Des Arc citizen., 1859-05-11
EXECUTION OF LEWIS.

David s. Lewis, who was sentenced at the last term of the Circuit Court of Inde- pendence county, to be hung for the mur- der of Wells c. Bewley, his latherin-law, was executed at BatesviIle on Friday the 29th ult. The Balance of the 9th inst. says:
 The murder for which this man was hung was one of the most atrocious we have ever heard of and committed under circumstances of such nature as made it singular a well as infamous and ld-booded. He killed his father-in-law. in the presence of his own wife and child and his victims wife, on the public highway, (near Searcy, White county) while they were all travelling together to Tex as. for no other cause, that we could ever learn. than disagreement in reference to some property, which Lewis claimed. After hav-
 nr approached the travelling carriage from behind. and shot Bewley down whilst he was sitting holding the reins with which he was driving he deliberately reloaded his gun and approached him again, while he was lying weltering in his blood. and probably mortally wounded. and shot him a second time. We cannot imagine how such fiendish act could have been committed whilst the murderer was in his right mind, and the statement of the unfortunate man to his spiritual advisers, while in confinement, was that he was under the influence of liquor, when he committed the crime. and had his passions highly in Aamed bv the suggestions of some roWdYs about the grocery in Searcy (Whte county) concerning the aggravating character of his father-in-law's treatment of him. He further acknowledged. that except in reference to the disagreement about the property, he had never entertained hard feeling towards the man he murdered. But he has paid to an offended law the penalty of his crime, and gone to answer to that (: higher iaw,'' before the tribunal of which there are no investigations; for all hu man secrets stand already revealed there; and we can only hope that though deemed unfit for a place among his felowmen on earth his transgressons were pardoned, by Him who only has power to pardon, before he went to be judged.
 The following facts in reference to Lewis history, were obtained from him by Rev. MT. McCarver, of the M. E. Church, who attend ed him to the scafold.
 He was born in Picllens District South Carolina. He was to some extent religiously raised, and considered disobedience to his pa rents the first step in the career of wickedness which led to his unfortunate end. Among other things, too, the excessive use of intoxl- eating liquor and keeping the company of bad men, he says. assisted to corrupt his morals and harden his conscience. The crime for which he was executed was committed when he was intoxicated, and when, as we have stated, his passions were inaamed by the sug- gestions of other men. He thought he re- ceived the forgiveness of his sins on Sunday the 2lth of April, but afterwards was serious ly in doubt about it.
 There was a very large crowd in town to witness the execution, variously estimated at from twenty-five hundred to four thousand The prisoner was conducted to the galows at eleven o'clock, accompanied by Rev. J. s. Me Carver and Rev. c. W. Kennard as his spir-
 tual advisers. Mir WcCarver, on behalf of the prisoner, read chapter in the Bible, sung a hymn, offered prayer, and made some touch ing remarks to the assembly. At about fifteen minutes to twelve o'clock, the rope was adjust ed around the prisoners neck. The cap was kept over his face the whole time, and his face was not seen by the crowd at any time after he arrived at the gallows and he did not say word to the people, but was engaged in earnest prayer the whole time In few minutes after the rope was put around his neck, the drop fell; the unfortunate man struggled about fifteen minutes in the embrace of death, and his soul took it's flight to < that undiscovered country"