The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-18

Van Horns death warrant was re-
ceivcd from Governor Hastings by
Sheriff Pryor yesterday. 1t is parch-
ment document 2Ox24 highly embellish-
ed by lithograph and bearing the great
seal of the commonwealth. 1t reads
az follows:
In the name and by authority Of the COM
monwealth OF Pennsylvania, executive
department.
To Clarence T. Pryor, Esq, high sheriff
of the county of Lackawanna, or your
successor i'm office.
Sends greeting:
Whereas. At court of oyer and ter
miner and general jail delivery held at
Scranton, in and for the county of Lack
awanna, OctobC" sessions, 1884, certain
George X. Van Horn was tried upon a GER
tain Indictment charging him with the
crime of murder and was on the seventh
day of December, Anno Domini, one thou
sand eight hundred ard ninety-seVcn.
found guilty of murder in the first de-
gree and was thereupon to wit, ON the
twenty-ninth day of March. Ammo Dimiri
one thousand eight hundred and ninety
eight sentenced by the said court. that
he the said George X. Van Horn he taken
hence to the l.aCkawanna prison., aud
from thence to the place of execution,
within the walls or yard of said prison,
until he is dead.
HIS AUTHORITY.
Now, therefore. this is to authorize and
require you. the said Clarence T.. Pryor.
esq, high sheriff of the county of Lack
awanna as aforesaid, or your successor
in office, to cause the sentence of the said
court of oyer and termincr and general
iai. delivery to be executed upon the said
George X. Van Horn en- the tenth day of
January, Ammo Domlni one thousand
eight hundred and nnety-nine, between
the hours of ~ o'clock a. IN. and O'ClocN
II. m. in the manner directed by the sew
cnty-siXth section of the act of general
assembly of this commonwealth. approved
the thirty-lirsr day of March, Ammo Do
mini one thousand eight hundred AMI
sixty. entitled "an act TO consolidate. re-
wise and am,nd the laws of this common
wealth relating to penal proceedings ami
headings" and for So doing this shall
be your sufficient warrant.
Given under my hand and the great seat
Of the state at the city of Harrisburg
this 2lst day of October In the year Of
our Lord. one thousand eight hundred
and ninetY-eight, and Of the common
wealth the Cne hundred and twenty-third.
| BY the Governor.
Daniel RI. Hastings
| Richard T.. Cochran, Deputy Scceratry Of
the Commonwealth.
Sheriff Pryor after receipting for the
| document started in to study up the
| forms observed III reading the death
warrant fixing the dead watch and
| the like. The time fur The reading Of
| the warrant of the condemned is left
| To- the discretion nf the sheriff. 1t
will probably not be done i'll the pre-
| sent case until a few days before the
| time fixed for the execution.
WHAT WARRANT DIRECTS.
! The warrant directs that the sheriff
/ shall pro, eed to carry out his behests
according to the provisions of sec
! ton 76 of the act of 1860 Consolidat-
! ing, revising ana amending the penal
| code OF the state Of Pennsylvania
Upon looking ~ the clause it was
| discovered that section 16 refers [,
! penalty for murder in the second de-
gree. The sheriff is now puzzled as tc
whether or not this contradiction is
| going To cause him any legal bother
| He is charged by the warrant to hang
| a man by the neck until he is dead
but that same warrant directs that
| the penalty will be imposed according
| to the provisions OF clause dealing
only with imprisonment
| The error. if there is one, has beer
committed before. IT is safe Il
say, as the portion of the Warran
containing the directions in question is
| Autographed script