A DOUBLE EXECUTION.

Evening Star, Issue 9911, 24 January 1896, Page 4

A DOUBLE EXECUTION.

THE HESPER MUTINY

Two men died on the San Quentin (California) scaffold on October IS at the behest of the Federal ■ Government. They were Thomas St. Clair and Hans Rasmus Hansen, and the crime they expiated was the murder of Second-mate Fitzgerald of the barque Hesper. The tragedy occurred over two yeai'3 ago on board the vessel during a mutiny which broke out before the Hesper reached Honolulu on her voyage from Newcastle (N S.W.) to San Francisco. Neither of the men made any speech from the gallows, but both died bravely, and both protested their innocence to the last. The execution can be termed a success only beoause of the fact that the men are dead. So far as can be learned, the condemned men were dropped iuto eternity without any shocking disaster ; but one of them, with the rope affixed and black cap drawn, was left to endure the mental torture of expectancy while clumsy hands prepared his companion for the fatal journey. And the official executioner, fur from exhibiting the firmness and dignity to be expected of a Federal officer, developed such a pitiful case of nervous collapse as to seriously distract the attention of the physicians present. As the execution was a federal fuuctiou Marshal Barry Baldwin became ex officio the executioner (says an American exchange). His duty was to arrange the preliminaries, to ascend the scaffold with the condemned men, and to give the fatal signal for the springing of the traps. The contemplation of this unpleasant task caused the marshal to become very nervous, and for several days he had been in such a condition tiiat the condemned men objected to his presence, fearing that his fright would prove contagious. On the morning of the execution Mr Baldwiu had reinforced his failing spirits and declared his determination to perform his unpleasant duty unflinchingly. As the day progressed, however, his nerves got the better of him, and at the final moment failed him completely. In the condemned cells he mumbled rather than read the death warrauts. Arm in arm with Warden Hale, anj partially supported by that official, he headed the procession to the gallows. At tho foot of the scaffold stairs his courage failed, and he remained below while the priests, the guards, and the condemned men marched upward. The rope aud cap were quickly adjusted on Hansen, and for a full minute he remained a prey to untold emotions while St. Clair was being made ready. Then came a moment's hesitation, while all eyes were turned upon the marshal for the fatal signal. It came not, and then Warden Hale's men, dreading a disaster, took the matter out of the marshal's hands. The tftvps fell, and Barry Baldwin, his knees shaking and his hands covering his face, seemed about to sink through the floor. A physician sprang forward to offer assistance, but with an evident effort the Federal officer regained the perpendicular. Attention was once more fixed upon the swinging bodies, and in 9min in Hansen's case and in 14min with St. Clair life was declared extinct.

Hansen's body was taken in charge by Miss Petersen, his fiemcee, and removed to San Jose. It was given a public funeral by the Society Skjold of that city. A committee of two from the society, H. P. Moeller and E. Ekelsen, attended the execution. Every effort had been made by the society to save Hansen's neck.

Hansen slept soundly during his last night on earth, waking only once, and then dropping off again. He spent the day preceding the execution in writing letters to his sweetheart and his father, but found time to prepare a short statement. It reads as follows: —"Knowing that I am about to die, and believing that I have obtained fardon through the sure mercies of Christ, make this my dying declaration : Three of us conspired together for the purpose of giving the second mate a severe whipping. I know of no conspiracy whatever to kill him or take life. Whatever was planned or done in that direction was unknown to me, and done without my knowledge or consent. Before I was aware of any such intent I saw the fatal blow struck from behind. I was so unnerved thereby that I was unable to act. I then for the first time learned that it was the intention to also murder the captain and the first mate. I then, by strong effort, persuaded them to deßist from further attempts, to which fact the captain has already testified. These are the whole facts in the case so far as my relation to them is concerned. God is my witness.—Hans Hansen. October 18, 1895, eight o'clock am."

The dead man was a Baptist, and had been a missionary among the sailors of both the merchant marine and the United States Navy, in which he had served. He had also been in the regular army, and had passed through several Indian campaigns. St. Clair towards the last showed extremely high nervous tension. He paced to and fro in his cell like some wild animal, and he it was who objected to Baldwin's presence for fear of contagious fright. At the special request of the United Press St. Clair prepared a dying statement and addressed it to that organisation.

In the document he denounced those who had brought about his conviction. The statement concluded with the following paragraph :—" I will finish by protesting now, as I have always done, that I have had no connection with the crime; that lam sincerely thankful to all those who have been kind and forgive those who have injured me. With these sentiments I bid adieu."

St. Clair's body was taken in charge by the Catholic Fathers for interment in San Rafael.

A curious incident, which, perhaps, throws some light on the comparative guilt or innocence of the two men, is related by Guard Abergast. He heard St. Clair ask Hansen to tell the priest that he (St. Clair) was innocent. " I don't want him to know lam guilty," said St. Clair. Hansen refused to grant the favor on the ground that he could not go to his death with a wilful lie on his lips.