Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1901-04-28
HEAD JERKEo OFF.
Rope freaks when Trap sprung q
"Biack Jack" Ketchum.

hlafh JACK hetthuins
Clayton. \ NJ. April 21.-Thomas
+ Ketchum alias BLACK Jack" the
noted outlaw. who had terrorized the
people OF the southwest for the past u
years. was hanged here Friday after
noon for train robbery aud his head was
severed from the body by the rope. as II
by guillutine The headless trunk
pitched forward toward the spectators
aud blood spattere cd upon those nearest
the scaii0ld
The execution took place inside a
stockade built for the occasion. The en-.
closure was crowded, $50 witnesses hay.
ing been admitted When Ketchum
mounted the scaiiold at l.l7 p. m. his
face was pale but he showed no fear. \
priest stood nc his side as the ropo was
being put around his neck The con.
demned man had consented 10 this az
the last moment Ketchum declined TO
make a speech. He muttered.
Goodbye, he then said PLEASE
dig my grave very deep and as
the cap was drawn over his face shout.
cd: LET her ~"
His legs trembled but his nerve did
not fail At l:2l p. IN. the drop was
sprung, the body shot through the trap
and the head was torn from the trunk
by the tremendous jerk. The head r..
mainod IN the sack and fell into the pit.
The body dropped TO the ground quiz.
eriug and bleeding. Some men grOaned
and others turned away unable 20 On.
dure the sight For few seconds the
body was allowed 10 lie there half
doubled up on its right side with the
blood issuing IN an intermittnnt stream
from the several arteries A. the heart
kept on with It's mechanical beating,
Then the officers rushed down from the
scaifold aud lifted the body from the
ground. Dr. Slack pronounced life eX.
/ tinct within few minutes.
The result showed that the drop Of
seven feet with the running moose was
too great for 50 heavy a man as Kotch.
um, who weighed about 10 pounds.
Sheriff Garcia superintendent the eGecu'
ton aud himself let the trap drop.
Ketchum spent the greater part Of tho
morning in reviewing his past life dur.
ing which time he displayed perfect
self-coutrul Io cursed the railroad aud
express companies and the officers who
were instrumental in his conviction,
tho people OF New Mexico ia general
aud their laws lie acknowledged that
he planned and led his gang Ia many
robborcs accredited 90 him. in
Guiding the robbery on the Southern
Pacihc railroad at Stein Pass in 1897
and that on the Colorado southern In
lsgs lie knew who killed young Her.
setin no Liberty, Tex, iu 1880. but
would give no names, claiming the
guilty persons were alive Io said that
he knew who killed A. b Powers in
Tom Green county, Texas, ia 1895, and
said that Bud Upshaw who was accused
had no knowledge Of the crime.
He said be- was not the original
"Black Jack The real BLACK Jack,
he said. got the name because he was
very dark and on the Erie roundup in
Arizona there were two Jacks They
called him Black Jack to distinguish
him from the other.
Ketchum said that Frank Harrington,
the conductor who shot him, caused
him 10 lose his right arm. lie asserted
that l.. O. Port, the Wells Fargo attor'
ney will be killed within year
II struggled a letter out Of the prison
at Santa Fe, said he, and those men
are marked"