The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-12-12
here Was Scene which Made the Witnesses
SiCken and Turn From the Sight When tn e
Rope, Which Had Not Been Tested, Stretched
and Let the Feet Of the WretChed Woman
Drag.--Her Body Was Held From the Floor by
Deputies Who Seized the Rope Until Death
Came After Fourteen Minutes.


the woman and administered extreme
JUNCTION. and then left the scaffold
There was a momcntary pause.
The deputies were slipping the knot
of the rope to see that It's action was
free. Raising her hand to her face,
Mrs. Rogers removed her eyeglasses,
and, handing them to Deputy Sheriff
Kiniery, said:
please send these to my sister,"
The woman was ordered to stand
She arose from the chair without ap-
parent effort and Deputies Spofford
and Kiniery pinoned her arms in
front of her. Mrs. Rogers raised her
arms from the elbow and held her
wrists together that the deputies
might bind them. A strap was grid
ed about her legs over the skirt.
Deputy Kiniery asked ii she wished
to make a public statement. There
was a slight twitching of the lips.
and movement of the head. indi-
eating that she had nothing to say.
Deputy Spofford pulled the black cap
over her face and quickly adjusted
the moose and stepped back from the
trap. at the same time giving the sig
nal and saying:
81 now execute the sentence as pre-
scrlbed by law, and may God have
mercy on your soul"
The trap fen at liza o'clock, with
a crash that could be heard hum
dred yards from the prison. The body
shot down like plummet and snapped
back when the rope became taut. The
woman trembled convulsively and her
feet dragged the floor The rope had
stretched, and to save the woman from
an awful death. the deputies on the
scaffold floor seized the rope and pull
ed the woman from the floor. The
spectators started forward at the
sight,
MY God! She'll return to con
sclousness If they don't keep her clear
of the floor" u witness was heard to
say.
The deputies pulled hard on the rope
and held hard, for the woman was
heavy, and the strain on them-w in
tnse, Minutes passed and the woman
still lived. It seemed an hour to the
witness. All the woman's weight was
being held by those deputies who
worked in relays and shifts In keep
ing the body from touching the floor.
Mary Rogers was being slowly
strangled to death by rope held by
the agents OF the state. and not from
nooSe attached to the gallows cross
tree
DR.. Dean Richmond, the prison ply
siCian, and DR.. A. V. Daley pronounc-
ed the woman dead at 1928, just four
teen minutes after the trap had been
sprung.
The witnesses and Others hurriedly
left the prison TO get away from the
scene, II was given out that the wo-
mans neck was broken by the fall, but
later private admissions were made
that Mrs. Rogers had died Of strangu-
lation, though the Official version was
that the second vertebrae had been
broken
The strict censorship imposed on
the three Vermont newspaper MEL
who witnessed the hanging, prevent
ed the story of the bungling becom-
ing known until late hour, when
ed in the hanging, and states wit
nesses. disgusted with the miserable
tangle, gave out the whole story.
which the prison officials neither de-
MED or affirmed
All Windsor knew tonight of what
had occurred within the prison walls.
Superintendent W. s.. Lowell 3 of
Windsor prison was not witness of
the hanging. Three minutes before the
drop tell, he hurriedly left the prison
building and walked TO the stable.
wnere he busted himself with his
horses until after the execution was
over Superintendent Lowell had the
confidence of Mrs. Rogers. and she
would talk to him when to no one
else, and he did not want to see her
hanged
Sheriff Peck, who had full charge of
the execution, but who turned the job
over to Deputy Sheriff Kiniery, be-
cause tor some time he had been suf.
fering from heart trouble, and there
was a fear that the shock would af-
! feet him greatly. He acted as sen.
try at the guard room door after Mrs
Rogers and her escort had passed
| through into the execution room.
Deputy Kiniery was not inclined to
say much about the hanging. but wha,
he did say was significant
Sheriff, why did the deputies take
hold. OF the roper" he was asked.
II don't want to say much .abouI
H." Kinlery replied. 1--WE didn't wan,
the womau's feet to touch the floor
r. "Did you not see that her feet wer,
nraReing?"
NO l do not 4 turned nay back