The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-12-13
Aged Murderer
Gives His Life
In Return For Muir
der of His Friend.
AN ATHEIST
He So PrOfessed
Himself to Be.
Created No Scene as He Walk
ed to the Death Chair.--Body
Goes to Medical College.

william Nichols, IS, Hardin county,
was electrocuted Thursday night in the
annex Of the Ohio penitentiary for the
murder Of Alfred Minard. near Ken
ton. July %. 1903.
Nichols body was taken from the
chair to the deadhouss of the psniten-
tfary. and viii be turned over to a
medical college. no relatives claiming
it.
Warden Gould entered the annex
where Nichols was confined to read
him. the death warrant He insisted
upon hearing il read, and afterward
made but one request, that he be given
some whisky before he entered the
death chamber, ''just to strengthen
the nerves" a. he said
BE refused several times to have
Chaplain Starr pray with him, prefer
ring 20 die q professed Atheist. He
expressed fear that his body would be
turned over to a medical college, but
seemed at the same time to believe that
his brother. who resides at Cynthiana,
Ky. would not see this happen. He
did not know that the money found
upon hls person after he had killed and
robbed Alfred Minard had been turned
over some time ago to Minard's rela-
tives. bat expressed the belief that it
would BE sufficient to bury MIN
when Nichols was received at the
Ohio psnitentiary one year ago last
month, he stated that he was 81 years
of age Nichols was a mulatto, and
could neither read nor write He served
in the Union army, his victim being a
civil war veteran
Nichols made no demonstration when
placed in the chair. He came forward
ooolly. When the stfaps were adjusted
he complained that one strap hurt his
arm you're hurting my arm," he
sid: ST ten you. you are hurting my
ann" When asked If he mad anything
to ssy, he never spoke, merely shook
his head At u :O4 the current wa.
turned on At 1911 the physicians
pronounced him dead.
In the confession Nichols recently
made ne said:
"Minard and lived together about
20 days in the marshes near Kenton.
BE had some money, about 800, and
We xanbled for it and won 1t. Or
July 2S, 1908. we were pretty drunk,
and went to Alger, small town neal
Ksnton, and drank some more.
son the way back to the cabin we
came to the forks of the road, one
leading to McGuffey. another small
town, and Minard wanted to go there
and get more liquor. but 1 dissented.
Finally We sat down under tree and
began to gamble
ENGAGED IN QUARREL
"He had no money but put up gold
watch against SO bill, and I wor
the watch We got into a quarrel, and
he struck me on the left arm with q
club. and then pulled a gun He shot
1t me twice. one bullet going through
my left shirt sleeve In self f-derense
hit him in the head with stone and
then shot at him, the second shot kill
ing him left him lying there and
never saw the body again
The country north of BeIlecenter il
infested with gang of holdup mer
thar have been getting in their work
pretty regularly. Within the past
three weeks three roOberies have beer
committed, the victims in each cas-
being relieved of small amounts oi
money, the largest amount being 81
and O watch The last case reported
wns by the son of Robert Sloan. VINO
wns . victim of the gang one night
last week.
II IL reported that a Bellecente,
young man was ordered to stop on tbs
road near. Yelverron Sunday night, but
instead he applied the whip to his
horse and escaped. ed.-Bellecenter Herald.
A a Hayward. general superintend-
ent Of the Dayton, Springfield and Ur-
bana Traction company, one OF the
Applsysrd lines. Thursday resigned hi;
position with the company TO accept
the position of general manager of the
York Trsction company of York, Pa.
ut y handsome increase in salary. The
resignation is effective upon the ap-
pointment of his successor. His head
quarters are at Springfield.
There was meeting Of the W. c. t.
Q. held in the lecture room of the
First Baptist church Thursday after
noon Rev. J. NJ Faris delivered an
interesting address. the subject of
which was Sabbath Observance. -
Thomas W. Lawson's advertising
Eampaign against amslgamated copper
caused sensational price decline in