The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-06-18
PUBLIC HANGING
NOT DEMORAL|z|NG
Says The Starke Telegraph, Con-
corning StOver's Execution.


The Bradford County Telegraph,
edited by Hon. E. S. Matthews at
Starke, in referring to the execution
of Clyde Slower in this city last Fri
day, says:
"Sheriff Kennerly, of Putnam coun-
ty, has the unpleasant task today of
hanging Clyde Slower, the murderer
of the Gardner brothers. But this
should be less disagreeable to the
sheriff than the interference from va
rious sources with his arrangements.
Yet he goes about it according to his
own notions, considering that it is his
own business and nobody else's. He
has no facilities to hang the culprit
inside the Jail and must do it in public,
and the spectacle is said to be de-
moralizing. An execution by hang
ing, when all precautions are taken
to make it come off without mishap,
when the culprit is resigned to death,
and the place beneath the scaffold is
enclosed, presents nothing demorall-
zing, but we venture to assert, the
reverse. The praying and singing,
the prisoners farewell talk and the
power of faith which allows him to
face death without fear and regret
give a new beauty and meaning to
religion, and probably many scoffers
who defed the pleadings Of preach
ers, have become converted to re-
Iligion by witnessing such an eXecu-
ton. If we must have capital pun
ishment, by all means let us have it
in public. 1t will be decent then.
Hanging is quick and sure. Elec-
trocution is in many cases neither.
What horrows take place in the room
with the electric chair the public will
never know. Last, but not least, the
crowds who come to view a public
execution do not, except perhaps in q
| few instances, come to satisfy brutal
instincts. Some come to test then
nerves, but the greater part come to
find out how a human being behaves
in the face of death. Death is an or
deal we all must undergo sooner OF
later and death scene is naturally
interesting"
The tearing down of the screens
intended to hide the condemned mar
from the gaze of crowd, and which
.took place a few moments before the
murderer mounted the scaffold, was
not on order of Sheriff Kennerly. The
sheriff was in the Jail at the time at
tending to his duties and getting
ready to escort Slower to his doom
Sheriff Kennerly, however, states tina
he had heard threats Of tearing down
the screens had been made, but tina
he had paid no attention to the ru
mors, thinking them merely ldl'
threats.
There wasn't much to see, however
and those who saw anything had t.
look quick. The religious ceremon,
= was conducted inside the Jail. With
: in five minutes to II all was in readi
) ness. The twelve witnesses (otficial
mounted the scatfold; then came tn
: sheriff and his deputies with Slower
The condemned man walked brisk,
and without a tremor through tn
opening in the crowd and mounted thu
Iscaff1d boldly. His hands had beef
tied behind him before starting. from
the jail. Once on the scatfold M
time was lost. His feet were tiec
and then Sheriff Kennerly asked hin
if he had anything to say, to say it
Slower looked up and surveying thu
vast crowd with a sweep of his eyes
said: "People, got to 60 and hops
to meet every one in heaven. | hope
to meet you one and all in the swee
bve and bye" The moose was thel
adjusted by j. B. Studstill, and thu
black cap was then drawn over hi!
head; the sheriff then asked, oar,
you ready?" Instantly the repl!
came back, EYES," and the trap wa
sprung. From the time Stove
| mounted the scaffold until he wa
hanging at the ropes end in the en-
, closure has been variously estimate
at from a minute and half to tw
= minutes.
Dr.. Steen, the county physician, de
clared Slower was dead in six min
s. utes; that is his pulse had ceased t
beat.
The sheriffs of Clay, Orange an
Alachua counties were present to Sc
< the hanging. The Jail yard and tn
70 streets in the vicinity of the jail, an
the housetops surrounding were pacL
= ed with curious people.
Sheriff Kennerly is to be congratl
70 lated on the decorum and orderl
Q manner CT conducting the eXecutlo
1t is a disagreealle duty imposed c
y the sheriff by the law, but R. LIE
e Kennerly doesn't shirk when it CONF
/, to the performance of duty,
v The body of Slower was turned ovt
to Mooney Il Davis, and was burie
/. that evening.