The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-04-08
Murdercrs Are Executed Under the
Spanish System in Puerto
Rico.
ONE RESISTS THE ExECUTIONER
Two of the Condemned Men, Broth
ers. Kiss Each Other GOod-by
Their Crime Was an
AtrOciOus One.

| Ponce. Puerto Rico, April 7.-Simon Rod
! eriguez. Carlos Pacheco. Hermogenes Pa
| checc. Eugenio Rodriguez and Rosalie
! Santiago. convicted of the murder. in Oc-
| tober. 1885, Of Prudencio Mendos. at fauco.
after criminally assaulting the wife and
daughters of their victim. who were COM
PEELED to dance about the corpse. were exc
cutcd to-day by the garrote during the cd--
ly forenoon in this city al spot about a
mile from the Jail.
Business was suspended and large. but or
derly crowds lined the streets and surround
ed the elevated platform upon which the
execution took place. The policing was yer
feet. \ company of infantry was held in
the vicinity but its services were not ne"d-
ed. Tho men. manacled and attended Icy
priests. received visitors during the las;
twenty-four hours They slept but little
and smoked and talked much. The father
of the Pachcco brothers visited his sons.
and the sentencing Judges. who were pfcs-
ent. were compelled to turn away from the
scene
The owners of public coaches having re-
fused the use of their vehicles, two
were used to carry the condemned men to
the place of execution. Each had n cart to
himself. and was accompanied by priest.
The execut!oner''s cart led the process SION
The condemned men Were manacled hands
and feet. and wore black caps and robes
which were adjusted upon them by the
chief executioner who told the men to be
brave and reminded them that It was not
personal matter with him. but simply the
carrying out of the law
Resistcd ExecutiOncrs.
EuEtnio Rod"rig1cz resisted the eycCu-
TONERS and in the scuffle his clothing was
torn. Before he was subdued five ot'ic. RS
were required to overpower him. He ad-
dressed the crowds on his way TO the plat
form. declaring his innocence AMI bias
phemfnE and cursins every one, in spite of
the efforts of the priests.
The women along the route of the pro-
cession walled and wcpt as the condemned
men went by
halt was made near the platform. and
the carts proceeded singly To til. steps.
Some of the condemned men walked up. but
others had TO he carried to the platform.
where they were seated ard bound with
their back to the posts As the executioaer
frightened the screw rapidly the bodies
twitched for two or three minutes. and
then all was over
The first body slipped from Its fas:enngs
and fell to the floor an hour after the 'Xe-
cution. The other bodies remained in posi-
ton on the platform for four hours.
Thousands of people. unmoyed. viewed
the spectacle and heard the speeches Of the
condemned men from the platform. bat they
refused to hear the speech OF the exccu-
TONER. who cooly paced the platform. The
Pacheco brothers kissed each other fare
we'll just before the execution. The citi-
Zens of this place censure the American
authorizes for permitting the Spanish mode
of execution. although they favored the
death penalty being inflicted. The crowds
dispersed in an orderly way after the exc
cution and the business houses We're ie
opened.
la dispatch from Washington last night
said that the American authorities per
mitted the execution to proceed under the
Spanish system rather than interfere with
the courts decree. Interference. it was
feared. would cause a disturbance