Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1886 — THE CLOSING PROCEEDINGS. [ARTICLE]

THE CLOSING PROCEEDINGS.

At 11:20 the gates to the enclosure were opened and those holding tickets were admitted, numbering some 300. At 11:30 the death warrant was read to the condemned man, and at 11:40 the procession left the jail and mounted the scaffold. AVaYtena walked to the scaffold, assisted by a man on either side, and was given a chair. He sat down, and facing the spectators, and made a general denial of the < rimo for which lie was to surfer death, crying out, “Good gentlemen, lam innocent! God help me, I am inncant!” He spoke very kindly of Sh riff Yeom n, and said, “This good man must kill me I know that, but he don’t like to do it. He has be n good to me, and I thank him.” A short prayer, in English, wa offered by I Rev. B. F. Ferguson, followed by a prayer in German, by Rev. Vaness. At 12 o’clock sharp the drop was sprung and at 12:20 AVartena was pronounced dead, his neck being broken. The doctors examined his brains and and pronounced them sound and healthy. Sheriff Yeoman is awarded great praise for the good order which prevailed. Sheriffs Harper, of Montgomery county; Stewart, of White, Burton, of Pulaski; Wells, of Lake, and McCutcheon, of Tippecanoe, were in attendabce.

Simon’s dog, a Goodland (?) Republican, makes wry faces at us, pouts and says naughty things, all i ecause we invited him to trot his master out. Now, personally, we rank Simon as one of best friends, but as the Democracy have been carrying this Senatorial district for lo these many years, trot him ont if you want to see him sail up Salt River. Bpeeial Invitation! — Everybody is respectfully invited io call and price my goods, and I will guarantee that out of every 26 customers 24 will be bound te buy of me, as I have reduced my entire stock to such prices that they will feel constrained to purchase unless they have money to throw away. — I mean business, and am determined to secure, by the above method, new friends. Do not be misled, but come at once and eenvinee yourselves of the truth of this statement Very respectfully,

A. LEOPOLD.