The San Francisco call., 1898-01-06
INTERCEDES
 TO STAY AN
 EXECUTION Action of Dr. Wood bridge of Williams
 College. He Pleads With Governor Wolcott for the Life of
 Jack O'Neil. Says He Was Not Justly Con- victed of the Killing of
 Mrs. McCloud. HIS APPEAL IS FUTILE. Despite Scientific Reasoning, the Con- demned Man Will Die on
 Friday.
Says He Was Not Justly Con- victed of the Killing of
 Mrs. McClOud.
HIS APPEAL IS FUTILE.
Despite Scientific Reasoning, the Con- denned Man Will Die on
 Friday.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 BOSTON. Jan. 5.-Jack O'Neil. the murderer of Mrs. Hattie McCloud. will hang on the day of Theodore Durrants execution. This is in spite of a most startling attempt made to-day to save him. The Governor said that after considering the whole case carefully, in his opinion sufficient cause had not been shown to justify his interference with the sentence, and that he did not feel warranted in staying the execu- tion. In this conclusion the Lieuten- ant-Governor and members of the coun- cil present concurred.
 An attempt to save the condemned murderer from the gallows was made at the State house to-day, when Dr. Woodbridge of Williams College called on Governor Wolcott by appointment. His argument was sensational. Briefly, he purported to show that on the evil dence of the Government O'Neil was not justly convicted. He asserted in effect that the medical examination of the body of Mrs. McCloud was bung- lingly made, and that the report, so far from establishing the facts which it pretended to show, clearly established their falsity. In other words, it was clear to him that Mrs. McCloud was not the victim of a heinous assault, and that her neck was not broken by her assailant. but by the physicians who handled the body afterward. He ad- mitted that she died of suffocation, but 1t was his theory that 1t was epileptic a6phyxia-
 In proof of his allegations concern ing the neck not having been broken until after If had haar ha duced portion of the trachea taken from woman 36 years old, or several years older than Mrs. McCloud He def1ed any member of the council to break it. His own studies in Vienna, London and Bellevue Hospital, New York. had taught him that the trachea did not become brittle enough to break until late in ife-fifty years usually in women, seven or eight years younger in men. Ossification sets in about that time. the rings may be disjointed before that time, of course, but the material itself, cartilaginous substance. could not be broken until ossification had been produced. This his medical edu- cation had taught him.
 Recently, however, in order to fortify his argument, he had examined the tracheas of seven bodies of or about Mrs. McCloud's age and found his the ory sustained. It was the trachea of one of these that he produced in the council chamber. He therefore af- firmed as admitting of no doubt what ever that the neck was broken, not be- fore death, but after death.
 The most important assertion, how ever. was that which would be dis cussed more ffttingly in the pages of a medical journal.
 It was on the testimony of the physi- clans who examined the body he could prove that no attack was committed. Dr. Woodbridge also asserted and pro- duced authorities to show that the physical condition of Mrs. McCloud. which by the medical examiners tes- timony tended to prove assault, were in reality the necessary concomitants of suffocation.
 Dr. Woodbridge was one of the ex- perts summoned by the defense to tes- tify at the trial. but since his testi- mony at that time was covered by other experts. it was not given. After the trial was over Dr. Woodbridge took all the medical evidence of the govern ment and analysed it. He soon arrived at the conclusion that it was contradic- tory, and the deductions were unwar- ranted and dangerous. In the interest of the future. of science and of the con- demned man he felt obliged to attempt stay of proceedings.
 O'Neil is now doomed to die on Fri day and the death watch is set The gallows is being erected in the County Jail at Greenfield. O'Neil continues in the best of spirits. His appetite is ex- ceilent and he sleeps we'll He still maintains his innocence.