The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1923-11-08
WALKS TO DEATH
WITH SMILE ON FACE


wheeling, Nov. 3.-Facing death with
utter calm. George Barrase, alias Mike
'isnic, paid the penalty for wife n,ur.
der oy being hanged in the stale peni.
tentiary at Moundsville yesterday after.
noon. The trap was sprung at 5:17
ana ten minutes later the murderer wo 4.
pronounced dead
Let er go, said Barrage with a grim
hicRer of smile after he had repes ,ad
Il short prayer.
lie had looked down upon tbo s,-.u
group Of spectators hut 8 ,no,,,o,,. 49,
anu smiled as he saw an acouoin-
anu from his home county of BROOKE
outrage walked upon the platform
uh"ssisted with slow but firm troll
"c'. Ii. NJ. Spur and Rev. III. G. Cam,
,Iau preceded him. He was folIowa,, ,,
rev. Fr M. ]. Coghlem. Rev Fr Iohv
II. Oorcoran, Warden $. =. Smith cd
other prison officials "Au
lie took his place at q .not :,
center of the platform which had
POINTED out to him. After few 400.
O"'s nc looked down below at tbe VIII
hesses to the execution. He noro1
iis mead to one side to peer under rot,
as lie identified some one he lind l,ro,,.,
i'ioohe county, smile OF recognition,
DioAe OUT over his face but I'm mo.
l'eiit sad reconciled expression 70
turned. re-
With Rev. Coghalm he renaatad =.
seconds. 'i =" It"
nave you anything TO say" the con.
uemhed man was asked.
Oh Goa nave mercy on NV sonl
sweet Jesus, Into thy hands | connie
III! spirit, he repeated. as he hnd hoo,
tausht, half mechanically.
1hen, Let 'er 60" he said end ,v,,,,
a parting glance ut those who had 90
oru III the death chamber, he con-
GUIDED, May God bless you"
Inc trap was sprung. and the fonr
PHYSICIANS gathered arosnd the body
with Stethoscopes. Ten lnin1tes la.o-
not murmur could be heard and
ueutn was pronounced. The body WINS
'aheh down, the physicians conducted
another examination and found thot tho
neck had been dislocated. Tho fo,,r
uoctoTs In attendance were DIR. II A
Ashwor'h and DIR. o. =. Wilson. prison
physicians, and Dir. ID. Edwin Morgan
OF wheeling, and Dr. Edwin Arnold of
Calls. "a
sui ciutchcd firmly in the dead
mans hand was the crucifi1 which had
alded In giving him spiritual consola-
ton.
Rev. COghlan, pastor of st. Francis
AaVlers Catholic church OF MoundsviIle.
had spent practically the entire day
with Barrage. Rev. Coghlan will also
have charge OF his burial in Mt. Rose
cemetery to-day.
Little nervousness was displayed at
any time by Bnrrage.
Mike always did have CUTS" an nc
quaintenance remarked after the exc
cution.
Only eleven persons in addition to
two state policemen. ministers, doctors.
guards and other prison officials, wit
nesscd the execution. The eleven were
neWspapcrmen and officers
This was the first hanging at Mounds
vile In eighteen months, and the first
since ). L. Smith has been warden.
The last man hanged was Morrison Pay
ton, Bcrkicy county negro, on May 4
1922
There are still seven mon in the deaf
house of the state prison Definite dates
for the hanging of none of them have
been set. The room in which the con-
demned men are kept is separated only
by wall from the death chamber. and
during the execution, the seven were re-
moved to the prison chapel
There arc not many executions that
have so few spectators as had the one
yesterday. The witnesses stood in the
prison lobby until time to be conducted
TO the death cell. They could hear the
playing and singing OF hymns as they
waited, but all music had ended before
the death march started.
A group of men of foreign appearance
were standing out In front of the prison
shortly before execution time. 1t was
said they were friends of Barrage.
They apparently made no effort to enter
the prison, and were gone before the
others who had come 10 see the hang
ing were conducted inside