Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-12-17

SOLue 1ucIOenlS- ma1nJalneQ his
Nerve to the Last, and Died OF a
Broken Neck.
Special to the Register.
Ripley, W. Va, December 16.-The
cold-blooded Jackson county triple
murder has been avenged.
John w. Morgan was swung into
eternity at 1909.
The murderer put on a very bold
front till the last.
The procession left the Jail for the
scaffold at II o'clock. A surrey con-
tanning Morgan, Sheriff Shinn and a
deputy headed the procession. followed
by the condemned mans spiritual ad
visers. Next came a large wagon con-
tanning representatives of the press.
Morgan soon after ascending the
scaffold was asked IL he had anything
to say by the sheriff He raised both
hands and said:
Il bid you all farewell l bid you
all good bye
He then moved over and taking his
position on the trap continued:
Gentlemen, this is warning to all
young men. Don't do as l have done.
God forbid that any of you ever so
astray as l have done Farewell"
Rev. Mr.. White then read from the
10Th fpalm and Rev Mr. Rymer made
a lengthy prayer. after which the black
cap was put on and the moose adj
justed.
The sheriff and others on the scaffold
stepped back, the officer touched a
spring, the body shot upwards percept-
IDLY and then dropped downward like
a stone.
Morgan's neck was broken by the
fall an the death was painless.
At 1924 he was pronounced dead and
his body was placed in the rough coffin
and at once taken to the farm OF his
father-in-law, Hiram Hall, for burial.
Tho execution was O success III every
way.
Morgan stood the ordeal much better
than was expected. He walked with
out assistance, though closely attended
and watched by the officers.
The roads leading TO the spot where
the execution took place were in a ter
rible condition, the mud in some places
being axle deep. The miserable con-
dition of the thoroughfares did not,
however, daunt those eager to see the
execution, and when the time arrived,
the large space surrounding the scat
fold was black with noisy, surging
mass of humanity.
The scaffold presented a gruesome
appearance standing high on the knoll
on the farm of ]. NJ. Polling. about
mile from the jail, the rope dangling
to and fro as if impatient at the slow
ness of the, procession which was on
the way to the instrument of death.
New lumber was used in the con-
struction of the scaffod, which had
platform 10x12 feet. trap Axe feet, two
uprights Is feet in length, and 5x6
inches. square. The floor was feet
from the ground, giving drop Of
feet. All the flooring was tongued and
grooved, and the same man made Nor
gan's coffin that constructed the gall
lows-Maior Proegler.
Among the whole assemblage there
was not one outward display OF SYM
pathy for Morgan. On the contrary all
present seemed to delight in the az
fair
Morgan's spiritual advisors vera
Revs. Curtis Robinson and J. J. White,
and these gentlemen devoted much time
to the spiritual welfare Of the muir
derer before he paid the penalty Of his
crime. They prayed with him daily and
plead with him to tell the truth always.
Morgan's Incarceration, although u
less than fifty days duration, had told
plainly upon him and his rugged APP
pearance, when arrested, on November
Cd, had all left the man, and when he
stepped upon the trap he appeared not
the strong, healthy farm hand Of few
weeks before, but a pale, nervous crea-
ture, his face being Of an ashen hue
and his lips and limbs quivering as il
from chill.
During Morgan's incarceration he
made six confessions, the last one OF
which he claimed was the only true one,
and all the others were false. His last
confession was printed and sold just be-
fore the execution. and the proceeds are
to go to his widow and little babe. The
only confession Morgan got any pay for
was the one made on the morning he 3
capped by making dummy and placing
it in his bed
Upon the scasfold, besides the sheriff.
was a jury composed OF twelve per-
sons. two physicians 10 pass upon his
death, two guards and two ministers Of
the gospel The jury was composed ot
the following members. W. H. o'Brier,
foreman; James Harpold. D. X. Hood,
Jr.. G. w. HarpoId, John Taber. J. Nj.