C"1 Wniy wii wi
- - r im fin i - - ' -
gre m r. .... u .. -
'gherrycity on tbe Saturday after tho mur
der the condition at that time of Iloua
ei'f) feet, and his distracted, distressed de
meanor j the difficulty between the two
concerning Ilouser's share of "the money,"
and Buser's avowal that it would get them
into trouble to divide it then: the fact
that BuBtr declared himself possessed of
500 in cash when he returuea from this
expedition, whereas he had. no money of
account .when he started away j the fact
that when they started on the expedition,
they said they were going up the railroad
towards the mountain all these facta,
proved by competent witnesses, and taken
in connection with that other fact that the
prisoners refused to account for or attempt
to account for or explain their ai-tions or
whereabouts from Monday till Saturday
of the week of the murder, formed a
complete chain of evidence whoso irresist
ible tendency was to "convince the miud,
latisfy the judgmeut, and fix belief."
ins honor's charge to the jury.
The taking of the testimony in the case
was concluded at noon on Wednesday,
loth December. The balance of that day
and the whole of Thursday were consumed
hj the pleas of counsel. On Friday niorh
iDg, the Judge delivered his charge to the
jury. The document was printed in full
in these columns, and will be remembered
as a calm, careful, exhaustive review of all
the evidence in the case, with an elabor
ate Unking-together as in one chaiu of the
more material facts elicited, and a fair and
impartial application of the law thereto.
It consumed one hour and twecty-two
minutes in the dehverins
THE JURY
RETIRE.
Immediately after tie conclusion of the
Judge's charge, the jury retired to their
private room for deliberation. We have
it on good authority, that upon reaching
the room, the twelve men upon whose de
cision hung suspended tho life or death of
two fellow-men, remained in solemn com
munion each with his own eoul for i'teen
minutes before the silence was broken by
a single word. A vote was than called
for; when each juror deposited his ballot,
carefully folded to conceal its authorship
from his neighbor, iu a hat. Upo n exam
ination of the vote, it was found that each
and every jurcr had recorded his convic
tion that the prisoners were "guilty of
murder in tho first degree I"
RETURN WITH A VERDICT.
At 10.45 o'clock, a. in., the jury re
turned to the Court-rocm with their ver
dict. The Clerk asked the question "Gen
tlemen of the jury, in the issue joined be
tween the Commonwealth and Daniel
Buser and John 15. Ilouser, how do you
find r
The response, low and mournful, camo
from the box "Guilty of murder in the
jirst degree !"
The jury wa3 polled, and did severally
nnswer that they fou'ud Daniel Buser and
John 13. Ilouser guilty of murder in the
first degree.
MOTrON FOR A NEW TRIAL.
Mr. Kopelin, of counsel for the pris
oners, thereupon moved the Court for a
new trial, and filed his reasons in support
of the motion. The Court refused to grant
the prayer.
THE SENTENCE.
At 3 o'clock, p. m., the prisoners were
brought into Court to receive seutence.
Before proceeding to pass sentence, his
Honor asked
"Have you, Daniel Buser, anything to
tay why the sentence of the law should
not be passed upon you?'
The prisoner replied, in quick, nervous,
tones
"It is alleged that I have been in this
county, and that I committed this murder;
it is not true, as I was never in Cambria
county till I was brought hero by Sheriff
Meyers."
In reply to the same question, Ilouser
aid, in broken English, and in an excited
manner
"I am innocent. I never was in the
county till brought here by Sheriff Mey
ers." Here he was prompted by Buser,
and added : "I was in Beaver county at
ihe time of the murder."
His Honor then proceeded to pass sen
tence upon them, as follows:
"You have been tried aud convicted by
a jury of your countrymen, and in con
formity with that verdict, we arc under
tho painful necessity of passing sentence
of death upon you. You have had coun
sel appointed for you by the Court, who,
to say the least, have conducted your case
With ability and energy. You had the
process cf the Court aud the power of the
county to bring witnesses here in your
behalf, and when the oCcer who executed
that process returned with the witnesses you
had named, you expressed your readiness
to be put on trial. The case was deliber
ately heard by the jury after everything
had been done lor ycu that could be doue.
After a full argument of the cae, the ju
ry, without any hesitalion, pronounced
you guilty of murder in the first degree,
and it ouiy remains for us, in the line of
our duty, to pass the spntece of the law
unon vou. We exhort vou not to be de
ceived by any false hopes of mcrcj or of
escaping death, but to' prepare yourselves
immediately for your appearance before a
higher tribuual.
"The sentence of the law is, that you,
John B. Ilouser, and you, Daniel Buser,
be taken hence to the place from whence
you came, in the Jail of the county of
Cambria, and from thence to the place of
execution, within the walls of the yard of
eaid'Jail, and that you, and each of you,
be there5 hanged by the neck until you
are dead, and may God have mercy on
jour bonis I"
APPLICATION FOR A WRIT OF ERROR.
An application for a writ of. error was
subsequently made to the Supreme Court
by the counsel , for the prisoners, and the
case was argued beforo that Bench at
Philadelphia- QO.the 15th. February. Xhs
result was that tho Supreme Court ' af
firmed the rulings of the lower Court in
every particular complained of, and re
fused to grant the writ. :
THE DEATH WARRANTS.
The death warrants were signed by the
Governor on the 17th March, and a few
days after were received by Sheri2 Myers
and were read to tho condemned. :
DEPORTMENT OF THE "PRISONERS.
The deportment of the prisoners from
the day. of trial up to within a short time
of the execution was careless and fool
hardy. Buser, particularly, was reckless
in the extreme. Instead of seeking to
male his peace with God, before whose
awful throne he knew ha must surely
appear after the waxing and waning of a
very few moons, he devoted his scanty
stock of time to cursing the witnesses who
testified against him, and to asseverating
ia violent terms his innocence. He ap
peared to be possessed of a mania for
letter-writing, and his correspondence,
which was entirely devoted to matters
pertaining io his professed innocence, was
most voluminous. For a time, he sent and
received more letters, probably, than any
other single man at this poat office.
These letters were all submitted to the
scrutiny of the Sheriff. He also wrote a
review of the evidence of certain of the
witnesses who testified against him, which
was,' at his request, published in The
Atteyhanian in January. It will be re
membered as a violent attack upon the
credibility of the witnesses and upon the
material points of their testimonj His
object in thus pertinaciously proclaiming
his innocence was evidently to tho end
that he might stagger the fixed judgment
and belief of the lublic. He was a shrewd,
sharp man, and he hoped by frequeut
repetition of a specious tale of persecution
and perjury to create a doult as to his
guile; and the doubt once raised, he well
knew tlAt the wedge was entered which
would lead to an indefinite prolongation
of his life, and possibly to his ultimate
restorctioa to personal freedom. But the
public knew and remembered that he had
had every available opportunity afforded
him to establish his innocence before a
tribunal s;corn to dispense equal and exact
justice to all, and that he had failed to
make even the attempt, and they closed
their ears against his weak after-defence.
Ilouser was a mild, inoffensive, weak
minded Bort of man, with hardly a will or
aspiration of his own. We always thought,
up to within a week or two of the execu
tion, that he could scarcely comprehend
tho terriblo situation in' which he was
placed and perhaps this will account for
the seeming spirit of carelessness and
disregard of consequences which he man
ifested at the first. He was unlike his
confederate in every respect: While Buser
was nervous, sanguine, and determined,
and fought a hopeless fcVht to the la9t, he
was dull, stolid, and unimpressible, and
allowed things to take pretty much what- j
ever course they'ehose. With a mild,
blue eye, and a contented, happy disposi
tion, giving trouble neither to himself nor
to others, he seemed the last man in the
world who would commit murder. Speak
ing not trumpet-tonued, like Buer, but
in low and measured tones, he contended
that he wa innocent; and in this he was
consistent throughout.
ATTEiirr TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
On the ni"ht of Tuesday, 10th April,
Buser made a desperate effort to commit
suicide. With a bit of tin about three
inches long and a half inch wide, ground
down to a razor-like sharpness, he opened
an artery in his left arm. l'ortuuately
for the ends of justice, he remained on
his feet after cutting the artery, until,
through loss of blood, he fainted and fell
to the floor. The noise of his falling
attracted the attention of the vigilant
guard, who speedily summoned .medical
aid and had the flow of blood staunched
in time to 6ave tho life of the wretched
man.
WAS IT A SHAM?
When Buser had been restored to
consciousness, instead of thanking those
instrumental in rescuing him from a
suicide's grave, he fell into a violent rage
because that he had not been permitted to
destroy his own life. To the Doctor he
said, "When they went after you to come
here, why didn't you refuse to come, or
pretend that you couldn't find your boots,
or trump up borne excuse that would have
kept you too late I He raved and storm
ed after this manner for a time, when he
apparently became delirious. While in
this condition, the burden of his maledic
tions "fell upon George Blanchard, who,
he said, was one of two that committed
the murder.' "George Blanchard," he
said, with profanity unparalleled, "you
hard hearted, infamous, infernal fiend, if
I had known you would have killed those
poor, harmless women,! would never have
given you my -map ; I wouldn't have had
anything to do with you."N There are
those who profess to believe that the
attempt to commit suicide was a sham,
aud the subsequent ravings of Buser not
delirium, but part and parcel of a deep
laid plot. Trior to opening the artery,
Buser wrofc and gave to Kev. Mr. Wilson
a letter, wherein he averred, as his dying
confession, that Ilouser was totally into-
cent of connexion with the murder, add
that ho himself was only guilty to the
extent that he had knowledge that the
crime wai to be committed ou the 7th
June. Those who hold to the theory that
the attempted suicide was a sham, main
tain that Buser's object was to clear
Houser, and possibly tci induce the author
ities to commute his own punishment to
imprisonment in the penitentiary; for,
they argue, if ho was sincere in his
attempt to kill himself, why did he not lie
down before or immediately after he
opened the vein, instead of remaining
standing till he fell from weakness, thus
attracting the attention of the guard?
Buser had for sevoral days beep giving
out vague threats of Buioidc, and it is held
that by this means .he had fully prepared
the guard for some untoward event and
prompted them to unusual watchfulness.
HOUSER WOULD NOT COMMIT SUICIDE.
A. couple of days before the attempted
suicide, Buser furnished Ilouser with a
bit of tin similar to the pieco used by
himself, and advised him to open a .vein
in his arm. Ilouser refused to do this,
saying that 4God gave him his life," and
God alone had the right to take that life
away."
BUSER'S CONFESSION. ;
Following is tho letter to Mr.'Wilson
before referred to. It is highly important
as being the only public confession made
by Buser:
' Ebessbcrcj, Apr. 9th, 1866.
Mb. Wilson : They think they have the
ones that done this deed, but God forbid.
They have not. - Those that done this are far
away. Now, good sense and reason will tell
you that we are not the men, and in particu
lar poor Ilouser. lie don't know, anything
about it whatever. You will bear in mind I
have always told you that we had no hand in
killing those poor womeu, and I teil you so
again. We had no hand in killing them. I
will tell you, though, what J did do ; I gave
to George Ulanchard my draft or map. ,IIe
lost the one he had. lie had one of the same
kind as mine, and ho told me he lost' his iu
the woods, and if he lost his the time he was
up here cr not I cannot say. He got out (of
the penitentiary) before I did, and he knew
of the thing as well as I, and I met him on
Troy Hill on Sundnj-, the 21st day of 'May,'
and he wanted to know if I was going to coma
up here. I told him that I had sworn off go,
ing on the cruise and he wanted mo to give
him my map, but I did not give it to him.
Then we set to meet again ou the Srst of
June, and again on the Cth, and on the after
noon of the 6th, I gave to him my map. Now
I will tell you that the men, that were seen by
James Cooper, they were the one3. They had
a carpet-sack, but n6 box. Now, Mr. Wilson,
the time that Mrs- Graham saw us, go away
was on the 45th 'of -Julie"; ''then we had start
ed lor Oil City. ,Kqx, please take' notice I
made it my business to etay in Allegheny
from the second of June till the 9th, because
I did know that the robbery was to go on on
the 7th of June. Now you see that I was at
home at the time, and I doue all this behind
poor Ilouser's back. So you see he don"t
know anything of tho matter whatever. lie
is innocent in deed, and a3 for him being up
here hunting is all a humbug, for I know it
the best. He never was up here in all h"i3
life till the Sheriff fetched him here. This is
the honest truth. And now if Mary Miller
can recollect thac I told her I had to go to
Pittsburg on the Cth of June, to meet a man.
I went on the Cth, 7th and 8th, for I was to
meet him (Iiianchard) from his return, but I
have not seen him since, and I never heard
anything of the robbery. 1 bought the Ger
man paper, and I never found anythiag ia it,
and I thought he gave it up and had not done
anything. Daniel Booser.
The key to the foregoing important
disclosures is as follows: After Buer
found that all his efforts to sta' the hand
of justice were unavailing, he changed his
tactics aud made the admission that he
was possessed of certain guilty knowledge
connected with the murder. Though de
nying that either ho or Houser did the
foul deed, he aeknotcledijcd that he knew
the murder was to be committed and knew
who the murderers were. George Blan
cbaid was one of two parties whom he
criminated This Blanchard bore a stri
king resemblance to Houser, so Buser
said, and was the identical uiao seen in
the neighborhood of Miss Paul's the lat
ter part of May. He was an inmate of
the penitentiary at the eamo time with
Buser and Houser. The maps referred to
were maps of the locality of the murder,
and were. drawn up iu conformity with
a rough draft furnished by Philip Fu!
gart iu tho penitentiary. This draft was
drawn by Fulgart on the dust-covered
floor of the cell, and was copied on paper
by Buser and Blmchard.
A RESPITE ASKED FOR.
Although Buser's confession, in so far
as it related to the vital question involv
ed, wa3 wcll-nsgh universally disbelieved,
somo few attached credence to that part
of it which declared the innocence of
Ilouser. A petition praying for a respite
of thirty days tor Houser was drawn up
and signed by these, and forwarded to the
Governor, but that functionary refused to
intericre.
OTHER LETTERS.
Three other letters were handed to Mr.
Wilson by Buer the evening before the
attempted suicide.
The first asseverates his own and Ilou
ser's innocence, and declares his intention
to commit suicide
Edexsblro, Apr. 9th, 1?GG.
Mr. Wilson : I must tell you that I
feel as though I cannot hoid behind what
I know, and 1 will tell vou in the second
letter. (The one printed above.) But I give
you my hand and heart, and my honest word
that poor Houser and I never did this deed.
I will answer this before Jehovah for to be the
truth, and I have the best right to know.
But now, as it is, they shall not lie on me any
more. They have lied enough on me already ;
aud they ehall not have the pleasure to hang
me up liie a, dog, and then say that Booser
was hanged for killing two women. They
shall not lie on me after I am dead. Mr. Wil
son, I have told you that I have been perse
cuted of many people in my time, .and it is so,
but I will put a stop to it and now I beg you
not to think hard of it, for me doing so.
Please do not think I am going to hell. No,
I found another place. 1 found one that said,
come, and leave , the world behind. I shall
iind an easy death. I shall not be cursed of
God for being hanged on wood. One died on
the Cross for us all, yes, thi3 is the One that
said, come, and I can scarcely wait. I have
overcome all my trouble. I am ready, yes, I
saw more last night than I ever did. I can
not describe to you how happy I wa9, and I
feel sure of it, that I shall have more pleasure
there ever I had, and I now beg of you to
feel satisfied with what I tell you to be the
truth. .. And now, Mr. Wilson, I know that
vou feel 8onv for me, bat be sure that I am
happy, and I believe that you are not satisfied
in regard to our guiir, ana you are rignt. -You
can tell by the letters you have seen
with me. Yours, most respectfully,
Daniel Booses.
Tho second letter breathes out slaugh
ter and destruction against ceitain un
named "rulers" ,.
Mb. Wilson : What you preached to me
to-night revived me very much, and I have
been the prodigal son, but I have found my
father and he received me, and I want you
to feel sure of the matter. I also seen, to
night, in your eye, that you have a great
doubt of us being guilty, and I must say that
you are right. We are not guilty. Neither
one of us ever had a finger on them; only I
feel sorry that I ever gave mymap to George.'
I am' very sorry for it, but I can't help it now.
I must also tell you, and J will not keep it
hid from you, but you will see that some of
these rulers will be slain, by some of my
friends, because I could nop write to them
vithout my letters being read. But this will
learn these folks something, never to read a
man's letters when they get a prisoner in jail
here. . I would have put a stop to it if they
wouldn't read every letter that goes out of
here. I will give you a few of these names
that will take revenge, if they can get it Ab
by Lamon, Charles ltoe, Edward Freece, Hen
ry Holmes and David S. Roland, but they go
under other names. David L. Walker is a
very bad man to set fire to anybody's houses,
barns, and the like, if any one offends any of
hi3 friends, but I have often prevented him
from doing so. and now I cannot write to him
to stop it. Now, Mr. Wilson, if ever you
speak about me to any one that you don't
know, -don't say anything bad about me, for
fear they might hear of it and you would be
in danger. This is a form for you to go by
to avoid injury.. Mr. Wilson, if ever any of
these men;will come across any of those that
swre against me, their cake is dough. Sure
this is true what I tell yon. But I am now
going to rest forever with One that I would
sooner have than my liberty, that is this One,
TetragammatonJ Jehovah. Daniel Booser. '
Th6 third letter is descriptive of a
vision '
Me. Wilson: T seen a place last night,
and it seemed to me I saw a man in a white
and blue dress, it looked to me like a robe,
and he said to me, come here, and I went to
him, and I seen a stalf in his hand, one-half
of it was like though it was full of teads, red
and white ones, aud the other. half looked
like gold, and he pointed to his Court House
and said, woo to you that has done and has
judged, woe to you, aud he said, come here,
and I went. He said, this is the second he
had got to-night, this is the first heaven,
come hee, and I. went into a large room, he
said to me,, your trouble is over, and your
wasuing is paid lor, stay here till I coruo
again, and then I saw a grat many that were
dressed in blue robes, and they did sing, the
like I never hejrd, and then I awoke.
. Daniel Booser.
BUSER BECOMES A CATHOLIC.
Buser was brought up a Protestant, but
wa3 a member of no church. At his re
quest, Kev. Mr. Wilson, pastor of the
Presbyterian Church of Ebensburg, at
tended him in his cell as spiritual coun
sellor lor several weeks- prior to the 0th
instant. On the evening of the 9th, at
the conclusion of devotional exercises,
Buser handed Mr. Wilson the letters wo
have published, telling him not to opet
the same till the next day. A conversa
tion followed, of such a nature on the part
of Buser that Mr. Wilson became con
vinced that the prisoner meditated suicide.
Eutertaiuing this couviction, Mr. Wilson
did not hesitate to open the letters the
same evening, when he discovered that
his suspicions -were wdl founded, lie
immediately apprized the Sheriff of the
fact, w ho directed the guard to be sleep
less and vigilant. Buer was saved from
the awful tato of a suicide ; but sofar from
being grateful for this, he took the view
that Mr. Wibon had betrayed the confi
dence reposed in him by opening the let
ters, and refused to see him more. On
the 17th, he sent for Rev. Christy, of the
Catholic Church, and was baptized in that
faith. Mr. Christy continued to wait on
Buser till the last, the latter showing to
ward the end a penitent, contrite spirit,
Houser was bom, as he died, a Catholic.
THE LAST NIC.IIT.
Rev' R. C. Christy, of Ebensburg, and
Rev. GP.C3 Christoph, of Carrolltown, the
spiritual advisers of the two men, were in
constant attendance at the jail on Thurs
day. The whole of that day and the ma
jor part of tho night were devoted to re
ligious exercises. Both men were calm
and resigned to their fate. Ilouser reti
red to bed at 10 o'clock, and slept soundly
till luoruing. Buser also retired at that
hour, but became restless and feverish.
At about one o'clock, he arose from bed
aud requested Rev. Christy to join with
him in prayer. Devotional exercises were
continued for about an hour and a half,
when the condemned man again went to
bed and slept till morning.
JTRIDAY.
' The morning cf the fatal day broke in
cloudless splendor. From the east, the
glorious sun came forth in a glow of liquid
lire, as though by the very fervor of his
glad beams he would diffuse universal
happiness. But into the dark, dank dun
geons of the condemned men the blessed
beams might not conic, or, coming, could
not remove the dead weight which lay
heavy upon their souls. What to them
could be the sweet sunshine "of heaven,
when there, just beyond the prison-bars,
its beams glimmered and danced athwart
the timbers of the hideous instrument
which in a few short hours would crush
out iu disgrace their lives ! No j earthly
happiness was not for them beyond the
grave was their only hope of rest and
peace. In the evening, two or three
hours alter the ' execution, black clouds
gathered iu the west and tho flood-gates
of heaven were opened. Was it distressed
nature weeping over the sad scene, and
endeavoring to obliterate recollection in a
torrent of tears?
CURIOSITY-SEEKERS.
.Eaily in the morning, strangers and
those living iu the adjacent rural districts
commenced flocking to tqwn, singly and
in squads. At 10 o'clock, the Branch
train came in, loaded down with passen
gers. Of the many hundreds who came,
actuated by that indefinable curiosity con
veniently styled morbid, only a compara
tively small number were admitted inside
the jail-yard. Those refused ingress
ranged themselves outside the walls, as
near thereto as possible, and, though they
could see . nor hear, aught of what was
transpiring within, retained their position,
beneath a broiling sun, for several weary
hours.
THE GUARD.
.- - ,
At 7 o'clock, a. m., a guard of thirty
armed men was stationed around the jail,
to preserve order. Their presence served
to keep within bounds the excitement
natural to an occasion of the kind, and riot
the smallest disturbance occurred.
ELEVEN O'CLOCK.
.
We entered the jail at 11 o'clock.
Less than fifty persons, all told, ere ad
mitted inside the walls. Of this number,
five or six were of the jury which convic
ted the two men, eight were representatives
of,the press, two clergymen, two. medical
gentlemen, &c. The press was represen
ted by Messrs. Cooley and Peuniman of tho
Pittsburg Gazette, Locke of the Pittsburg
Chronicle, Houston of the Pittsburg Xts-
patch, Irvin of the Pittsburg Commercial,
Woodruff of the Johnstown Democrat,
Kittell for th Ebensburg Bern. & Seat.,
and the reporter lor Ihe Alltjktjuiiaiu
Mr. Martin Munday, father of one of the
murdered victims, applied for admi&sioc
but was denied.
THE GALLOWS.
The gallows had been .erected in a
temporary enclosure adjoining the jail on
the east. I his enclosure was .abL'Ut 50
xeet long by 20 wide. The gallows was
composed of two uprights 15 feet high,
with cross bar of 7 feet; the platform was
about four feet from the ground, and was
10 feet long by 9 feet wide; the trap was
cut in the centre of the platform, and was
4' feet long, by 3 feet wide. The trap
was supported by an upright pot, con
nected by a rope with a weight, in the
opposite end of the enclosure. When the
trigger was touched, this weight fell for
ward, drawiug tho upright1 pot with it,
thus removing the support of tho trap.
The drop was thirty inches.' The entire
machinery was constructed under the
immediate supervision of the Sheriff. The
rope was manufactured in Reserve town
ship, Allegheny county. It was of hemp,
a half inch in thickness, and cost twenty
five dollars. -.
LOOKING TO GOD FOR 3IERCY.
The last hours of the condemned men
were spent with their spiritual advisers in
prayer. Tho publio was not admitted to
their cells, but we are informed that each
professed to have mado his peace with
God.
BUSER DESIRES TO MAKE A STATEMENT.
There is good authority for saying that
.buser expressed a desire to say a few
words on the scaffold in vindication of
Ilouser's innocence, but wu3 dissuaded
from so doing on the ground that his last
moments could be more - profitably em
ployed in prayer.
THE HOUR ARRIVED.
A few minutes before 12 o'clock, Sher
iff Meyers proceeded to the cells of the
condemned men, whom he found on bend
ed knees engaged in prayer. They in
stinctively divined the clject of his er
rand, and rose to their feet. The Sheriff
said that he regretted more than words
could express the disagreeable duty im
posed on him by the law, but it was a du
ty, and must be performed. Buser made
answer by clasping his arms around the
Sheriff's neck and kiting him. Houser
likewise embraced and kissed him, thank
ing him for the uniform kindness extend
ed him during his long conSaemeut. The
arms of the two were then securely pin
ioned, and the sad procession to the gal
lows was formed. Father Christy sup
ported Buser, and Father Giles" performed
the like office for Houser.
TWELVE O'CLOCK.
At precisely 12 o'clock, tba processiou
reached the gallows. Buser and Houser
both ascended the three or four steps
leading to the platform with buoyaut,
elastic tread. Not the tremor of a muscle
not the slightest approach to fear, was
visible in the mcia or carriage of either.
They walked up to the grim instrument of
death as brave men walk up to the can
non's mouth in battle.
Buser was deathly pale, but this was
owing wholly to loss of blood experienced
in his attempt to commit suicide. Houser
retained his natural color.
On reaching the platform, Buser cast
one swift glauce upward at the gallows,
and another at the little knot of silent be
holders in front. Ilouser apparently
looked into space.
The prisoners knelt on the platform,
while the men of God recited the impres
sive prayer for the dead. During the
continuance of tho prayer, Houser once of
twice looked forward upon those there as
sembled. All this time, the lips of both moved
unceasingly in silent prayer.
At the expiration of ten minutes, the
clergymen arose and presented a crucifix
to the lips of each priioner, shook hands
with them aud kissed them, and then re
tired from the scaffold.
At this juncture, Ilouser called forward
Dr. Bunn, the prison physician, and Mr.
E. R. Dunegau, one of the County Com
missioners, and bade each an eternal
adieu, asking them to pray for him.
Buser spoke to nobody.
The Sheriff then stepped fjrward and
adjusted the ropes to the necks of the two
men, first pinioning their legs. Not a
tremor of fear in cither I ' :
The white caps were then drawn down
upon their faces.
In that dread moment, with the portals
of heaven or the jaws of hell yawning to
receive them, what were the thoughts of
the two men, who both denied the justice
of the punishment they were about suffer
ing ? Let us nol seek to draw asunder
the veil.
At precisely
' TWELArE MINUTES AFTFR TWELVE,
the Sheriff touched the fatal trigger.
There was a quick, jarring sound, as the
trap fell to the ground: there was a sud
den shootinir downward into space of
two bodies, each containiug an immortal
soul ; there was nothing more!
It was a terrible ncene, never to bo
effaced from the recollection. We pitied
and prayed for the two wretchos dangling
at the ropes' end, while at tho same time
we thought oi the two poor females bo
cruelly Bent to their long accouut without
a moment s warning to moi-
. n , -c 'our
with God. V
Howser's neck was broken hj
he died without a struggle.
.Buser suffered more; he died of
gulatidn. He gasped twice f0r
and struggled for several secor.Js i
strength and consciousness forso i
.The pulse of each ceased toV
about 15 minutes. -
jouser 1
igistere
question
W tc
ffl thai
l. 0
,isaba
xhe n
tomloe
the
esent!
minutes, when they were taken duV
placed in their coffins, which
prepared by. Robert' Evans, unar.,. "
Houser's face in deah appe I
unit javi , ojLiaci a was
torted. ' "
J 4
At 1.30 o'clock, seventy-ei B:
veyeu i me vainonc cemetery
ried.
aai i
And thus passed away ftomojtjje
of the earth, igncminiously and ua,-,,,"
by so much as a single tear, Danx
and Johu B. Houser. They were 3
y adjudged by their fe!low-rjea u
been a digrac to the world and aaea
to society, aud fit only to die.
They have died aud the mur3Pr
Polly Paul and Cassie M unday is aven;
NO CONFESSION. " ' ""'
Neither Buser nor Houser made a
mal statement fur the public. , It is
understood, however, that they both
upon the scailolu protesting their
ceuce, Houser declaring he knew noil )
whatever or the'murder up to the vj
he was taken into custody by the t'?e
the law and Buser admitting hi ...
1. 4
only to tho extent of acknowltJio-f ;i
lie Knew in advaiii tnat tue laardcr
to bo committed.
TUE DRESS OF DEATH.
Buser was dressed in a black cloth ex
ray pauis, wane suiri, ana weii-poil
sh
oes
; he was cleanly shaven. ILs4
was similarly attired, with the exc-; '
that he had on a pair of toldier
toons, lie wore a mutacliC.
NO FRIENDS
. Not a single relative or friend of e;;l
of the men wa3 present at tho executL
to shed a tear over their sad fate, ore!
III! dec
their eyes in death
by public charity.
They were tu: . it be 1
THE GALLOWS TAKEN DOWN.
A couple of hours alter the execut'j:
the gallowd was taken down and the u:
porary wall enclosing it removed.
DYINO BEQUESTS.
Shortly before the execution, n.i:
bequeathed a set of beads and a cran
io Mr. John M'Mullen, watchman ot v
jui!. He aio gave a crucifix to V
Beckie Hadsc, a young lady living iu t:
jail.
jonN BAPrrsTE houser.
ilouser was a uermia Dy extract:
ana was aDOuc ij years 01 a'o. uc jtj.
born in Illinois, but h's parents remove!
to -New Jersey while he wus ytt au mi am
lie learned the trade of "lass flattener
New Jersey. In 1S50, he remove- -Pittsburg,
which place he called his hon
up to the time of his arrest. Ia 151.1.
married "married into a bad .family,"!,
himself said. Through th peruuija .
his father-in-law, he was induced to co:
mil a roDbery shortlv after he had ej-
LJ
1
ricd; he was caught Dy the pol'ce ia t':
the time. Shortly after he had serveios.
his term and had been discharged, hic.l
in with Buser, who had got out fiot
While taking a walk in company, thetw
were arrested by the police ot PittL'r.
on a charge of burglary, and again seutt:
the peuitentiary. Houser assured us tin",
he had no hand in this crime. Emergiu:
from the penitentiary in 3Jay fast, entirely
penniless, he went with Buser to Mis.
Miller's, in Allegheny city, where he
stayed a week or two. . lie. then borrow!
S5.00, and started on a cupping and lceci
ing expedition to Beaver couuty. He .
in that county the day of the uiurJ;.:, t
stoutly asserted. He returned to
gheny a couple of days after the muTiler,
and was shortly after arrested by Hague
and M lvelvey. He said he had do knowl
edge whatever of the murder uutil alter :t
was committed.
KILARP PRACTICE.
act, anJ wa3 sen: to the penitentiary -I
During this his first term ofimprisonaei.t
he became acquainted with Bucr, veil J; cf
was al.-o an inin ite of the penittxtiurr s;;wi,
The 1'ittsburg Jjwpa'ch makes tne 101-53 e
lowing mention of a bit, of sharp practice
on the part ot Ilouser: '-lie bad been
raised a Catholic, but had fallen out of the
pale of the church through his uideeds.
One day he met the pastor of the St. h
chad's Church, in Birmingham, whici
structure was then being built, and a':'
narrating a pitiful story of how he hi
fallen from grace, expressed a wilu'
to reform. But he desired to do ool-tili
and if the, good priest would accept a c!r'
itable donation towards the . Chu't'k, t
ccmil.1 tiiitfl nns. Tho Tiripsf fsii'fiiioJ
readiness to accept the proposed aid, ere"
upon Houser hauded him a hundred dol
lar bill, requesting the clergyman to ta3
half of it. The priest did so, giving hia
fifty dollars in gold as change. Iuia3icfl
the astonishment of the unsuspecting Re
late when he found that he had been vic
timized. He had but recently landed froa
Germany, and was blissfully ignorant w
the currency of the country. Houser n2
given him a note cut from one of the o-J-fashioned,
yellow-plated bank note rep oil
ers." DANIEL BUSER.
Baser was ao a German by extraction.
He was born in Berks county, and wa
about 40 years of age. He was a butcher
by trade. We are- not much acquaint
with his history, but know bo resulea m
Pittsburg for a number of years prior W
his arrest for murder. At one tiaia
was Constable ot Duoaeuse boroi,
position which he Siled entire sat
isfaction of the caen9. He was a bo!3,
bad man yod oould see it in his glitteriog.
sDake-JikG eye rand competent for !
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