The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-11-29

deepest Sy mpAthleS OF every person pfesou', ,
and there not . dry eye In the court
house. This was the FIRST case o. capital
punishment in Wayne county. The second
case was that OF Hampshire Pttman, col
ored man. for the murder OF another colored
man in Richmond about the year 1922
jealousy was said to be the cause of this
last murder, which WAS committed with
butchers knife IN the presence of several
colored individuals. Pitman was tried and
sentenced to be hung at Centreville. the
then county seat OF Wayne county. | lived
near Richmond AT the time, and heard much
said about this murder, the trial and coavic
ton of the prisoner. Like hundreds and
thousands of others. | was anxious to wit
ness the execution. The day for the hang
! ing arrived. The ground was covered about
fonr inches with snow. Immediately after
an early breakfast some four or five OF US
started on foot 20 Pittmsn hing. Seven
miles travel through the cold and snow
brought US to CentreviIle. which was already
thronged with people eager to witness the
execution of the doomed culprit. who was.
abou, | O'Clock, taken from the prison to
+ the cour, house. where David Fraley. a
Methodist Minister. preached his funeral
sermon. He was taken in An open wagon
seated upon his coffin to the galows. which
tern portion of the village. Samuel Han
ma was th, Sheriff whose duty it was 10 see
that the sentence OF the law was executed
upon the prisoner. B,ing boy. OF about
ten wears of age. to ensure fair sight
press ssed through the crowd to near the loot
of the gallows. and was, with many others,
thrust back several times by the military
that surrounded the gallows. As no plat
form had been erected, the prisoner, Sheriff
and few assistants stood in the open wag.
on under the eallows. while Pittman made
a short address and took leave of his friends.
! He warned all present to govern their pas
sions. anl never let their evil temper plunge
them into crime. He was deeply penitent.
and said his doom was a ist one. The rope
WAS adjusted around his neck and white
cap drawn down over his eyes. and the
Sheriff. looking at his watch said. "Hamp
shire Pittman you have three minutes longer
to live A de.h like stiffness pervaded
the vast mass of people for a few moments.
then a deep murmur mingled with sighs,
PRAYERS and curses pervaded the dense mass
of men. women and children who had as
sembled to see this poor negro launched in
to eternity At length the WAGNER drove
of his wagon from under the feet OF the
prisoner and left him dangling in the air
After hanging some thirty or forty minutes
he was cut down bY the Sheriff and placed
in a plain coffin under the gallows. At this
iuncture three or four sons OF E>culapius
sprans in and seized the coffin AMI we're
about to hurry it into carriage that stood
in waiting for the corpse-wh hIch they desir.
eI to secure for .issection-but they were
baff1ed in their purpose by man named
Roidy, to whom P.ttman gave hors. to
see tina. his body was decently inferred,
/ who. rushing through the crowd with an
axe drawn swore he would make ..mnce
meat" of the doctors it they did no. in
stan,ly drop the corpse, which they imme-
diately did and crawiishei out of the crowd.
Roddy placed the coffin upon sled and
drove ont of town some eight or ten niles
that night The doctors hung upon his
tracks and aroand the house in which the
corpse was kept all night. but found no op-
portulity to get away the corpse. The
second night r idy c,rried the corpse about
two miles and halt southeast Of Rich
mond near Walkers. where he dug a grave
and buried the GOTTA. He carried the corpse
about mile further on. where, covering i:
with lime, he sunk it 10 a quagmire and
then fell tree across it, burying it deeply
IN the swamp where it was not found until
the following spring. The perseverng doc
tors tracked RoIdy's sled to the grave,
which they opened down TO the cofia. when
they concluiel they would empty few
b ,,iles of chanpa;gn bsf,re they procee led
with their sresurrecive." Upon hniing
the coffi empty their chagrin and north
cation was manifested by their placing the
empty coffi on log near the roa Iside.
where it WAS seen for several weeks aft,r-
wards.
The dreadful scsne of tha. execution
haunted nv i'm ,gination for months after
wards. The long. cold walk through the
,, snow % CentreviIls and back, without din
ner and withou. once being at the fire, to
gether with the walking and standing rounc
u on The cold ground and witness the horrie
spectacle of the execution. so wrought upol
my nerves and Juvenile sensibilities. that
could not half sleep for many nights after
wards Whenever l shut my eyes l could
SEE the negro hanging. and my ears were
stunned with the gled sobs. groans and
curses of that mixed assembly. some weep
< ing. others swearing and others picking
4 pockets while the prisoner was hanging be
a fore their eyes. 1t completely cured me o
: ever wishing to see another fellow being ex
. ecuted l would GO miles to avoid seeing
!. an execution before | would go ten ten step.
= to witness one. Reader such would be you
G feelings, have no doubt, on the slbject-
!, il YOU never saw the death penalty inhic
: ted upon fellow creature. Spare yourself
the unnecessary torture Even yet. after
y lapse Of thirty seven years, L can still, II
d imagination, see the poor negro writhing II
a death -throes under the gallows, expiating
n crime committed against the laws Of hi
b country and his God.
O ELKHORN
y :,