Year: 1867

Afo ChOO"o pAhAoucu Oculuu, Wlbu III


limp and soiled handkerchief Who'll


loped about from hand to hand, no,


rolled into bail and concealed il


his clammy palm, again shook ou


and depending like death weed up


on the door, from his trembling


fingers.


Regardless of the plain intimatiel


made by a representative of tht
press that the reporters did not de
sire to hear the history of his life
the murderer commenced, and from
infancy down to the time of the mur
der of Ewbank, gave diluted details
of experiences so common place and
uninteresting that his hearers became
wearied and unfxed their attention
from him and talked among them
selves.


Regardless of the importance hing
ing upon his words when any allu-
sion to his "destiny," 40 he termed
1t, was made by himself, be scared
above, dived under or swan around
the only object of interest so terri
bly, pictured on every mind present,
for of that m urder every one wanted
to hear him speak, but the "imp of
the perverse" prevailed, and where
in its pupil was most prolific, no pos
sible interest could attach; wherein
he was most close of mouth and
charry of utterance, there all interest
centered, and so to the very end.


CONFESSION


Trembled at times on those fear smit-
ten lips, but only inferentially could
the intellect gather any acknowl-
edgment of guilt from their guarded
utterances.


The black cap fitted his head close
ly and was thrown back like q hood,
and hung down between his shoul-
ders. A tuft of hair escaped in front
and stuck out above his forehead,
and the folds of the ghastly cap on
each side of the head impaired
Mephistophelean air TO the murder
er's face-such, indeed, as Satan
might have worn when despair first
seized him. His minister, the Sher-
itf and his deputy accompanied him
on the scaffeld, and treated him with
the most patient consideration. An
umbrella was held over his head dur
ing his speech, and in compliance
with his request a messenger was
dispatched into the city to inquire if
an editor from Parkersburg were TO
be found.


At last when exhaustion became
he spoke of the murder of
Ewbank and denied being guilty, but
admitted that he consented to keep
the secret for John Woods and the
other two men whom, he alleged,
were the murderers. He confessed
that he entered the conspiracy to
rob Ewbank of his wagon and five
horses, but gave no details of the
plot. The plan was changed twice
he said, the last time to that of pur-
chasing the property from Ewbank
and then inducing him to cross the
Ohio, in a skiff, where the others
were to give the man chloroform,
while Bumgar,lner remained to look
after the team. In carrying this out,
Bumgardner procured the skiff, and
explained that Ewbank toek the
fftA chain of the wagon into the
skif' with him. When the parties
returned they said in reply to Bum
gardner's enquiries that they feared
that they had killed Ewbank.


And there gentlemen, friends"
said the eulprit, 81 made the mistake
that brought me to this destiny. l
had mind to expose these men then,
for l was armed, but 1 didn't and /
wuz afeard they'd kill me an so l
did that wrong thing. / admit that
but by the laws on your statute books
you ar agoin to hang an innocent
man"


DEATH


Became frightfully present at last,
for the man felt that even in those
direful moments he was taxing sorely
the patience of all around him. He had
exhausted every word in his vulgar
vocabulary but still left untold the
truth. He knew mere than he told,
else how came the stone weighing
thirty-two pounds attached by the
fifth chain to the body of the muir
dered man from its quarry seven
miles above on the Ohio shore p
Was it not a part of the skiff prepa-
ration made by Bumgarduer accord
ing to his own confession? But it
is vain to inquire.


The solemn moment arrived, and
the murderer mounted chair with
ais knees and closing his eyes which
seemed still more sunken in their
deep sockets than ever, prayed earn
estly to God for support to bear his
punishment, for guidance to enable
him to make true confession of sin.


Holy be that prayer, but it seemed
and favored of coward
ice and concealment rather than OF
contrltion, and conversion from sin.


The minister also prayed that the
man about to die might be converted
and saved, even as one was who
prayed the Savior for remembrance
when He came into His kingdom.


The final act followed, but how un
willingly the unnerved murderer ap
preached the ingenieusly contriyed
trap! He feared to tread upon it, to
cross the square line that marked IFS
size and defined its separation from
the more foet-sure scaffold. A little
block of wood was placed for the
man to stand upon, to facilitate his
fall, but it was with difficulty that he
could balance himself upon spot
not larger than his feet. And as if
the Imp of the Perverse had passed
from him into the fatal moose, it re.
quired fully five minutes to adjust it
around that thick, repulsive neck.


Awful minutes, those last five OF
the murderer's life! Whole ages OF
agony were condensed in them; but