The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-05

George Is. Van Horn was hanged in
the Lackawanna county Jail in this
city soon after 10 o'clock yesterday
morning. From a hangman's stand
point the execution was as successful
and as free from revolving features as
was possible. The condemned mans
neck was broken by the fall. and, al
though his body was allowed to hang
for nearly fifteen minutes, he was no
doubt unconscious from the moment the
rope Straightened.
Van Horn went TO his doom without
an outward perceptible tremor. He
mounted the scaffold with almost no
assistance whatever from Sheriff Pryor
and Warden Simpson. who walked on
either side of him. During the short
time necessary to adjust the moose.
knee strap and black cap-his hands
had been previously handCuffed behind
him--hc gave one or two steady, sweep
ing gIanceS at the hundred heads be-
low him, and went to his doom with
no display of fear He was the game,
or the desperate man Of galloWs his
tory, according to the construction an
individual might put upon it.
Despite the knowledge that nobody
without one of the much-treasured
tickets of admission could enter, a
crowd of several hundred persons con-
grcgated on Washington avenue in
front of the Jail up Ia the time of the
execution. Meanwhile. the turnkey
stationed at the main entrance adj
mttted only those who were properly
credentialed. These numbered about a
hundred, and included men who rep
resented nearly all Callings. Even a
minister and an eX-minister, neither of
whom had any direct interest in the
hanging, We're among the number.
ADMISSION TICKETS.
There was nothing about the simple
tickets of admission to suggest the
legaliZed tragedy that was soon to take
place in the cool and mysterious depths
of the jail proper Each ticket was
about the size of lady's visiting card,
was pink in color, and read as follows:
Sheriff's Oflce.
Scranton, Pa, May t. 1Sy9.
William Y. Simpson, Warden, County
Jail:
Please admit ........s....... deputy Sher-
iff at .. IA, m, Thursday, May t. lS99
Clarence f. Pryor, Sheriff.
To secure these bits Of bristol board
hundreds of the morbidly curious per-
sons had impOrtuned Sheriff Pryor for
several months past. out of the very
large majority who were refused
scores tried to bring all manner of
political and business pressure 10 bear
to possess them, but to all of these
Sheriff Pryor was obdurate. To some
of the more gruesome enthusiasts he
was obliged to remark with emphasis
that the hanging was to be somewhat
of a serious matter and not an incident
provided for the purpose of furnishing
| a half-holiday's amusement TO men OF
nerve Even this kind of answer
failed to discourage many applicants
| who continued their canvas up to the
hour of the execution.
Every man present was there as a
physician. sheriff's juror or "A deputy
| sheriff. While waiting in the warden's
Office and in the corridor the Jury pre-.
pared its instrument showing that the
execution had taken place-that the re.
Cuhements of the law had been ful-
| tilled-but the paper was not signed
until after the sentence had been car,
ried out. There We're no late arrivals
| All who saw the hanging were in the
! jail before 9.i& o'clock and ten minutes
| later they were conducted through tho
| iron gateway into the main Jail struc
twe, down a flight of iron stairs am
into the lower corridor of the nortf
wing where the scaifOld was in place.
| THE SCAFFOLD.
The plain but strongly built engin,
of death was of wood and stretched
from wall to wall. Behind it on tn,
right and concealed from view was III,
cell which contained the condemne,
prisoner. Privileged persons, including
District Attorney John Il. Jones anC
Rev. Thomas de Gruchy. of the Jack
son Street baptist church, occupie
positions on the balcony footway run
ming along the upper tier of cells anc
overlooking the galloWs.
| only the occasional harsh clank of {
heavy door of oak and iron revealed t,
the witnesses that preparations 70
bringing the condemned to the scaffolc
were in progress Though the wal
was only of four minutes duration, /
| lSeGlneQ Ten DtlOTe lbbNDttilS "tlt llttlt'
on the scaffold stairway and the heat
and shoulders of Rev. II. r. Bulgin
Ivan Horns spiritual adviser, appearet
laboVe the scaffold landing, FolloWint
him came Van Horn. With slow bu
firm and steady steps he mounted t
the trapped floor. Sheriff Pryor on hi
fright and Warden Simpson on his left
had a supporting grasp on Van Horn
larm, but he walked with such appar
lent assurance that the majority O
those present will probably declar
that he could have made the tryin
tourney alone if such had been re
Iquired of HIM
Van Horn was dressed in finely fit
ted suit Of black. He wore a sma
lbouteniere of violets. Tie sack Goa
was buttoned and II made prOmnen
the wearer's really finely built 1igur'
which, until the hour OF his deatl
had usually been seen at a disadvar
tage owing to his indifferently wor
or carelessly selected attire. He Wor
pair of black leather slippers.
NEEDED NO SUPPORT.
Without a supporting hand, until al
ter his knees had been strapped, VINE
Sheriff Fryor put his hand on Va