Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-10
around the bitterness of the dying and The
opprobrium of the dead
Hush of Painful Expectancy.

around the bitterness of the dying and the
opprobrium of the dead.
Hush of Painful Expectancy.
A hush of a painful expectancy fell over
the little gathering in the jailyard when
the sound of footsteps in the building an
nounced the approach of McCue and his
guard Every eye was turned toward the
Jail door as the condemned man, walking
between two guards, stepped out.
McCue was attired in a dark pair of
pants, fastened around his waist with a
belt. He wore a white shirt. and was
without coat or vest while his head was
bare. lie was not handcuffed. The dis
tance from the Jail door to the scaffold was
forty or fifty feet around the corner of the
Jail
The condemned man was conducted i'm
mediately to the scaffold. In passing the
party of witnesses his face was in full
view OF ali
No Trace of Nervousness.
The expression of his countenanee seemed
natural. The lines of his cear-cut fea-
lures were drawn, it appeared, perhaps
more markedly than usual, but the cast of
his countenance seemed to be that of will
ingness and resignation rather than of
stern determination. His face and his
whole bearing were entirely without trace
of nervousness.
McCue ascended the scaffold with a firm.
natural step. Upon the platform when the
period for his voIitional activity in the ex-
ecution had practically ceased, he was alb
solutely passive in the hands of his guards.
With his face turned toward the east his
hands and feet were strapped while the
moose was adjusted about his neck
The usual black shroud and head cover
ing were also placed upon the condemned
man. Sergeant Rogers then, in low
voice, asked if he had any other word to
V. wa moi IL
BILE to those on the ground but he was seen
to turn his head slightly. All these ar
ranSementS We're made so eXpeditiously that
but four minutes elapsed from the en-
trance to the yard to the time when all
was ready.
Drop Sprung at Signal.
Sergeant Rogers then gave the signal and
the drop was sprung. Any fear that the
officials had entertained of mishap was
speedily dispelled. The body fell through
the opening with heavy jerk which prac-
tically marked, the physicians believed. the
end of the conscious mortal existence of ].
Samuel McCue
The brevity of this period alone made it
terrible to the witnesses. The unhappy his
tory of the man whose life the law had
claimed and all the dark and narrowing
circumstances surrounding the murder of his
wife gathered together to add distress to
the event. There from the ignominious
SCdiIoiu, diIlOSt Wlll4iH d stone 5 throw OF
his beautiful home, hung the man who
had once exercised over. the city of Char
lottesvlle that liberal authorit-l which is
vested in the city's chief exec = e.
Examination of the Body.
DR.. Hugh T. Nelson and DR.. w. D. Ma
con made an examination of the body soon
after the sprnging of the drop. Uncon-
scious life clung ienaciously to the frame.
Repeated examinations showed a fiutterng
heart, which did not finally cease it's fee
bic movements until a few minutes before
O'Clock
The body was taken down and delivered To
undertakers, who prepared it for burial.
The remains We're conveyed to Brookville
near Waynesboro for interment. There
rest the remains of the father and mother
of McCue. Beside them the body of their
son will repose.
On the caSket was the simple inscription
u. Samuel McCue.'
A large but orderly crowd followed the
nearse bearing the remains to the Chesa-
peake and Ohio depot. The sad procession
stirred evidences of grief in those who fol-
lowed and in those, who watched on the
sidewalks
McCue spent the last night of his life in
religious deVotions in his cell With him
all night were Rev. John B. Turpin of the
Baptist Church and Rev Harry B. Lee of
the Episcopal Church. The condemned man
prayed often and fervently while he lis
tened with reverent attention as tie min
listers read portions of the Scripture or
spiritual hymns.
Showed Deep Repentance.
His prayers. the clergymen stated. breath
ed a spirit of deep repentance The min
listers were also convinced that he felt an
assuring sense of forgiveness The peni-
tent exercise and ministrations continued
throughout the night until about 6 o'clock
this morning, when McCue fell into a seep
which lasted twenty minutes Upon awak-
ening he arose from his couch TO begin the
melancholy preparations for his execution
These were of the simplest character He
ate no breakfast but spent the balance of
the time in conversation with the ministers
and guards.
Rev. DR.. George L. Petrie, pastor of the
Presbyterian Church, to which McCue be-
longed, reached the cell of the condemned
man early this morning. Owing to illness
DR.. Petrie was unable to be with McCue
last night.
Confession Held Secret
While the formal confession was made
this morning a short while before the
hanging, the prisoner had made significant
intimatioas of his guilt in conversation with
the ministers. This however was altogeth-
er unknown TO any one else In fact, the
witnesses to the execution supposed that
heard that he had declined to speak when
given an opportunity on the scaffold Those
who saw him then, believing in his guilt.
marveled at his wonderful composure.
The confession of McCue was received
with relief by the people of Charlottesville
Instead of crowding his memory with a
greater load of opprobrium, it seems certain
that the people regard it as the one thing
within the power of McCue which could
in any way mitigate his popular condemna-
ticn. Practically all believed he was guilty
and nearly all approved in full of the legal
proceedings which brought about his DEATH
His gentle and reverent department since
his incarceration excited much sympathy,
which would have been greater but for the
belief that his pious asseverations were
hypocritical.
Today this obstacle is removed and the
is doubt that his plain, simple state
ment, attributing his terrible act to an evil
power which had mastered him, has placed
his memory in less malign setting.
Received His Relatives.
Yesterday the condemned man received
his near relatives in his cell and bade them
an affectionate farewell. In the night he
prayed fervently for each one of his broth