In this post about Hugh Manon, we learned that Hugh Manon, Jr. kept a timeline of events in his life based on the Tyler hanging, but what did he mean? The Bryan Press of April 13, 1848, helped solve this mystery through its page one story on the hanging of Tyler.
Mr. Tyler was described as a bad man with a "most forbidding countenance" who was traveling around Williams County pretending to be a fortune teller. With him, he had a "poor, half-witted fellow" named Heckathorn. The two were in the West Unity area in the summer of 1847, going house to house offering to tell the fortunes of those they met. On one particular day, they stopped at the home of the Scamps where Mr. Scamp told them in no uncertain terms that Tyler's services "were never needed or wanted." Mr. Tyler took offense to the rebuff, probably delivered in a straightforward, gruff manner, and promised Mr. Scamp that he would regret that decision.
A little later, on a Sunday afternoon, Tyler came across a little Scamp boy, thought to be five or six years old, and he and Heckathorn lured him into the woods, probably with the promise of candy. The family noticed the boy missing, but unable to find him, they sounded the alarm to the neighbors and friends who searched for several days with no luck. The whole county became involved emotionally, at least, in this loss of a child.
Eventually, "the dead body of the little boy
was found in the hollow of a standing tree, with leaves and bark pushed around him to hide the body. Mr. Scamp, of course, suspected the devilish Mr. Tyler, and a search ensued. Tyler was found and denied any part in the incident.
Tyler and Heckathorn were both arrested and imprisoned, with the trial scheduled for Bryan. It was difficult to find jurors as everyone was so incensed by the crime and could hardly be impartial in their judgement. But finally a jury was set and Heckathorn was found guilty, but was determined to be an imbecile, so he was to be imprisoned for life.
For Mr. Tyler, the die was cast and he was sentenced to be hung. The Bryan Press continued the story:
"He was executed immediately east of the then jail upon a gallows erected for the purpose, he talking, laughing and joking with the men who erected the gallows, believing as before stated, that it was all a joke. A few days before the execution, the Sheriff, as required by law, erected a board structure around the gallows; but the night before he was to be hanged, a number of the neighbors of Mr. Scamp and others, came to Bryan and demolished this structure in short order, being determined to see the old wretch, as they called him, hung. This, of course, gave the people a full view of the execution; and as there were, doubtless more people in Bryan upon that day, not withstanding the inclement weather and bad going, it being the month of January 1849, upon any previous occasion.
At the solicitation of the Sheriff, I put the shroud upon the culprit, bidding him stand up while I accomplished it - followed him upon the scaffold, sang a hymn, Rev. Salter of Evansport, Defiance County, acting as chaplain, then stepped 'down and out.'
This was my first and last experience in this direction, my mind having undergone a change as to the rightfulness of capital punishment.
The Sheriff, as was his duty, touched the trigger, the drop fell, but the rope, not being properly adjusted, the victim struggled so much that it was concluded best to raise the trap and try it again. This was done, and he still thought and was now assured in his own mind that it was still a joke - a pretty rough joke, as I would have thought.
The rope was readjusted, the spring touched, the trap fell, and he was very soon in eternity - but few persons feeling any sympathy for him. He died as 'the fool died,' without, as far as was apparent, any repentance for the commission of the horrible deed, or any regrets at the result of a misspent life."
*In the 1850 census, the only Scamp family in Williams County consisted of Peter and Ann Scamp and their son, John, 4, near West Unity.
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