The Hangman's Ropemaker: They Cheated the Hangman

"Of the seven murderers whose execution was fixed for the 9th of April next, James H. Jacobs, of Lancaster, who murdered a relatives, has had his death penalty commuted to imprisonment for life, and William H. Smith, colored of Allegheny, who while drunk, killed his wife, and John W. Rudy, of Lancaster, who murdered his father, were yesterday respited until the 26th of June, to enable their cases to receive further consideration at the hands of the board of pardons."

~ "Two Who May Not Hang," The Jeffersonian-Democrat (Brookville, Pennsylvania), 2 April 1890, page 1

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

In March, as it was stated previously in Jacob Bupp's alderman post from 1890, Jacob was interviewed as having made the ropes for nine hangings that were to take place on 9 April 1890.  Now, research has been done, and while there were a number of hangings that day, it was only seven.  Perhaps a reporter misheard, as seven hangings were supposed to be done on the NINTH.... or Jacob (or someone else) inflated the number to make himself look important.

Whatever the reason behind seven becoming nine, only four people ultimately were hanged in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 9 April 1890, which was researched in my previous blog.  Three others who were supposed to hang that day ultimately cheated the hangman.

According to the same newspaper interviews, Jacob Bupp had either already made their ropes, or was in the process of making them ropes when they cheated the hangman's noose.  Those three men were James H. Jacobs, John Rudy and William H.Smith.

James H. Jacobs

James H. "Reddy" Jacobs was a forty year old widower who lived at 413 Arch Alley in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with his three young children.  Elmer Ellsworth Quigley was twenty six years old and a neighbor. The two men were friends and may have been related (some newspapers give that they were friends... others state they were relatives).  On the night of 11 December 1886, Quigley was walking by Jacobs' home and heard one of his children crying.  Upon investigated, he was met by Jacobs, who became angry that he was discovered abusing his children.  When Quigley tried to calm him down, Jacobs attacked him with a butcher knife, stabbing him in the stomach.  Quigley fled from the house, alerting neighbors he had been stabbed.  He was taken home and a doctor and an alderman were summoned, as his wounds were deemed to be fatal.  He died the next day.

B. Frank Eshelman was the lawyer who defended Jacobs, and argued Jacobs was not in his right mind.  The trial was held at the Lancaster County Courthouse in October 1887, and the jury found Jacobs guilty of first degree murder.  The case made its way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who upheld the verdict and the sentencing.

After a few respites, Jacobs was due to be hanged on  April 1890, but in March 1890 the Board of Pardons commuted his sentence to life in prison and he was committed to an insane asylum.  It was after examining him that six doctors, all heads of insane asylums in the state gave testimony that he was not sane, and the Board of Pardons recommended that he was not fit for the death penalty and recommended that he have his sentence commuted to life in prison.

James H. Jacobs died in the Eastern State Penitentiary on 24 February 1911 from pneumonia and influenza.

Tobacco trading card likeness and description for James H. Jacobs from 1887 N283 D. Buchner & Co."Offenders" Collection.  Digital image created by Bill Cornell and used with permission

James H. Jacobs likeness was put on to a trading card series called "Defenders & Offenders".... there is a wonderful description about this series at The Trader Speaks.

John W. Rudy
John W. Rudy was convicted of killing his father, Christian Rudy, on 4 December 1887. He had been discovered with his father's body on a farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.    His trial was held in June of 1888.   His lawyers in his case were B. Frank Eshelman (who was Jacobs' lawyer as well) and John A. Coyle.  The evidence in the trial was purely circumstantial, and no motive was ever given as to why Rudy would want his father dead, as the elder Rudy was poor and lived in an almshouse and had no quarrel with his son.

Like Jacobs, he was sentenced to death by hanging, and like with Jacobs, Eshelmen was not going to give up without a fight. A petition of over 8000 people of Lancaster County was presented to the Board of Pardons in May of 1890 by Eshelmen asking to the commutation of Rudy's sentence to life in prison.  Even the jurors who convicted him for the crime asked for this commutation, but it was argued they were only doing this out of sympathy, as Jacobs had just received clemency himself.

On 15 July 1890, the Board of Pardons recommended that Rudy's sentence be commuted to life in prison due to the lack of strong evidence.  Rudy was sent to Eastern State Penitentiary.   In January of 1914, the Board of Pardons took another look at his case and recommended him for a full pardon, and it was granted.  He spent 28 years in jail, and his wife divorced him while he was in prison and had remarried.

John W. Rudy sadly took his own life on Christmas Eve, 1916, as his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

William H. Smith
William H. Smith came home on 4 September 1889 from an out of town trip to discover his wife had committed infidelity with another man, as there were letters revealing the act that had be written from the other man to his wife.  He proceeded to drink himself into a blind stupor and shoot her in their home at 124 Fulton Street in Allegheny City while she was sleeping before turning the gun on himself.  While he succeeded in killing her, he was not as successful in his suicide attempt and spent some time in the hospital.

William H. Smith was tried in November 1889 and was found guilty of murder in the first degree.  he was sentenced to hang on 9 April 1890.

In the 31 March 1890 edition of The Pittsburgh Press came this little tidbit:

"Jacob Bupp to-day held a conference with Sheriff McCandless to determine upon what kind of rope he will make to swing Wife Murderer Smith out of existence, should Gov. Beaver not get back to Harrisburg in time to grant the respite recommended by the pardon board. Bupp has made the ropes for every execution which has taken place in this city for the past 20 years." ("Jacob Bupp Once More," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 4)

However, on that same day, Smith was given a respite from being hanged with the other murderers on 9 April so that his case could be reviewed by the Pardon Board.

In May 1890, The Board of Pardons was asked to intercede and grant Smith another respite so that a commission could examine him as a patient.  According to Smith's lawyers, he was haunted by the spirit of his dead wife at night and held conversations with her and the lawyers offered this as proof of his insanity.  However, at that time, they decided not to intervene and his hanging date was set for 20 June 1890.

He was assigned a death watch in his cell on 16 June 1890, with Deputy Sheriff Charles Rice being a part of it.  Charles Rice had previously been on several death watches of John Henry Carter, Babe Jones, Martin Weinberger, James McSteen, Frank Small, and Ward McConkey.  However, that hanging was also respited pending a sanity hearing.

Eventually he was declared insane and sent to Dixmont Insane Asylum.  He was the first colored man convicted of murder to escape execution in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

William Smith died from heart disease at the Allegheny County Home (later Woodville State Hospital) in Woodville, Pennsylvania on 24 April 1919.

Sources Used and Referenced
"A Cold Blooded Murder," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 June 1888, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 July 2019).

"Cannot Hang a Lunatic," Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pennsylvania), 24 November 1890, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newpapers.com : accessed 28 October 2017).

"Fast Losing Hope," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 28 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 September 2017).

"I am Stabbed," Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 15 December 1886, page 6; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 July 2019).

"Jacob Bupp Once More," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, Page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"James H. Jacobs Vs. The Commonwealth", I.C. Arnold and George C. Eshelman, The Lancaster Law Review, volume V (The Inquirer Printing and Pulishing Company, 1888), 116-118; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=9kCTAAAAIAAJ : accessed 16 July 2019.

Journal of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: For the session begun at Harrisburg on the Fifth Day of January 1915, Part I (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Ray, 1916), 226-227; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=GHlDAQAAMAAJ : accessed 16 July 2019).

Loftquist, Bill. "William H. Smith," State Killings in the Steel City: The History of the Death Penalty in Pittsburgh, 7 February 2018 (https://state-killings-in-the-steel-city.org/ : accessed 14 July 2019).

"Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"Neighborhood Notes," The Butler Citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 4 April 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 September 2017).

Official Documents, Comprising the Department and Other Reports Made to the Governor, Senate, and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, Volume 1 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Edwin K. Meyers, 1892), 106-11, 137-139; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=CXBDAQAAMAAJ : accessed 14 July 2019).

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 July 2019), Entry for James Hunter Jacobs, died 24 Feb 1911, cn 19187; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 July 2019), Entry for John W. Rudy, died 24 Dec 1916, cn 125799; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 July 2019), Entry for William Smith, died 24 Apr 1919, cn 45590; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"The Plea for Smith," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 21 May 1890, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 July 2019).

"Quartet Hanged Today: Bopp, the Expert Choker-Maker, Provides the Hemp," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 9 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 July 2019).

"Reddy' Jacobs Dead," Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 25 February 1911, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 July 2019).

"Rudy is Free," The Inquirer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 31 January 1914, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 July 2019).

"Rudy Must Die," The Daily New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 20 March 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 July 2019).

"Shadow of the Scaffold," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 9 April 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 July 2019).

"Smith May Be Executed," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 16 August 1890, page 6; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 July 2019).

"Smith, the Wife Murderer," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 October 2017).

"To Follow Jacobs," Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 16 July 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 July 2019).

"Two Who May Not Hang," The Jeffersonian-Democrat (Brookville, Pennsylvania), 2 April 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 July 2019).

Untitled opinion regarding Smith's respite, Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 April 1890, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 July 2019).

"With the Death Watch," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 16 June 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 July 2019).

The Hangman's Ropemaker: Four Pennsylvania Hangings in One Day

"He has also received orders to make ropes to be used in all of the nine executions which are to take place on Wednesday of next week."

~ "Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

While Jacob was still alderman of the Eleventh Ward in Allegheny City in 1890, his fame as a ropemaker was so great that he was asked to make ropes for at least eight hangings that were to take place throughout various counties of Pennsylvania on 9 April 1890.

Only four hangings were actually carried through.  Another blog post addresses what happened with the others who cheated the hangman that day.

As quoted in The Boston Globe on 9 April 1890 in an article with the gruesome moniker of "Quartet Hanged Today: Bopp, the Expert Choker-Maker, Provides the Hemp":

"Jacob Bopp of Allegheny City made all the ropes for the condemned men. Mr. Bopp can safely be styled an expert noose maker, having made no less that 88 ropes which were used in hanging murderers during the past 30 years."

The date of the hangings was not without controversy.  The Grand Army of the Republic in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was very upset of the date that was chosen by Governor Beaver for the hangings, as the date was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox, and many of the veterans of the Civil War in Pennsylvania had made extraordinary plans to celebrate the date.  As the Pittsburgh Daily Post reported in an article from that day,   "It is generally supposed Governor Beaver had no ulterior motive in selecting the date he did, but it is argued he should not have been thoughtless."

It was then mentioned in the same article that James M. Lysle Post 128 held a celebration in the Carnegie Music Hall in Allegheny that entailed a guest speaker and a fine musical presentation.  It is not known if Bupp was active with the post in 1890, but it was the post that he was a member of.  It is very likely that since he had a good standing at this point in his ward as an alderman, he was a very active member of the post and the date of the hangings and its significance was not lost on him when he made the ropes.

Zacharias "Zach" Taylor - Waynesburg, Greene County
Zacharias Taylor was supposedly part of the outlaw gang who killed drover William McCausland on 10 September 1887.  My previous blog post covered that a bit more in depth, as George W. Clark was hanged first for that crime and Jacob had made his ropes.

Taylor was described as a man of spare build with a small head and a thin face, and his photograph certainly captures that description.  He had six children, four of who were living at the time of his trial and ultimate hanging.  His wife, Elizabeth Clark Taylor, had stayed in the jail with him the final three weeks of his life.  She was the sister of George Clark, who died on the very scaffold that was to take her husband's life as well.

Photograph of Zacharias Taylor [1851-1890] hanged for murder on 9 April 1890 at the Greene County Courthouse, item no. GCCH-AN001-0001, Greene County Courthouse Collection, Greene Connections Archives Project (www.GreeneConnections.com). Used with Permission.

On 9 April 1890, Zach Taylor was hanged in the Greene County Jail Yard at Waynesburg.  On the scaffold, he claimed his innocence, just as George Clark had done.  Twelve minutes after the drop was done, he was pronounced dead, making him the second of just three men hanged for murder in that particular county.  After his demise, he was buried in the Masontown Cemetery in Masontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

George Clark and Zach Taylor were the only two who paid the price for McCausland's murder, as the other men who were found guilty ultimately were acquitted, as their lawyer, Franklin Pierce Iams, was able to successfully defend them in appeals.

For more information on Zach Taylor (and on George W. Clark), visit the Greene County Archives and archivist Candice Buchanan's blog at Greene Connections.  Many thanks to Candice Buchanan for her assistance and encouragement on this portion of this post!

William Bartholomew - Easton, Northampton County
William Bartholomew was described in one article as a "slouchy, unkempt, repulsive looking man of about 50 years."  He was a widower and a farmer who lived outside Easton, Pennsylvania.  Very early in the morning the day of 6 September 1889, Bartholomew shot a nearby neighbor Aaron W. Dillard outside his home after creating a ruse with Dillard's wife in which he disturbed the Dillard farm disguised as a chicken thief.  He was arrested the next day after it came to light that for several years, he and Margaret Dillard, Aaron's wife, had been having an affair, and as a result, the Dillards had quarreled and even moved away from their previous home.

The couple were formerly charged with the murder on 16 September 1889, and Margaret was arrested.  She gave a full and complete confession to the murder upon being escorted to the jail, but later recanted it, stating she made it under duress to the lead detective, Detective Johnson.  For her part in the crime, Mrs. Dillard was sentenced to death by hanging, but that charge was later reduced to life in prison at Eastern State Penitentiary.

On 22 October 1889, William Bartholomew was found guilty of murder in the first degree.  He professed his innocence in trial.  He was sentenced to death by hanging.

In the weeks leading up to the hanging, Bartholomew threatened the sheriff with trouble should he be escorted to the scaffold, but ultimately he went without a fight.  His last words on the scaffold were a mixture of proclamations of innocence and demands that Detective Johnson and Mrs. Dillard also be hanged.  His neck was broken when he was hanged, resulting in a quick death.

Alfred Andrews - Bellefonte, Centre County
Alfred Andrews was a native of Ponsanooth, Cornwall, England, and had immigrated to the United States at the age of 17.  He worked as a miner in various districts in Pennsylvania before settling in Brisbin in Clearfield County, where he married and had at least one child.

In November of 1888, he left his wife and child and began to travel around the state, intent on a life of crime.  While in Centre County on 27 November 1888, he happened upon a young woman of sixteen (newspaper accounts have her as old as 18) by the name of Clara Price who was walking towards her home in Karthus along what is now Route 879.  He began to walk with her, talking to her until he came to a secluded spot on the road, where he attempted to "become familiar" with her, newspapers report (though whether or not this is truth will remain a mystery).  This caused her to scream, so he took out his revolver and shot her five times.

Andrews was arrested at his home in Brisbin on 2 December 1889 and was remanded to jail until the trial.  He insisted he was in the area the day of the murder and had spoken to the girl, but was not guilty of her death.

Andrews had a brief trial that began on 27 January 1890, and on the day he was found guilty, he confessed in full to the crime.  Whether or not this confession was made in hopes of getting out of hanging remains a mystery, as some supposed he was not guilty.

Andrews was hanged in the Centre County Jail Yard at Bellefontein front of an audience of over 500 people.  According to newspaper accounts, he made a short speech and expressed repentance for the murder of Clara Price before the drop, in which his neck was broken.

I stumbled across a wonderful blog post by The Pennsylvania Rambler on the subject called A Killing in Karthaus: The Murder of Clara Price that goes into more detail on this crime for those interested.  Pennsylvania Oddities blog written by Marlin Bressi also has a post dedicated to Clara Price and her murder.

Charles Carter - Ebensburg, Cambria County

Charles Carter was a black man and was known as a rough character, having had multiple run-ins with the law before.  According to newspaper accounts, he was the brother of Jesse Henry Carter, who was hanged in Pittsburgh for the murder of John Foster on 3 June 1884 with a rope that was also made by Jacob Bupp.

Charles Carter was friends with another black man by the name of John Matthews, and the men frequented a dive bar that was run in a house owned by John and Annie Roberts, a mixed race couple in the borough of Conemaugh.  On 8 October 1889, the two argued over the affections of a white girl by the name of Emma Dunn and Carter pulled a revolver and shot John Matthews to end the argument.  Matthews was eventually taken to the local hospital, where he died the next day.  Carter fled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he was arrested for train jumping.  He wrote to a friend for money for bail and the friend alerted authorities, who had him brought back to Ebensburg to stand trial.

After a very brief trial the first week of December 1889, in which Carter was not even given a lawyer who would defend him, he was found guilty of murder.  A week later, he was sentenced to death by hanging.  It was indicated that there were some strong endorsements for leniency because of the fact that he barely had a defense, but his bad reputation and the bad reputation of his family (besides Jesse's crimes, another brother had also murdered a man and was serving time in the pen) put a kibosh to those endorsements.

Carter's rope was specifically mentioned as being made by Jacob Bupp.  It cost Cambria County $25 for the 25 yard rope, which was the usual length and cost of one of Jacob's hangman's nooses.

Over 300 people were present at his execution in the Cambria County Jail Yard.  He met his death bravely, despite the circumstances, and according to the Altoona Times, "he presented a neat appearance and had taken much pride and care in preparing himself."  Unlike the others, his neck did not break, so he strangled to death

Sources Used and Referenced:
"A Murder Confessed," Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 18 September 1889, page 6; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Another Murder," The Cambria Freeman (Ebensburg, Pennsylvania), 8 November 1889, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Arrested for Murder," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 December 1889, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

Bressi, Marlin. "April 9, 1890: The Day of the Hangman," Pennsylvania Oddities: Bizarre, odd, gruesome and totally weird stories from Pennsylvania's colorful past, 25 February 2017 (http://paoddities.blogspot.com/ : accessed 12 July 2019).

Bressi, Marlin. "The Clara Price Gravesite," Pennsylvania Oddities: Bizarre, odd, gruesome and totally weird stories from Pennsylvania's colorful past, 5 February 2017 (http://paoddities.blogspot.com/ : accessed 12 July 2019).

Buchanan, Candice."Zach Taylor, Hanged for Murder, 9 April 1890," Greene County Archives, Greene County Connections, 9 March 2019 (https://greeneconnections.com/blog/ : accessed 9 July 2019).

Cabinet card photograph: Zacharias Taylor, by Rogers Studio; Greene County Courthouse Collection; Greene County Archives, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. digital image (https://greeneconnections.pastperfectonline.com : accessed 9 July 2019); GCCH-AN001-0001.

"Carter Convicted of Murder," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 7 December 1889, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"The Clara Price Murder," Altoona Times (Altoona, Pennsylvania), 5 December 1889, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Death on the Gallows," Altoona Times (Altoona, Pennsylvania), 10 April 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"The Dillard Murder Case," Miners Journal (Pottstown, Pennsylvania), 23 October 1889, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"For McCausland's Murder," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 29 December 1887, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

"Four Crimes Expiated," Altoona Tribune (Altoona, Pennsylvania), 10 April 1890, page 1; online archives with images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Four Men Hanged," Lancaster Intelligencer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 16 April 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

Gibb, Tom. "Cambria County Jail reopens as a museum," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 January 2002; online archives (https://www.post-gazette.com/ : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Has Taylor Confessed?," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 4 April 1888, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

"Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016). 

"Mrs. Dillard Sentanced," The Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 10 December 1889, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Murder Carter Weakening," Altoona Tribune (Altoona, Pennsylvania), 3 April 1890, page 4; online archives with images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 September 2017).

"Murder in the First Degree," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 14 December 1889, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Neighborhood Notes," The Butler Citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 4 April 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 September 2017).

"Not So Mysterious," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 September 1889, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 July 2019).

The Pennsylvania Rambler, "A Killing in Karthaus: The Murder of Clara Price," The Pennsylvania Rambler, 27 March 2019 (https://thepennsylvaniarambler.com/ : accessed 12 July 2019).

"Quartet Hanged Today: Bopp, the Expert Choker-Maker, Provides the Hemp," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 9 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 July 2019).

"Shadow of the Scaffold," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 9 April 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 July 2019).

Spofford, Ainsworth R. VIII (New York: James T. White and Company, 1898), page 8, "Iams, Franklin Pierce"; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=8U_0OfdfcZAC : accessed 10 July 2019).

"They Will Be Hanged To-Day!," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 9 April 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 July 2019).

"To The Scaffold," transcribed article, at Greene County Pennsylvania Archives Greene Connections, (https://greeneconnections.pastperfectonline.com/archive/E2C9BD89-E81F-41A7-A43F-047246772644 : accessed 11 July 2019); citing original publication in the Waynesburg (Pennsylvania) Republican, 10 April 1890.

"Zach Taylor is Guilty," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 January 1889, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 July 2019).

The Hangman's Ropemaker: The McCausland Murder and George W. Clark

"The doomed man weighed 220 pounds. A rope of extraordinary strength was made for the occasion by Jacob Bupp, of Allegheny. It was half-inch hemp rope, saturated with beeswax; was 25 feet long, and cost the county $1 per foot. The noose was tied by the manufacturer, and drew so tightly on an experimental sand bag when being tested as to cause some trouble in getting it unfastened, It was tested on a sand bag of 254 pounds weight. This makes the 91st hangman's rope made by this man."

~ "Claimed Innocence," Butler citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 28 February 1890, page 2

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

While Jacob Bupp was an alderman for the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City in 1890, he still did not give up his primary occupation of ropemaking.  In fact, he made several documented ropes for hangings in 1890, the first of which was for George W. Clark, who was among the heaviest men ever hanged by a rope manufactured by this particular hangman's ropemaker.

On the morning of 10 September 1887, a drover by the name of William McCausland boarded the steamship James G. Blaine intending to travel to McCann's landing to buy sheep.  He had a considerable amount of money in his pockets.  A few hours later, his body was found in a ravine by the landing, riddled with bullets.

Detectives from the Perkins Detective Agency in Pittsburgh (note here, it says detectives in a few articles, but likely it was only a solitary one by the name of  G.B. Perkins) were soon hired to work the case, as everyone in the area where the murder occurred and where the accessories lived were either paid to keep their mouths shut or were too afraid to talk, as a notorious gang of outlaws worked the area.

Arrests were made 28 December 1887 in Little Chicago, Greene County, a small backwoods town.  The Greene County Sheriff, with help from the Perkins Detective Agency, rounded up three members of the Clark Family; George, Frank and Maggie. George Clark was arrested because he was seen fleeing the area in which the shots occurred.  Maggie Clark, his thirteen year old step-daughter, was seen running down the road a few minutes later.  Frank Clark was arrested once again in light of this new evidence.

Eventually, several men were charged in connection of McCausland's death, most of them related.  They were George W. Clark, Frank Clark, James Neff, John T. Clark, Frank Clark, Sr. and Zacharias Taylor.  Ben Clark was charged as an accessory after the fact as well.

George Clark was about 45 years of age and was not well-educated.  He was supposedly the ringleader of the band of the outlaws, and was the first of the men to be tried for McCausland's murder

Photograph of George W. Clark [1854-1890] hanged for murder on 26 February 1890 at the Greene County Courthouse, item no. WAYN_AN003_0011, Waynesburg University Paul R. Stewart Museum Collection, Greene Connections Archives Project (www.GreeneConnections.com).  Used with permission.

Clark's lawyers were an ex-Congressman from Uniontown by the name of C.E. Boyle and James E. Sayres of Waynesburg. The defense made an effort to in April of 1888 quash the indictment of the men charged because the sheriff who assisted with the grand jury was also the prosecutor and therefore did not have an impartial panel of jurors in the grand jury.  However, this motion was denied, but severance of the parties for trial was granted, thus Clark was tried first.

During the trial, it was stated that Perkins detectives were able to get a confession out of Zacharias Taylor, who was waiting in jail for his own trial (but it was likely this confession was coerced).  The other defendants had been released from jail on bail pending George Clark's conviction.

The trial created a spectacle, and it was reported that a number of people from Pittsburgh were visiting Waynesburg for its duration. It was stated that there was a strong web of circumstantial evidence given at the trial, most of it collected by G. B. Perkins of the Perkins Detective Agency in Pittsburgh.  Witnesses, including John Parker, who was known as Old Man Parker, testified to seeing George Clark and Zach Taylor as fleeing the scene of the murder.  The other men were believed to have entered into a conspiracy to rob and murder McCausland, though they were not in the vicinity of the murder.

On 14 April 1888, after the ten day trial, George W. Clark was found guilty of murder in the first degree for the death of William McCausland.  As The Rockland County Journal (Rockland County, New York) reported when he was hanged; "Clark was convicted on circumstantial evidence, and the people were about evenly divided as to his guilt."

Zacharias Taylor was also tried for the murder after a series of legal setbacks and motions, and a verdict of guilty was found on 26 Jan 1889. The other men also were found guilty, but were acquitted by reversal of lower court decisions by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, as stated in the biography of the defense lawyer who won them their acquittals.  Zach Taylor and George W. Clark were the only two men who ultimately suffered for the murder.

The night before the hanging of George W. Clark was reported to be very stormy, with rain and "fitful flashes of lightning" that caused other prisoners in the jail to think it wasn't a good omen.  Clark gave his well-marked Bible to his spiritual adviser, with instructions to get the Bible to his wife, Elizabeth Tucker Clark.

As per the leading quote on this post, Jacob Bupp made the rope for the hanging and charged his usual $25 fee.  The unusual method of testing the rope was also reported about in the Pittsburgh Dispatch.

On 26 February 1890, just after 11 in the morning, George W. Clark met his demise on the scaffold in the jail yard at Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania.  He was the first man ever to be convicted in Greene County of murder and the first one ever to be hanged (out of only three). His last words on the scaffold were "I hope God will forgive my sins and all those who lied against me."  His weight allowed for his neck to break, making a quick death.

Zach Taylor was extremely upset when he heard of his brother-in-law's death and refused to eat according to newspaper accounts.  He was hanged on 9 April 1890, the same day as three other men in Pennsylvania.

Many thanks to Candice Buchanan, the archivist at the Greene County Pennsylvania Archives for her assistance with this blog.

Sources Used and Referenced
Buchanan, Candice. "Zach Taylor, Hanged for Murder, 9 April 1890," Greene County Archives, Greene County Connections, 9 March 2019 (https://greeneconnections.com/blog/ : accessed 9 July 2019).

Cabinet card photograph: George W. Clark, by Rogers Studio; Waynesburg University Paul R. Stewart Museum Collection; Waynesburg University, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. digital image (https://greeneconnections.pastperfectonline.com : accessed 9 July 2019); WAYN_AN003_0011.

"Claimed Innocence," Butler citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 28 February 1890, page 2; online images, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 7 September 2017)

"The Conviction of Clark," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 16 April 1888, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

"For McCausland's Murder," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 29 December 1887, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

"George Clark Hanged," Rockland County Journal (Rockland County, New York), 1 March 1890, page 6; online images, Hudson River Valley Heritage (https://news.hrvh.org/ : accessed 10 July 2019). 

"Greene's First Execution," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 26 February 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 October 2017).

"Has Taylor Confessed?," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 4 April 1888, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 July 2019).

"The McCausland Mystery," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 January 1888, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 July 2019).

"Met Death Bravely," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 February 1890, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016). 

Spofford, Ainsworth R. advisory editor, The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, volume VIII (New York: James T. White and Company, 1898), page 8, "Iams, Franklin Pierce"; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=8U_0OfdfcZAC : accessed 10 July 2019).

"Well Executed," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 February 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 October 2017).

"Zach Taylor is Guilty," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 January 1889, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 July 2019).

The Hangman's Ropemaker: Jacob Bupp, the Alderman (Part Two: 1890)

"A hearing was held yesterday before Alderman Jacob Bupp, of the Eleventh Ward, Allegheny...."

~ "For Dynamiting Fish," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 August 1889, page 12 (yes, I used the same quote as last blog!)

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

Note: This is part two of three of Jacob Bupp's life as alderman of the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City.  Click here to read part one.  Click here to read part three.

Jacob Bupp's first eight months in office were fairly eventful, as my previous post demonstrated.  The next year was just as busy for him, as he continued to make ropes for several hangings (to be written about in the future and posted to this blog when done) as well as be an alderman.  

By the end of his only full year in office, he appeared to have an actual office space at 18 McClure in which he carried out his alderman duties, as evidenced by the Allegheny City directories from that year and the year following.  He still resided in the house on 191 Shady Avenue though.

In February, he was noted in few newspapers as creating the rope that hanged George W. Clark of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.  While he worked as an alderman, this hanging also demonstrates that he worked his ropemaking business as well.

On 14 March 1890, Frank Gerade of Shady Avenue came into Jacob Bupp's office, a day before he murdered his eight year old step-daughter Annie Hofer by bashing her brains out.  Jacob gave testimony that he saw Gerade three times that day, and that each time the man was acting in a wildly strange manner.  He added that the man in question was brought before him on several times for several various charges, though none of those charges made the papers. However, Bill Loftquist, in his blog on Frank Gerade, states that the Gerades "were regularly involved in serious incidents of child and spousal abuse," so it is likely that some of those charges were brought before Jacob in his alderman duties. (Gerade was later sentenced to death for the murder, but eventually was able to get that sentence reversed.)

At the end of  March of 1890, Jacob Bupp was written about in an interview done by The Pittsburg Dispatch in an article titled "Making Nine Ropes," that appeared on the second page of the 31 March 1890 edition, but parts of the article ended up being syndicated by newspapers across the country about his singular record of hangman's ropes.  According to the interview, he had created the ropes for eight-eight different hangings, mostly in Pennsylvania, but a few across the country.  He was busy making ropes for several hangings that were to take place the first week of April (interviews said nine hangings-but in reality it was only seven).  William H. Bartholomew in Easton, Alfred Andrews in Bellefonte, Zach Taylor in Waynesburg, and Charles Carter in Ebensburg all hanged.  Three others had their sentences commuted ultimately to life in prison: James H. Jacobs and John W. Rudy of Lancaster and William H. Smith of Allegheny City.

The syndicated article mentioned nothing about him being an alderman, but did state that:

"Personal Gossip," The Wichita Daily Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), 29 May 1890, page 2; source: Library of Congress via Chronicling America  - Note the spelling of Pittsburgh without the 'h'.... the city didn't adopt the current spelling until 1911

The full interview by The Pittsburg Dispatch described him as being an "old gentleman, having resided in the Eleventh ward  for many years.  He is small in stature, with a full gray  beard.  He is robust and healthy, and is a good conversationalist, particularly on criminal matters.  He keeps well posted on the affairs of the country."  The same article then goes on to say that he was the father of only three children, which, as stated in other blogs, was not truth.  His children William, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Ann all lived in Allegheny City with their own families, while Emma lived in Big Beaver Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania with her family. The only two children as of yet unaccounted for in 1890 were Alice and Ella.

 On 18 June 1890, Jacob Bupp heard a case in which John Miller asked for charges to be brought up against his neighbor John Doge for trespassing when Doge's cows got into Miller's garden and proceeded to eat most of the produce growing there.  The suit had been brought up after Miller tried to resolved the problem himself by making Doge keep the cows penned up, but the problem repeated itself, so Miller pressed charges.

On 29 July 1890, Frederick Hamma was brought before Jacob Bupp on charges of disorderly conduct for using abusive and vile language around his neighbors.  Hamma was described as a tough citizen who lived in the Ninth Ward of Allegheny City.

Sometime during the summer of 1890, a suit was brought up in front of him by August Wetzel of Manchester against August Walz/Waltz, his brother-in-law, for the return of money spent by Wetzel to secure passage to America for Walz and family.  His wife was the sister of Walz' wife, and wanted her sister and family to come to America.  Bupp ruled in favor of Wetzel.  However, Walz entered a counter suit because while the families were living together, he had done work for Wetzel, and the counter-suit was found in favor of Walz for the amount owed Wetzel.  Since the suits cancelled each other out, the families seemed happy, according to the papers.

However, like most city officials, Jacob Bupp was not without scandal.  While the misdemeanor was unknown, a true bill was found against him by a grand jury on 10 September 1890 and the trial for that charge was held a week later.  The outcome of that trial is yet unknown, but it can be assumed he was allowed to keep his office regardless of the outcome, as he was still doing alderman duties afterwards.


On 18 October 1890, Jacob Bupp first applied for a pension for his military service, which was already covered in depth on the post about his Civil War service.  A few days later, he was a witness on the naturalization petition for Charles Fenner, who was renounced his citizenship from Germany. 

Sometime in December of 1890 August Messner was charged with assault against the wife of Ernest Morzke and agreed to pay $200 to the Morzke family before Jacob Bupp.  However, Messner refused to pay the fine and the trial went to court in 1891, where he was found not guilty.

Jacob had one more year as alderman.... Part Three:1891 can be found by clicking this link.

Sources Used and Referenced
Ancestry.com, "1890 Veterans Schedules," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 August 2016), Entry for Jacob Bupp. Year: 1890, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 88, Page: 2, and Enumeration District: 226.

"A Terrible Tragedy," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 15 March 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 October 2017).

"A True Bill Found," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 11 September 1890, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 11 September 2017).

"A Welcome Worn Out," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 August 1890, page 6; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 September 2017).

"Briefly Sketched," Saline Observer (Saline, Michigan), 10 April 1890, page 6; online images, Digital Michigan Newspapers (https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/cgi-bin/michigan : accessed 21 September 2017).

"Claimed Innocence," Butler citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 28 February 1890, page 2; online images, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 7 September 2017).

"Cows in the Garden," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 19 August 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"Expert in Nooses," The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio), 10 April 1890, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 September 2017).

"Fast Losing Hope," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 28 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 September 2017).

"The Hangman's Halter," Wessington Springs Herald (Wessington Springs, South Dakota), 23 May 1890, page 4; online images, Chronicling America (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 21 September 2017). 

"Jacob Bupp Once More," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, Page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"The Judgements a Stand-Off: Brothers-In-Law Sue Each Other for Boarding and Other Bills," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 August 1890, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 October 2017).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1890/1891 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1890), 874, "Bupp Jacob, 18 McClure av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

"Local Brevities," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 29 July 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 October 2017).

Loftquist, Bill. "Frank Gerade," State Killings in the Steel City: The History of the Death Penalty in Pittsburgh, 9 February 2018 (https://state-killings-in-the-steel-city.org/ : accessed 7 July 2019)

"Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"Met Death Bravely," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 February 1890, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

Naturalizations - PA Western," database online with images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 6 July 2019), Entry for Jacob Bupp, witness in petition for Charles Fenner of Germany, 21 Oct 1890, referencing roll 48; citing Naturalization petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and the Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania; Records of the US Circuit and District Courts: Declarations of Intent and Petitions for Naturalizations, Oct 1820-Jan 1931, RG 21; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Neighborhood Notes," The Butler Citizen (Butler, Pennsylvania), 4 April 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 September 2017).

"Personal Gossip," Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa), 13 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 September 2017).

"Quartet Hanged Today: Bopp, the Expert Choker-Maker, Provides the Hemp," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 9 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 July 2019).

"Smith, the Wife Murderer," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 April 1890, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 October 2017).

Soldier's Application and Declaration for Invalid Pension for Jacob Bupp, Private, Company G, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery filed 20 October 1890; Photocopy provided by NARA in the pension file for Jacob Bupp; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Today's Trial Lists," official announcement, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 17 September 1890, page 3; "Criminal Court - Commonwealth vs. ...... Jacob Bupp"; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"Untitled," Lincoln Evening Call (Lincoln, Nebraska), 4 May 1890, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 September 2017).