The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-10
Rope Broke at the Execution Of a
Murderer.
ANDERSON HANGED TWICE
HE RECOVERED CONSCIOUSNESS
AFTER FIRST ATTEMPT.
Rope Parted and the Body Fell to
the Ground-Victim Carried Back
Feet Foremost and Placed In a
Chair-Murder deShip's Officers at
Sea and Threw Them Overheard.

Norfolk, Va, Dec. 9.-The death war
rant was read this forenoon to John
Anderson, condemned to be hanged for
the murder Of the mate of the Olive
Packer He was calm, and said that
he was ready to go.
81 shall die and go into the presence
of God without blot or blemish Of guilt
on my SOUL" he solemnly declared.
Representatives of the Anatomical
Society of Virginia made proposition
for the body. Marshal Treat answered.:
mo, sir; nothing less than an order
from the attorney general Of the Unit
ed States will get it,
Anderson was executed between 2
and o'clock this afternoon.
Anderson made a short speech, saying
he had forgiven the men who SWore
his life away, and would die at peace.
At 1905 the trap was sprung and An
dersons body shot upward. The rope
parted Just inside the knot, and his
body fell to the cobble-stones. A thrill
of horror ran through the crowd. Off
GERS and witnesses rushed to the body
and snatched the cap from his head, to
find blood ooZing from the mouth, nose
and eyes.
A doctor was called and soon Ander-
son opened his eyes and, it was said,
began to breathe naturally He was
carried, feet foremost, up the stairs to
the platform and laid down until a
chair was obtained. He was placed in
this. but never spoke.
Preparations for re-hanging him were
hurriedly made. The other end of the
rope was adjusted around his neck. He
was raised to a standing position and
the straps again placed on his limbs.
While being supported by the officers,
the trap was again sprung. In TWEEN
ty-three minutes life was pronounced
extinct. Ten minutes elapsed between
the first and second drips. Anderson's
neck was broken, supposedly, by the
last drop.
ANDBRSON'S CRIME.
Anderson's crime has attracted wide
spread attention, being sea tragedy
of singular romance and atrocity. The
schooner Olive Packer sailed from Bos-
ton. laden with lumber, for a point on
the river Platte, Brazil. When $50 miles
off the coast of Brazil, Anderson, a
SWede, had an alteration with the
captain. When the latter retired to the
cabin, Anderson followed and shot the
captain dead. Then he armed himself
heavily and went on deck where,
mounted on the forecastIe, he terrorized
all on board. The mate, who was aloft,
was called down, and, while pleading
for his life, was shot four times. Then
the crew were ordered to throw the
mate overheard, and, on protesting that
he was not dead, were assured that he
was dead enough" This done, the
crew were marched below at the point
of a pistol, and ordered to throw the
| captains body overheard. Then An
derson directed that oil be thrown over
| the lumber, after which the eil-soalSed
ship was set on fire, and the murderous
crew took to the boats
Anderson was apprehended at Bahia,
/ Brazil. and sent north on the United
! States gunboat Lancaster. He was
tried and convicted in the United States
court atsNorfolk, Va, and stubborn
| fight was made u 10 the supreme
court, the conviction being affirmed,