Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-01

within it's bounds there were inferred the
remains of people Of all colorS and rationale
ties, and the records show that quite number
of Indians (names not given) were here buried.
The northeast section of the ground was first
used for the whites, and there were divisions
for the colored race in the southwest portion
of the ground. and for soldiers who died during
the War of 1912 in the southeast section, and
to this section many bodies were brought from
Camp Hill (Where the Naval Observatory now
stands, on which hill o large body of troops
was encamped during the latter part Of that
war. In the northeast section of the ground
was inferred the body Of Patrick McGurk, the
first man executed in this District.
0NNcGURK, in 1903. lived ON F, between
Twelfth and Thirteenth streets north
west. BY trade he was q bricklayer, and was
very much given to intemperance. Sometimes
he would go home intoxicated and quarrel with
his wife. On one occasion he went home In
this condition and beat his wife severely, she
at the time not being in a condition to bear
such brutal treatment. The result was that
twin children were still-born, and Mrs. Nc
Gurk died soon afterward McGurk was ar
rested and committed to the jail-then two
story building. portion Of which now forms
the stable attached to Sproh's restaurant This
stable is in the alley between Four-and-a-ha1f
and Sixth streets and C street and Louisiana
avenue. He was tried and convicted, the prin-
cipal evidence against him being the declara-
tons Of his wife-for there were no Witnesses
and the case was taken to the Circuit Court,
which caused delay in the execution of the
sentence.
A HORRIBLE SCENE.
"At the time appointed for the execution q
gallows was erected at the foot Of Capitol Hill,
between Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues
The Capitol grounds were not then incIoSed,
but scattered over them were q large number
of forest trees, especially on the west portion.
hos f11o ofnl
the time arrived he was taken in cart to
the place Of execution, attended by q priest.
When mounted on the platform he was asked
If he had anything to say. His reply was:
When mans character is gone his life Is
gone. These were the last words he ever
spoke. He then cast his eyes above him, as If
looking at the sun, and the next moment he
jumped of the platform with the rope around
his neck. before the Jack Ketch' had time to
draw the cap over his face. The priest, whose
name was Young, instantly shouted to him:
'McGurk, don't hang yourself The executioner
Immediately ran up the steps and tried to pull
him on the platform again, but he could not
succeed further than to get his feet on the
platform, his body Stin swayng OF; SO he
jumped of again and while dangling in the
air some one below hastily cut the rope which
held the drop and it fell McGurk made three
or four convulsive struggles with his arms
and shoulders, his arms being pinioned, and
his life was gone
NOT ALLOWED TO REST IN GRAVE
I'm short time his body was placed in o
coffin. placed in a cart and conveyed to Hol-
mead's graveyard and there buried. This
caused great dissatisfaction among some of the
citizens who had relatives buried there. Ac-
cordingly, small number of persons went to
the graveyard, exhumed the remains and re-
inferred them on the opposite side of the in
closure, In a small ravine on the land of the
late Col. Michael Nourse This act coming to
the knowledge of some Of McGurk's friends, a
party of them went out one night, disinterred
the body, conveyed it back and deposited it
again IN the graveyard whence it had been
removed. Upon this being discovered great
excitement arose among those who had friends
buried there, and they determined, at all haz-
ards, that the body Of the murderer should not
rest there. Taking advantage Of an opportu-
nifty when the other party was OF guard, they
dug q grave in the next square east of Hol-
mead'S burial ground, near little branch that
runs through q thicket of brushwood and
thornS-a perfect quagmire-So as to turn the
water over the grave, and then buried it again.
This occurred In 1904, during the administra-
ton Of President Jefferson. Years afterward,
colored man in the employ of the late VIII
liam ONeal, while engaged in digging a post
hole, came across the remains of the coffin
which had contained the body of McGurk.
Subsequently 1t was admitted by some of the
Hines family Of the first ward that they were
OF the party who removed the remains. They
were opposed to allowing them to rest In the
ground adjoining the body Of female men,
Der of their family who had died short time
before.
SGrT~HE records of the cemetery now in possess
sion of w. r. Graham (who with his
father had charge of the grounds for a number
of years. date from 1912, and are quite full
from that year, but from the older books leaves
containing entries for the previous years are
missing. Among the intermentS recorded we
find under date of November 80, 1915, the