The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-13

Cooper were. unable TO- feel the pulse beat.
Then Or; W. J; swinton applied a kaleidoscope to
and the body was allowed TO hang two minutes
lonser. AZ l0:l8 the stethoscope was again APP
Pti ! BY d RT; sv bSSsI:i Sns mo MADE Rsl ;Ss saS SSsl sss b
tho doctors talked together for q moment, and
then Or. swinton said:
According to the doctors. Il was tust nine min
utes after the weight fell until life was extinct.
wood and lined with white satin, was brought
up. The moose was pnfastened, the black cap
eonsenus Of opinion among the doctors was that
death had seen produced by strangulation, but.
IL could not be definitely determined whether
the neck was broken or not. The body was
1S5nsd o Doa M to TBs JI%sr sDd *. S Of sSe w Sin9YS, Is
made IN the Fairmount burying ground in
hunterdon county, near where Clawson's
Outside OF the jail for some time before and
after the execution a crowd Of several hundred
Clawson's brother, George. As the clock in the
beltry OF q church near the Jail struck 10 George
"Til shoot the = that pulled the rope that
hanged my brother"
Until he muttered the threat It was not known
who the young man was. When his identity
was disclosed a policeman was detailed to keep
q close witch upon the young man until he left
Not until after the execution took place were
the details OF a plan carefully laid by, Clawson
never would have been known had not Clawson
told of the plot himself, On Saturday afternoon
Now that the Court OF Pardons won't do
anything for me and I've decided to take my
III turn them over to you"
With that he handed to Amerman a small
tortoise shell p%enknife, whose two blades were
sharpened to q razor edge. Besides this, he
turned over a case knife. also very sharp, and a
piece of wire. filed to a point on one end. An
It was found that the wire and the penknife had
been concealed in holes IN the wallis Of his cell;
bits Of string left protrudins to indicate where
thu, articles were, The caseknife was concealed
these things came from. but now that the law
has taken its course he refuses to tell who
brought them into the Jail.
Elmer Clawson was a child Of nature. He was
born in Hunterdop county nineteen years ngS;
s ats m .,an NV was a ZEN psnnsJL ssi az S T0maa OF little His
father had served as a private in the war. When
the war was over he came back to New Jersey.
and drank a great deal, He died two years after
Elmer was born. and three or four years after
she still lives. Their home is a poor one. not far
from Pl%uekamin; Elmer had three brothers,
As soon as the Ciawson boys were old
enough they were bound out by their step
was eight years old when he was thus sent away
from home; He never had any bringing up: He
issm sFsw wh ,ts sr rG sBRissti fnd i i 5asi The sf LAD ANY iyo: 9iissssy
little more interest in q bound boy who was in
be alive to-day. Cla~soh served different farm
ers for different periods OF time and finally went
sS satT he hfS sfS upon "a y TSieE Giaeson's no, Sse
and father lived for a short time, He remained
e GsoR bbS Ss snd general 3 ssal' f aG1ns h sGs "G aods Ss :
found Il necessary now and again to reprt;
% Wound 's ssir Geyih his l Work ia'! she TeS s'a be eoa aRi
to- 90 81, sh0 sSaasv about 20 ,bs the M,, Country N side That
He He W Va sn SeS snSS Tieds os It te 5. at she Best M sRoe in ali
that district, but he killed his game, It is said.
not as a sportsman. but with a desire TO destroy
LETT the employ Of Hodsetts OF his own free viii.
For four years he did similar work for other
aafI Bernar the irs' wife @eSile he was With herRRe
was at times very respondent. and a week be-
s1fe &c x Hfts P a9ds sfssp he Il H!' sas neae to seem ssm9 ae
termined whether Mrs. Phillips discharged
accord. At any rate, he left her, and the day
before the murder returned to his mother. He
1 1sscseS tb the so distance hs ns Sn t 6,ey mss hi, M ne1b he
In the kitchen, and said:
Hello. mother. I've come to stay until to-
morrow. then I'm going over TO kill Harry
hqdsssss: After I've killed him. I'm going to
ments before: so she said:
What nonsense. Elmer. What are you going
70 kill those men fori They never did you any
10. Sgs thssy have done you dirt" was the
ofdee. 50 has Abel. You never got the letters.
s Ssse saae. ' sHs I'm 'I seIas eu to ' Ri4 S both s ot ,i saas
Here's the thing thatu do the Job"
With that he pulled out a revolver that he
had obtained from a boy friend. who had traded
it for a shotgun. The next morning Clawson
said nothing about his purpose to do murder,
He set of in the direction in which Hodgetts
lived. On the way he stopped at the house OF a
farmer. where his brother was working. The
farmer told Clawson that he would give him a
quarter to drill some corn. Clawson accepted
the offer and worked for a couple OF hours. Then
he started on again Four years TO q day from
the time he left Hodgetts's employ. about :
o'clock in the morning, he rode up TO the Hodg-
etts house. When he knocked on the door Mrs.
HodRetts came.
Good morning. Mrs. HOdgetts," said Claw
son. is Harry in =
Before the woman could answer. her husband,
who had heard Clawson's voice through the open
door, came out.
why. Elmer. is that you r said the farmer.
Where did you come from r
Without giving a direct answer the boy asked
HodRetts II he didn't want to hire a boy. When
he received q negative answer the boy asked
how many cows the farmer. was milking. On
being told he quickly and without any warning
drew his pistol and fred three shots, One took
effect In the right breast, another under the left
shoulder blade, and a third went wild. Hodgetts
sprang forward to Rrapple with the boy, but the
latter jumped away and ran for his bicycle,
while the farmer fell forward. dead, his wife
standing in the doorway. a witness to all that
vile, probably to carry out his threat to kill the
station agent there. A number OF Hodgettss
netghbors, hearing Of the murder. organized a
posse and soon caught him.
The defence on the trial was insanity, and a
number Of alienists, including DR.. Landon Parker
Gray OF New York. testified that the boy WAS a
degenerate and totally incapable Of distinguish
ing between right and wrong.