Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-04


 Plew, who murdered William Wake i field, was hanged in the state prison at Wethersield early this morning.
 In a cell in the death row" not many hundred feet away from the ex- ecution chamber, was Mrs Wakefield, under sentence of death for compile tty in the crime. She was originally sentenced to die with Plew. but by a strange coincidence arguments were made for a new trial before the su- preme court on the very day she was sentenced to be hanged-the appeal acting as stay of execution. Not Permitted to See Mrs. Wakefield.
 Mrs Wakefield was awake and pray, ing at the hour Plew paid the penalty of the law. Plew requested that he see Mrs. Wakefield before he died. but this privilege was denied him by the prison rules.
 Calm and unafraid he entered the execution chamber at 1902 o'clock; twenty seconds later he was strapped, the death cap and moose adjusted and the trap sprung by Warden Garner. At l2.13 o'clock the physicians pro- nounced him dead.
 Talked With Prison Officials.
 Plew made no written confession be- fore his execution: but talked freely of the crime to the prison chaplain and officials. During the day he was wis ited by his brother Isaac Plew of Sal isbury Mills. Orange county, W. Y.. and his sister Mrs. Mary E. Zedenburg of i New York.
 Expressed No Regrets. He evidenced no nervousness and ! seemed utterly oblivious of the fact i that he was soon to die. For himself i he expressed no regrets, saying that he ! committed the murder and was ready to pay the penalty.
 He entered the execution chamber with Q firm step and a calm look upon i his face. The prison guards, thorough l iv rehearsed in their duties, worked I silently and with incredible swiftness. Not a word was said and amid an op- ! pressIve silence the warden sprung the ! trap. There were no contoruons or i the body. which prison officials regard as a peculiar fact.
 To Be Buried at Hartford. l Dr. Fox, the prison physician. and Dr. r. c. Young, the resident physi- i clan. applied the stethescopes and oin- ciaily pronounced him dead Ii minutes and 22 seconds after the springing of the trap.
 1 The oody was placed in a black cas- ket. with silver trimmings. and 1t IS i understood that burial will be in one Of | the Hartford cemeteries
 Exonerated Mrs. Wakefield. i James PIew made no attempt to fight l for his life after his arrest for the klll- ing of Wakefield Without reserve he | told of the crime. showed no sign CT remorse contradicted nothing the state 1 claimed, and seemed after the death J sentence had been pronounced glad that the end was to come quickly IHe only comment that he made having ! any particular reference to the crime 1 was that in which he showed Nan af- lection for Mrs. Wakefield, expressing the hope that she would not suffer and saying she was not to blame. As PieW self confessed the murder his was a separate hearing and so far as possi- | ble reference to Mrs. Wakefield was avoided. Mrs. Wakefield having plead | ed not guilty had a separate trial in | which, so far as possible Plew's par | ticfpation was not gone into
 Had A Dull Mentality.
 In jail and later in the prison Plew had practically no visitors He made no complaints about confinement. and l showed no interest in the passing days. 1 Observation showed that he had a dull
 mentality. He seemed physically l strong for a man between 5 and 50, and was of ordinary ability as a farm worker. Plew with a brother once served a term for horse stealing in 1 Dannemora prison in New York, haV- ing been sentenced from Kingston in 1891. The brothers lived in Newburgh. 1 4 student in criminOlogy about that time ran across the Plews and in trac- ing their antecedents it was shown that they came from the Jukes fam fly of deficients whose progeny has buPdened society and filled many cells.
 Took No interest In His Trial. Plew having pleaded guilty to mur- der, the court, in order to guarantee all rights which are accorded by the constitution, accepted a plea of homi- eide, by which under the law, the -der gree of guilt was fixed by the court itself. Judge Burpee had previously accepted a similar plea from Joseph Bergeron, in another case, this being the first time in Connecticut that the statute had been invoked. Edwin $, Thomas, now federal judge for this district, was assigned as Plew's coun- sel. The evidence was presented dur ing three days sitting, Plew sat with MT. Thomas. He volunteered no infor- nation, contradicted nothing and did not even give his version of the incl dents as related by the states witness es. The case Was submitted without argument for Plew. The court thank = ed MT. Thomas for his efforts to aid his client, saying that he had done all stances.
 The Crime of Piewt.
 In the trial of PleW it was shown that he became acquainted with Mrs Bessie Wakefield three years ago 1nlie living in Middlebury. Plew's wife had left him. She has since married. TheTe is child by the marriage. An intimacy sprang up between sthem while Mrs. Wakefield was having dis 1 agreements with her husband Facts went to show that the woman appre- ciated the kindness which Plew had shown to her and her two children when her husband was cruel in his ! treatment Evidence was given that this intimacy ended in November, 1912 1 when the Wakefields were reconciled and went to Bristol to live. Piew, showed, he was impelIed by his love for her The previous intimacN Of the couple was known to Mrs. WaIzefieId's parents and others of the family who upbraided her for it. but did nothing to stop it. This phase the case was