Graham guardian., 1901-05-03
NECK SEVERED.
Execution of Black Jack at Clayton. Neck
Cut from Body by Rope.

jerked off.
The execution took place inside
o stockade built for the occasion,
The enclosure was crowded; l50
spectators having been admitted.
When Ketehum mounted the plat,
form at LII his face was very pale
but his eyes swept over the crowd
coldly and boldly. as if he had no
fear. A priest stood at his side as
the rope was put around his neck.
The condemned man had con-
sented to this at the last moment.
Ketchum declined to make a speech
before the moose was put around
his neck, merely muttered "good.
bye" then said "please dig my
grave very deep" and finally, "All
right; hurry up" His legs trem'
bled, but be kept his nerve.
When the body dropped through
the trap The half inch rope severed
bis head as cleanly as if a knife
had cut it. The body pitched for
ward, the blood squirting from the
headless trunk. The head remain,
ed in the black cap and aew down
into the pit.
Some men groaned others turned
away unable TO cudure the sight
For "a few seconds tho ody was
allowed 10 lie there half doubled
up on its right side with the blood
issuing In an intermittent stream
from the severed neck, as the heart
kept on It's mechanical beating.
Then, with cries of oonslerna
ton, the officers rushed down from
the seafiold and lifted the body
from the ground.
Ii was only then apparent axact-
'ly what had happened. The drop
of the body was seven feet aud the
moose was made so that it slipped
easily.
Ketchum was heavy man and
the weight Of the body in the easy
running moose caused the rope to
cut the bead clearly off,
DR.. Slack pronounced life ex.
tinct in little over five minutes.
CONFESSION.
A special from Clayton, N. NJ,
says that Thomas T.. Ketchum, who
was hanged last Friday, mailed the
following letter to President Me-
Kinlcy;
"Clayton, N. NJ, April 26, 1901.
To His Excellency, President Of
the United States, Washington, d.
G. Dear Sir-Being now at the
town of Clayton, New Mexico,
awaiting my execution, which is
set for this day and realizing the
of liberty to other men
and the duty which / conceive to
be ineubent upon myself; standing
in the presence Of death, where NO
human aid can reach me, | desire
to communicate TO you by means
of this letter some facts which /
deem would be of interest to the
people through their president and
perhap be the means of liberallng
innocent men.
"There are now three men in the
Santa Fe penitenliary serving sen.
tences for robbery of the United
States mail at STEMS Pass, Ariz. ;,
in 1897, VIZ: Leonard Albertsou,
Walter Huhma and Bill Water
man, and they are innocent of the
crime as an unborn babe. The
names of the men who committed
the crime are Dave Atkins, Ed.
Will Carver, Sam Ketchum,
Brt nco Bill and myself.
81 have given my attorney IN
Clayton means by which the arli-
cles taken in said robbery may
be found, where we hid them and
also the names of witnesses who
live in that vicinity who will testi-
" that myself and a gang were in
hat neighborhood, both immedi
ltely before and after the robbery. |
"Ihe TACT that these men are in
accent and suffering, impels me TO
make this confession. While you
,annot help me and while realize
hat all efforts to secure commuta.
ION of my sentence have signally
ailed, ! wish to do this much 10
be interest of these innocent men,
Who so far as | know, never com
nilted CRIME in their lives. [
make this statement fnllv rpalizinr