The New York Herald

Execution of Z. T. Hockinberry at Butler-Particulars of the Crime--Confession of the Murderer-Scenes Attending the Execution.

PITTSBURG, Dec. 7, 1869

Zachary Taylor Hockinberry, the murderer of Miss Annie McCandless, of Butler, Pennsylvania, suffered the extreme penalty of the law to-day by hanging, and is now before a mightier tribunal than any before which he was taken on earth. The history of the crime is told in the following

CONFESSION OF HOCKINBERRY

On the 31st of last March I was twenty-one years old; my father and mother are dead; my mother died when I was quite young and my father has been dead for over eight years; when I was thirteen years old I went to live with George McCandless, who is married to a half sister of my mother; I lived with him about five years and afterwards went to work for Daniel Graham and worked for him about two years and a half. Some time ago I wrote down on paper the chief circumstances of my life and the result they brought about, and was printed in the papers. There are a few other circumstances which I shall now speak about, or I wish all to be known, and shall speak about them I will state when I went to work for Mr. Graham. Mr. McCandless had two daughters at home, the oldest being Nancy Ann. Some time before I left Mr. McCand-less's I got a thought that I would take some chance and disfigure her face in some way. That thought and wish has caused a great deal of trouble in different ways, of which I am sorry for. What put the thought in my head I cannot positively say, but as I think about the past it is now my belief that before I left McCandless's I read in a book called the "History of the World" about a woman or girl who some persons for some design disfigured her face. When I got this thought I had no wish for to marry Annie, nor there were no persons paying any attentions to her. The motive is indistinct and confused in my mind, but it is my belief that I thought if she was disfigured she would not get married at any time. From the time I got this thought it was in my mind nearly all the time, and at last became my intention that I would never see her married to another person, and I think I told her so, or at least she understood so; but I never asked her to marry me, nor made any proposals to her, anything more than she one time said she never would marry any one." If I could only have been certain of that it would have saved a great deal of trouble. As it was my wish for to disfigure her it caused a great deal of trouble by the circumstances caused. These circumstances I some time ago carefully wrote down on paper and was printed, which I need not speak about now in particular.

HE ATTEMPTS TO ROB A STORE IN BUTLER

About the first of November, 1865, I went away from McCandless' and said I would try and get some place and learn a trade; when I left I went to Butler; about the middle of the night I tried for to get into Mr. Duffy's store; I went to the front door and tried for to get out a panel but did not succeed; then I went to a door that went into the cellar; it was not very strong and I got it open and went to a pair of stairs and went up to a door which went into the storeroom; the door was fastened with a bolt. I had nothing with me but a pocketknife, candle and some matches. I lit the candle, and with the knife cut by the bolt and burned it some with the candle till it came open. I then went in the storeroom. I was not in very long till some one came to the front door, and, I thought, unlocked the door. I then thought some one knew there was some one in the store. I then went out the way I got in, and thence to the main street. When I got on the main street the person at the door told me to stop. I did not. He then ran after me, and I ran down the street and went to get over a gate, but as I ran and got on the gate it fell down and I fell over. The man, whoever he was, did not follow any further.

HE TAKES TO THE HIGH ROAD, BUT IS NOT SUCCESSFUL,

I then went on towards Franklin. I intended to get into work there. Got there the next evening, but I did not get any work there. I intended then for to try and get some place and learn a trade. I then left Franklin, intending to go to Butler—might get a place there to learn a trade. As I was going towards Butler there was a person who wished me to work for him that winter. Went to work for him, staying about a month. Then went back to George McCandless' and staid with him through the winter. In the spring, about the 1st of April 1868, I went to work for Daniel Graham. So in all I staid with Mr. McCandless five years. The most particular circumstances which occurred, and the result they caused, I at another time stated and was made known, and need not now speak about, which occurred when I was at Graham's; but, as I before stated, there were a few other circumstances which I would speak about, but which are of another nature, which I will now state. They are such as those. As Mr. Graham's house is on the Franklin road, which goes to Pittsburg, there was peddlers who went once a week to Pittsburg with a wagon; some of them would be going home about the last of the week; the last summer I was with Mr. Graham I thought I would watch and some time when some of the peddlers would be going home I would stop them on the road with a pistol for to make them give me what money they had; I would have a cloth over my face with a hole for to see through and be by the roadside when they would come up; I watched some two or three times for some of them when they would be going home, but they went along generally too late after dark; there was one who I was watching for; he went along in the forenoon; I was by the roadside watching for him, but as he came up I was afraid to stop him then: I was by the roadside behind a tree when he went past; I believe he saw me, for he kept looking back, and I believe he afterwards said he saw some one.

THE MURDER OF MISS M'CANDLESS.

Those circumstances which I wrote down before, and was printed in the papers I need not state now, except the last one, so as for to bring out what I wish for to speak about. That circumstance was caused by the same thought that caused the others and all the trouble; as I before said and do say which thought was for to disfigure Annie McCandless, I am sorry for it, but it is past. The circumstances was in this way: I had a shot gun—it was called a smooth-bore rifle—would shoot shot or bullets; it was not a very large bore; it would shoot shot without scattering very much. One Sunday in September I made some slugs; I made them out back of the house and made them with a hatchet; then went up stairs; the gun was up stairs; it was loaded with powder and a paper wad; I then put the slugs in paper and put them in the gun; there might have been some of the slugs that I did not put in paper; when put in paper they would not scatter; my intention was for to go up to Mr. McCandless' some night, and go to some window that I could shoot Annie across the face in such a way as to disfigure her; this one thought was in my mind from the time I left McCandless' and caused different occurrences to take place. I think it was on Thursday night, after dark, the 1st of October, I got the gun out without any of the Grahams knowing it and took it to the barn. On Friday night, I think, there was preaching at the Baptist meeting house. I went away in the evening, and said I was going to church; went to the barn and got the gun; when I went down the road about a quarter of a mile my nose got to bleeding; I then went back, put the gun in the barn and went into the house. Some of the Grahams asked me why I did not go to church: I said because my nose got to bleeding. The next night, the 2d of October, I went away in the evening, and said I was going to church. There was church at the Baptist meeting house; the meeting house is about a mile from Graham's house. When I went out of the house I went to the barn and got the gun; went down through Mr. Graham's meadow, then through Jacob Campbell's meadow, then on a road which goes up past McCandless' house. When I got on the road I went up past John Stolan's house, and then past where Oliver Prior used to live, and then to George McCandless' house.

THE FATAL SHOT

I heard some one coming down the road and I then got over the fence and went below the road. The person was Isaac Brannan: About this time I believe I heard some one talking outside of the house and saw a light. The persons who were talking outside of the house soon went in. I then went down to the house and looked in a window. Before this awhile the moon arose and was shining bright. When I looked in the window they were eating supper. I saw Annie. She was sitting with the left side of her face to the window. When I saw her sitting as she was I then thought I had as good a chance as I could get, That I could disfigure her as I wished. I then fired through the window, so as, I thought, to shoot her across the face. I then left. As I was going away I heard a noise like chairs being moved in a hurry, and like some one might have fallen to the floor. When I got down to Graham's I got the gun put away without them knowing it. That night, after I got to bed, I heard Mr. Graham talking to some one outside of the house. Soon after, and before I had got to sleep, I heard Mr. Graham coming up stairs. When he came up he told me that Annie McCandless was shot dead. I do not know hardly what I said, for I had an idea that I had missed her altogether when I shot through the window. That night when I went away from McCandless' house I went to Graham's through the woods. When I was going I was afraid that I might have done more than disfigured her when I thought of the noise like some one falling to the floor, yet I could not think she was killed after having it in my mind so long only to disfigure her. The next day (which was Sunday) I was arrested. On the 19th of April, 1868, my trial commenced, and the jury returned a verdict of guilty in the first degree. There is another circumstance which I will relate, for I wish all to be known:—Emma Zilla McCandless is a cousin of Annie; in the winter of 1868 Emma Zilla got married; one evening I heard she was to be married next day; heard so by a person who came from there; I expected some one would take Annie over in a sleigh; the next morning of the day she was married I went away from Graham's as early as I could; went over night to George McCandless' house, on a road which any one would have to take to go to where Emma Zilla McCandless father lived; when I got on the road nigh to George McCandless' I waited for to see if any one would come to McCandless', for I expected Annie might go over to where Emma Zilla's father lived with some one. I intended if so for to meet them on the road and stop them. I had a pistol with me, and I intended for to make them go back. I had no idea who would take her over, but I thought some one might. I waited some time, but saw no one. Some time through the day I went to George McCandless', but they did not know Emma Zilla was going to be married that day. Annie was in the house, so I had all my trouble for nothing; yet I was glad enough things were so.

HE ONCE RESOLVED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

I believe that is all I know in particular, except one thing, which I will speak about, which shows the weak nature of man. I believe it was the first summer I worked for Mr. Graham. for some reason I felt down hearted and melancholy. One day I felt as if I would rather be dead than living. I was out making a ditch for some water to run in; I was working with a spade; when I was working I broke the spade; I then felt so bad about how things was and how much bother I caused that I intended for to kill myself and also for to kill Annie McCandless I intended for to get a revolver and then for to shoot her and then for to shoot myself. I went one day for to get a revolver but did not get one. The thought afterwards went out of my mind, and as I said before after my trial the jury returned a verdict of guilty in the first degree. On the 31st of September, 1869, I was sentenced to death, and as I said before and shall for to tell the truth, I never fired that shot with the intention for to kill Annie McCandless, nor I could not say otherwise with a certain knowledge or eternity before me. for on the 10th of this month, November, 1869, I heard the death warrant from the Governor.' We all must die some time, sooner or later. Life is uncertain and death is sure. May all forgive me who I have wronged, and I would ask the prayers of all good people, and may God forgive me. Those who have been friends to me I thank. May they remember me and know that I thank them for the kindness they have shown to me. I am sorry for that one thought that caused so much trouble, but it was not my intention for to kill Annie McCandless. I am sorry. I wish I had never seen the light of this world, to be a trouble to myself and others. This is now all I have for to say.

HIS LAST NIGHT AND MORNING ON EARTH

The time fixed for the execution of Hockinberry was between ten and three o'clock to-day. It took place in the jail yard, surrounded by high walls, and looked gloomy and dilapidated enough. The convict had, apparently, few fears of death and betrayed little anxiety as this his last day on earth approached. He retired early last night after preparing a statement to be published after the execution. He slept soundly until about three o'clock this morning, when he awoke and rose from his bed and paced up and down the cell, his hands behind his back, evidently deep in meditation and seeming for the first time impressed with a sense of the awful doom that awaited him. After some time spent in this way he sat down and wrote several short letters to the relations of the girl he murdered. Among them, one to Charles McCandless, asking his forgiveness. Hockinberry then retired and slept until awakened by Sheriff Thompson, who informed him that Rev. Charles Moran was waiting to be admitted. He arose, dressed himself with scrupulous care, and upon the entrance of the minister, received him affectionately, remarking that he was well aware how near death was. The two engaged in prayer for some time, the doomed man appearing in excellent spirits and prepared to meet the dreadful fate that awaited him.

VISITS OF ACQUAINTANCES

Hockinberry ate breakfast sparingly. After taking it, several persons, among whom were Assistant District Attorney Riddle and his counsel, with several friends, were allowed to converse a short time with him and bid a final adieu. The condemned man seemed considerably depressed after their departure, and persisted in reminding the minister that his intention was not to murder the victim, but merely to disfigure her in such a manner as to render marriage with another impossible. He rallied again, however, and expressed a wish to Sheriff Thompson to be executed at eleven o'clock as the suspense caused a continual agony. The hour set apart by the Sheriff was three o'clock in the afternoon, allowing the convict the longest time granted him by him who signed the death warrant. The Sheriff hesitated, but upon being pressed, acceded to the request and commenced making preparations.

THE EXECUTION.

Accordingly, at the hour named, the Sheriff announced that everything was in readiness. The hands of Hockinberry were then bound and he was conducted to the scaffold. A brief prayer was offered up after the rope was affixed to his neck. He seemed for an instant to falter, but quickly recovered his composure. The signal was given and the spirit of the murderer faced that of the murdered in the presence of God.