The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-17
hended his c6nditib8 bflII Differentiation.


was bad, indeed, very bad. His wife
end family had Enthusiastically inter-
views. with him. and everything has
LSbean.doae Which could In sthe least
cheer him in his last hours.
About 5 o'clock last evening. the
prisoner partook Of a light supper,
and after devoting an hour to deyo1'
tiOaah exercises with has spiritual adj
tiseFsi he1 retired fo-bedc He was.
however, [ am informed by one of his
guards, very restless, and scarcely
slept more than half an hour at time.
About 4 o'clock this morning he
arose, and, taxing upa Bible, engaged
himself in reading and praying for
more than an hour. At o'clock he
dressed himself with great care, and
at seven eat very light breakfast.
About 9 o'clock several Of his most
personal and intimate friends visited
him in his cell. He conversed with
them freely on all subjects except the
one which must have weighed so
heaEilyOn his minds gAf ter Ii o clock
all visitorstf tfexeept' his farh1ly atfdire-
PoEters, of the ,pEess, were e&e.lpdeq 2
Early this morning people began to
flock in 4rQm,t i6nnaia iadjoini ngcohn-
ties, and he f04Gtef2 8scI6ek9h e4croFdg
in the stree wv pjtEtIeul laIsly siin6fheI "
cinity Of the court house GA tltbi Jail, /,
could have, Been NUMB Bered by thdus--
-andsg They seemed to be very much
disappointed at not being gablsTo wita
ness the execution, which according
to the laws Of 0iIiU has to be cons
! dueted4ih,a strictly private manner. q,
.AbtwelVe 70 0teelz the prssper sat
down to his last meal, but scarcely
touched any of the : food set
before him. At fifteen minutes before
one Sheriff Straley aufE6t5Eded TO
Smith that the hour. fixed for the ex :
cution was asskdfawiA3b High, am
asked him, il; he, was 6eady. He RE-
piled in the Aaifhlii 4flatti9e and speedily
took, leaYe, of his family. He then
spent a'.few. moments in prayer, and at
ten minutes pastspne he left his cell,
and was escorted t6 the gaiI6#s by
Sheriff sStraley, hiS counsel and RE-
ligious advisers He mounted the
scatfold with a. firm step, and took
bis scat en- q lehlaliE 1on the trap; After
a. lshor ta prayer bysRevs1DItlE1nerspn pm,
the death warrant was read to him.
During the reading hqnR RtfRee9ai fRee9a Fffg
At the Conclusion, the Sheriff asked
Smith if he bad. anything to say. He
arose, and spoke as follows: 81
l''sss GENTLEMEN: | have very little to
ksayga 1t is >30selemn'9 occasion, rand L
i h9pe 1 May heths last psanw hoewill
| have to suffer death in this way. But
am innocent of the murder of old
John Gray, for which must die.
The confessi6fA d have given to my
advisers is strictly true. Death has
no, terrorss fors nes L do mot fear
| death, but tits the 1Aapner in which
| must die, and the heldisgraee [ leave
on my family For fifty years I have
| lived IN rebellion against GOd, but /
have seenhowi hard are the ways of
SIN 4 Thank G6dl I have now hope
| In tHOda s1 s6a t5 issB sdt .e p
The prisoner then took his last
| farewell Of those on til e platform with
him, and then requested the Sheriff
to proceed with the performance of
/ his duty asisHeadi Il las possihle v 1.-The
fatal moose Wass adjusted, the black
cap pulled down, over his face, and at
precisely twenty eight minutes after
one oleloel2the drop lelEfand the soul
OF the doomed man was launched into
eteIHltyp5H -JaBOa 3jis0s4oj =
Alter hanging nineteen minutes, the
lHpli5 sieiaIis ii tehdance pfpnotqced
I life extinct, but, the body was .6otocut
4 down aforl nearly tWentv-fye minutes
Z. From the tine that Smithaiwas
| placed upon the platform untiWthe
drop fell, he exhibited little or no
emotion, but steadily protested his In
nocence of the crime with which be
was charged, and for which he paid
the extreme penalty of the law Thus
ended the Gray tragedy n 81