Ogden Sun | 1905-12-26 | Page 7 | Gave Signal He Was Alive

while dangling on the prison gallows jersey city N J dec 23 dr carlton simon who witnessed the yesterday of irdwin E tapley jr declares that the murderer gave the prearranged signals in proof that he was conscious nearly half a minute after the trap had been sprung dr simon said the actual test on the gallows ws most successful tapley wa absolutely in possession of his mental faculties the hands and fingers of the dangling body moved with contractions tr then the hands tell rigid at the sides seconds passed and then tapley began the signals agreed upon between us the first signal came as tapley holding the left hand extended rigidly downward raised the right slowly and as far as the bonds permitted him and made three distinct contractions of the thumb and forefinger then with clearly determined effort the dying man lowered his right hand held it for an instant rigidly against his thigh and slowly raising the left hand repeated the signal at the third contraction of the left hand there seemed barely strength in the dying fingers to carry out the agreed program to any man of knowledge viewing this test with a full knowledge of all the governing conditions the following conclusions are inevitable namely that tapley was alive and in conscious torture for nearly half a minute after the fall of tho drop that he was literally strangled to death in the name of the law