The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-04-26
HISTORIC HANGING.
Story OF Execution OF Jack Nc
Call at Yankton in
1877,

! so1OuS Clby JOuflAl, 90 JduGS ANoo'
nan of Yankton, deputy United states
marshal for South Dakota during the
last administration of President Chant
who had charge Of the Jail at Yankron
at the time of the hanging of Jack Nc
all for the murder Of VIM ]. HickOk
| CfWild Bill'') at Deadwood in July,
1876, was business visitor in Sioux
City yesterday. The murder of wild
Bill by Mccall in q gambling house at
Deadwood Mccall s arrest and acquit-
tai by jury of miners, his escape into
| Wyoming, his capture there and his
Subsequent trial before a United States
Judge at Yankton and his execution
form one of the most interesting chap
| ters in the criminal history Of Dakota
territory.
How about the Mccall hanging2'
suggested the reporter
"Oh, yes" old Jimmie" replied,
that was the only death watch | ever
stood had charge Of Mccall during
his trial and used to conduct him from
the Jail to the court house, distance
of about four blocks. One day we
passed crowd of school Children and he
stopped to watch the youngsters for a
minute I Thought | detected in his
manner a movement which Indicated
that he would attempt to escape if he
thought he mad half a chance, ! stepped
up to his side and as we walked along
| ] asked him he had not been thinking
of making break for liberty. He
laughed in way did not like, HeI
was cross eyed and ugly, | made up my
mind right then | never would give
him the shadow OF a chance After
that handcuffed him TO my left wrist.
He was bad prisoner. In attempting
to get hold Of the keys ne assaulted
Robertson, the second jailer, and struck
him over the head with a checker
board Robertson died in two weeks
from the effects of the beating"
Mr.. Nconan said Mccall was tried
before Judge Peter {. Shannon, whose
home was at Canton and who after
wards was killed in a runaway acci-
dent in California Judge Shannon
sentenced Mccall to be hanged on a
Thursday, which is said to have been
the first case in the west of legal exc
cution on any day other than Friday,
The date of the hanging was Thurs
day, March l. 1871
"On the night before he was to De
hung" Mr.. Noonan said, "a letter
arrived from McCall's mother and sis
ter, who lived in Tennessee. He cried
as he read the letter over and over.
Finally he asked for pencil and he
scratched oft reply and sealed the
envelope. He said be had just written
to his mother that he had only ten
hours to live.
II went out to take the coffin to the
place where the scaffold had been erect
Ied," Mr.. Noonan continued. Pat
rick McGillick, who now lives at
Mayfeld, s. D., accompanied me rs an
assistant Edward Tinge, who still is
in business at Yankton. dug the grave,
The scaffold was erected upon the com
mons near the present site of the hos
pital for the insane. A box was built
around the scaffold in such way that
when the body dropped through the
trap it was shut oft from the gaze OF
the 500 curious persons who had assem-
bled A rain had been falling al
morning, and as Mccall knelt in prayer
before the moose was adjusted to his
neck the rain fell gently upon his up
turned face. The rope was water
soaked and the knot failed to slip prop
erly The murderer s neck was not
broken and he died of strangalation.
! Women have decided that III cast
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"Stork" proposition. Perfectly proper
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