The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08
WHERE WILL CARTER DIE,
N CONVICTED OF HURDBRINa HAS
TER-AT-ARMs kERNT9

DNhth " AAAkiuB N1IhtAh WbNaVN
Ganews In Reaaincss-its give NOtehes.
The approaching trial OF Seaman Philip T.
Carte, formerly attached to tho bAttleship In
diana. for the murder of Mastor-at-Arm Thomas
J. Kenney on board tho vessel on June 80 last
has brought about q perplexing state OF affairs
Carriers case Is the first involving capital pun
ishment which has come MP in the Federal
courts In this State since the legislature made
death by electricity the punishment for murder
In the first degree. The Federal law reads that
men convicted Of capital crimes must be hanged.
and It il generally believed that the Federal
law will have the precedence over the State
law. There may be q legal Eight over that
point. and II there il it will be an interesting
one. Besides, there is the question OF where the
sentence Of death. II \ hanging is decided upon.
shall be carried out It cannot take place in any
State or city Institution or on State or city prop
erty, which will leave the unpleasant alterna-
tive to the United States Marshal Of hanging
his prisoner in the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. the
only convenient Government property. or petit
tioning the Federal authorities for permission
to send the condemned man somewhere in tho
West where the Government hangs half .
dozen prisoners q week.
Carter's cnse has created much talk among
the Federal and State authorities, a. well as
among lawyers. It II assumed that the unfor-
tunAte Carter will provide an interesting test
case. The trial Is on the calendar of the United
States Circuit Court in Brooklyn for Sept. Is,
and will be held before Judge Asa W. Tenney.
Since tho passage Of the law substituting
death by electricity for hanging In this State
there has been much speculation among the au-
thorities as to what would be done with the first
Federal prisoner convicted Of homicide. The
Federal authorities felt sure that they would
have entire jurisdiction in such n case, and after
Carter killed Kenney the United States Marshal,
on whom devolves the duty Of hanging those
Federal prisoners condemned to death. sounded
Sheriff BnttlinS OF kings c"aaty as TO his w.ilinS,
the Raymond Street Jail. Sheriff Buttling said
no most emphatically. and since then the
Thanks to Assistant United States District
Attorney Robert II. Roy. the Marshal will have
q gailows il one is needed; but unless Bellows
Island or Governors Island is placed at his
disposal he will have to set the sca1old up in the
Navy Yard or take his man West.
Mi. Roy has found that away back in the six
ties the United States Court in New York tri Il
were n hanged By the United States MarsSSI. Mr.
Roy has also discovered the old gallows on
which these men were executed. and which is
in the Post Office, where it has been
is Of simple Construction. consisting. OF TWO
upright beams, each Il feet long. ana the cross
notches on this cross-beam, which are the ghtst-
ly evidence OF the manner by which nve muir.
0creES expldteQ tnelE CrlulcS- Inc history u
these ave crimes forms an interesting chapter
in the criminal annals of marine Jurisprudence,
for the reason that the offences were all COM
mitled upon the high seas. and, singuIarIy
enough. AL occurred in the sixties.
The frst notch Stands for Albert "; Hicks.
Hicks shipped as mate on the sloop Edwin A.
Johnson under the name OF William Johnson.
The vessel left New York for Deepwater. Va,
on March l6, 1850. the crew consisting. in acdi-
ton 10 Hicks, OF George IL. Burr. CAPTAIN. and
two coiored boys. Oliver aud Smith Watts. For
Ave days they were weather bound IA the lower
bay, and on the morning OF the 2lst sails were
spread and the vessel stood out to round Sandy
Woper.losEed ana abandoned OF the jersey
coast. Splashes OF blood on her deck. a
and one cold. mansled human hand told the
story OF O crime. Hicks was ut his home in Con-
nsStieHs. where be ot tod d a story Of !, dtsa;,er' and
himself; and what a wonderful, escape he htd
had. he was arrested, tried before Judge ship
man. convicted. and sentenced to die on July Is,
1881. He then made a full confession, He said
chat on the night on which they. rounded Sandy
with an axe. intending TO kill him and get his
money e.: tn The &c! Gspts siph6 maas t a tses IPs e a1 fight
va way fought to the ms des Ga' * TRRsrssA the he s'% ses1efsa
then attacked the boy. and forced them to jump
wave, clutches the rail- but in an instant the
axe had severed ms hand and it fell TO the deck.
took place On Bellows Island. and all New York
was afoat to witness II. Hicks was taken to the
island FROM the loot or Canal street on board the
United States Marshal.
On the way to Bedlow's Island the Red Jacket
passed a newly painted and rugged sloop, from
The masthead OF which foated a new 6ursee
with the name Edwin 4. Johnson. From the
as the Red Jacket steamed past Hicks looked
in the direction of the cheer. His eye fell upon
became ashen. Tor the sloop was the one on
which he had done the slaughter. When asked
been adjusted around his neck, he reVllei sui
lenly, Hang me quick!"
Nathaniel Gordon. who hailed from Portland.
Me-. and was master Of the ship Erie, engaged
In the siHEs trade ra6 In august; h ds al ne ship
nent, and exchanged her cargo of $50 hosshea!5
OF rum for 500 naked negroes. men, women and
children, who were packed in the hold. During
the return voyage these unfortunate wretches
suffered terribly: Twice a dag the dead had to
the chagrin OF Gordon. TO whom each death
meant SO much loss OF gold. VIII within nfty
sloop-of.war Michigan hove in sight. Gordon
became alarmed and the Erie was speedily run
before the wind, flying the Spanish coIors.
Uncle Sans ship, however. soon overhauled
the Erie. and Gordon was placed under arrest.
and gold and every quibb!e possible within The
law failed His aged mother and his wife went
on their knees in tears before President Lin
sentence upon Gordon, he had shown no mercy
and none would be extended. On the morning
on which Gordon was to be executed he at
tempted suicide by taxing poison, and begged to
be allowed TO die by his own hand; but justice
was not to be cheated in this way, and he was
carried to the gsllows on Feb. II. 1852. A few
seconds later he Was dangling beneat tn the cross
beam.
Three months after the hanging OF Gordon the
cross-beam strained under the weight OF VIII
liam Henry Hawkins, a negro cook on the ship
Lamsrgier. The Captain OF this vessel was
William II. Adams, who had incurred the dis
pleasure OF Hawkins By brutaIly beating him
because a dinner served up by Hawkins was not
to his liking. That night Hawkins stole into
the CAPTAINS cabin and killed him with an adZe.
Hawkins was hanged on June =, 1852, in the
TOmbs yard. While standing with the moose
about his neck he made a scanning arraignmeut
OF American ship Captains. and said he was
willing to die II his death would only be the
means OF directing attention to the suTerings
OF the sailor lads.
Notch four stands for the execution OF James
b.. Beall, a Captain OF the second Virginia Regi.
ment ofthe southern CoRfederacy. He was con
victed OF s%cuttlipg vessels on the great la rs,
} Yankees, were passengers. He was captured
late in the fall OF 1851, was tried rs a spy and a
guerrilla. and sentenced to be hanged on Gov.
ernOr's Island. Thither the old gallows was re-