Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-06-07
4 MILITARY EXECUTION.
The Hanging of Danny Deever
Seen by Sic Thousnnd Soldiers.


81 was compelled unwillingly some
years ago." says writer in Scraps,
ITO be spectator at military execution
in great station in the northwest prov
inccs of India. There had been so many
shooting cases of late TINT the command
err in chief ordered the execution to take
place on the parade ground and al! the
available troops to be on the ground. 1t
was in the cold weather, two or three
regiments We're passing through, and
these were ordered to 50 into camp until
the dreaded day arrived.
..At daybrcak the five British and four
native regiments were marched to the
parade ground and formed up into three
sides of n square. on the incomplete side
being a wooden plntform which was top
ped by couple of upiights and cross
beam, from which a rope dangled omi
nously. AS / was noncol. had good
opportunity of sc,utnizing my comrades
faces as we stood easy
las | glanced along the line my
thoughts went back TO the day when I
had seen many of these men engaged in
the biootliest battle of modern days.
working their tools among tie seething
misses of heathendon, with TINT proud
flush on their faces never seen except on
the faces of victorious troops. Now ey-
cry face wore an ashen hue; they fdgeted
about, bit their chin straps. twisted their
mustaches with unsteady hands and did
their level best to appear as unconcarncd
as possible. A ghnstlier failure never
saw before or since. Despite the oppor-
tunties afforded me of moving about,
felt, to say the least of il, particularly
uncomfortable.
Il thought what a change the sight OF
an enemy would effect in those CHASTITY
beings before mel Alas, there was moth
ing to kill that morning. save a poor
Tommy Atkins who had run amuck
among his fellow men and shot a supe
rior, and now he was to meet his death
at the hands of o half caste.
"MN musings we're broken in upon by,
the thtsl of untitled drum away down
1 by the whitewashed bungalows. Imne
| diately the dead march In Saul came
waiing over the cold morning air. At
| tention. With rattle our rifles We're
/ brought into the order, ard then we wait
/ ed. oh. such n long time it seemed to me
4 before the long procession resolved itself
/ into funeral party. but with the chief
| character in the procession in the full
/ vigor of manhood.
Leading the procession was an armed
party with arms reversed. then the band
! and drums, followed by an escort of four
men, surrounding fair haired, handsome
| young soldier, who marched past us with
/, head erect and with firm step, the coolest
man out of the 5000 present. The step
i of many of the band and escort was err
ratio, but the bare headed soldier never
made n false step the whole time, he
even calling the attention of one of the
! escort to change step
lie mounted the scaffold, accompanied
by the chaplain. the provost marshal and
two men: the band ceased playing, and
then began the most solemn of ali litur
!! gies, the burial OF the dead Ere this
< however, he IVES asked if he wished t.
address his comrades. His words were
Comrades, deserve my fate. I'm heart
lily sorry for what I've done and hope
q God will forgive me. Keep away frou
drink: never lose your tempers. Coo
bless you all. God help mel
During the pinioning process the chap
lain repeate the burial service or, rather
extracts from it, and inst as the bolt wa
drawn repeated the words. Lord, recciy
} his soul" Many circulated feryen
'Amenv
Instantly the brigadicrs voice ran,
out: FFours-right. BY the left-quicl
march" The whole force was marche,
past the scaffold and made to eyes right
on arriving there, so that every MAJ
should see the quivering mass which wa
suspended from the beam. We marched
back to the camp, right glad to get ava.
from the scene; yet. try as we might, w
could not cast off the gloom which ha,
settled upon us. During the time w
, We're waiting on parade scores of men
principally youngsters. tainted. as tiei
nerves were overstrung at the thought o
what was coming.
Although had seen an execution of
civilian, it made not one 1.-THE of the in,
preston on my mind as did this e1ecu
ton