors.
The names and ages of the children
are: Katie, aged 10; Antoinette, aged
s; Annie, 61a, and the baby Ellie, aged
2l5 years. The oldest daughter, Lizzie
is in the House of Refuge for shop
lifting. At $50 four women, Mrs. CO.
loski, Mrs. William Savage, a sister OF
Mrs. Wassel Mrs. Bonmetis and Mrs
Muscavage, called and talked with the
condemned man until $50, when all but
Mrs. Wassel the children went away.
Soon afterwards Peter and his wife
had a stormy scene. His face became
livid with rage and he cursed his wife
and said:
Il must be crazy to die for your
brother. He shot Kupersavage and
must die for it,"
Warden Boland tried to pacify the
angered man, but he said passionately;
"Oh! she says am crazy. 1 must be
to die for her brother. She is a bad
woman. She says she can't get any
more brother, but she can get ten more
men. Her brother shot Kupersavagt
and die tomorrow for it,"
He advised the attendants to take