Year: 1868

A man named Rufus Ludwig was
was hung at Salisbury, North Carroll,
ma, on the rs ult., for the murder Of
his wife, to whom he had been mar
ried only eleven days. The follow.
ing scenes at the scafold are descri-
bed by a correspondent Of the New
York Herald: .-..


Mr.. Rumple, the Presbyterian min.
lister, then made some appropriate re-
marks, and offered ferveut prayer
for the prisoner. The crowd geper,
ally stood up and uncovered their
heads during the prayer, though the
sun shone warm through a thin veil Of
clouds. The prisoner remained seat
ed, and appeared rather inattentive
to the prayer. ,He by no means
engaged fervently in devotion
and in the midst of tbe most solemn
invocations of the minister called a
man some steps from him aud asked
for a chew of tobacco, which he took
and put in his mouth. He was con,
tinually looking about, one of his legs
hanging over the side of the wagon
body carelessly. At the close Of the
| prayer he was told! that he could now
make any remarks be choose. He at
once began in, q low voice, first re-
questing that his neighbors would
draw near so that they might hear
him especially. His object was appa-
rent afterwards. But there was very
little change of position in the atten-
dant crowd. Perfect quiet and order
was observed.


He said he was about to be hung
for e crime not committed by him, but
by Others not there, but somewhere
else; that they had done the deed and
| packed it off on him; that these par
ties were his mother and his sister
Jane; that they had killed his wife,
and he had no hand il it. He said
that he was saddling bis horse the
next morning after his wife's leaving
home for the purpose Of going to her
mothers to see about her; that some
thing seemed to tell him that all was
not right about her absence, though
she said she had started to visit her
mother the day before; that about
the time he was mounting his horse
his mother and sister came out and
told, him not to 60, for he would moi
find her at her mothers, for that they
themselves had killed her. This ht
said, they told him then, and it was
the first that he knew about the crime
that he was not at the killing, anG
knew ''nothing aboutth hour nor tbs
minute Nhen it was done. He saiC
he never saw his wife after she lef
home to 20, as he thought, to be


mothers, and that he neger saw be


dead body. He said they told hin


they shot her and cut her throat, an,


then threw her 10 the water course. =


This is the entire Substance Of hi


statement, arranged much more syste


matically than be made il, and most


ly in different words, for be was s


extremely incorrect and ungrammati


cal in his use of language that yel


bal copy of what he said would scarce
J. ly convey an idea when put on papei
. This statement he repeated over an
$ over in disjointed way, saying th
5 sane words often, and representa-
y the same ideas under sundry diiferel
Z points Of view. He closed his fir
i i. gpeech by asking the Sheriff to |,
ot him speak again after another gray,
y should be offered by Mr.. Tillinghas
y \ ati Episeopalian minister, who was a
" SO one Of his two clerical attendant
This minister then spent nome
y Of private conversation with the crir
i. inal respecting the state Of his min
20 and concluded BY reading the pray


Of that denomination for crimius
1 L i