The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-01

speaking of his wife and his mother he
faltered, but displayed not the slight
est fear OF death. srigl i-7 i
OWENS SPEECH. ASA aEs
Mr., Owens then ad vanced to the front
of the scaffold with perfectly self
possessed air and said: .#I5
"Ladies and Gentlemen-I am about
to make nv first speech. i have little
or no education, i am about to be ex-
ecuted for a crime of which now say
before God and man, and rs dying
man / am innocent, i fought three
years and six months for my country.
never killed Il man IN cold blood. am
not a rebel, nor am an abolitionist.
have ever been q constitutional Union
man, and shall die one.
81 did not know that King was dead
until he had been dead two days. did
not have fair trial. The jury were
prejudiced against me, and witnesses
have been bought to take away my
Hfe-mOney speculation in blood. One
Thousand dollars will buy two mems
against me. L borrowed the pistol to
go TO Tennessee to see my relatives, /
sent it back to Billy King. 1t went
through many hands after leaving
mine, and two days after, itwas proved
that there was blood on it.
L ull not EtCElNt luSLICts L nave
been very bad man, but am prepared
10 die. 90 sur-
"Before j leave this world wish to
say to Grit. Wright, who swore a noto-
rious lye, and bartered away my life,
tell him L forgive him; he caused me TO
die. / wish to tell you all now that
Wright was the first man who ever pro-
posed to rob and murder n man. he
proposed TO me and Billy King This
is Gods truth, coming from a dying
man. Ask Simpson If he did not see
us in the lane talking about it. he
proposed to rob and murder man liv-
ing between Gallatin and Franklin.
Did GOT No sir. You may say that
Abe Owens tells this on the scatIold.
You may believe or not; leave that
with you. ssl- ltt1 20
"I haven't been tried for the train rob-
berry, and 1t is not tor that am to be
murdered; great many men have
come long distauce, suppose, to see
IA great character. Everything bad hus
been reported of us. 1t is said Billy
King cut off mans head and throw ii
| in the lap of his wife. Now am as
brave as King, believe, but couldn't
do that. .l a
"It has been said we are blood thirsty
men. If ever / killed a man / do moi
know it. was put on trial for murder,
but the ten thousand dollars of the
Railroad Company is what convicted
me. It bought witnesses that took
away my life." Eif lT .aH1 a ra
Turning to the counsel for the prose-
cution, Owens said:
"Gentlemen-We held you at bay for
IA long time, but you have got us at
last. die happy, for 1 believe am
going to Heaven. 1t must be easier to
die Innocent than guilty. You can
hang me on IA gnlluws. You can hang
me heels up, II you will. and let me
hang here until the birds OF the mir eat
| the flesh from my bones. and build
nests in my skull. That is all You car
do. Thank God you can't kill my soul
"You may believe me what You like
but all your belief will not make me
guilty. die an innocent man. You
murder my body, but my souls be.
yond your reach. Riley Tou and Grif.
Wright were hired to swear away my
| life. Tell them I forgive them" .l-H
owen spoke fifty five minutes, dur
ng which be repeated the substance oil
tho foregoing several times. He was
eloquent, perfectly possessed, and
all the time he was denouncing his enc
mics in the most whitening terms. f-
THE CLOSING SCENE.
When he concluded his remarks,
Rev. Mr.. Harwell, OF the Methodist
Church, made prayer. 10
At tiye minutes before p. M. the
doomed men took leave of those around
them, requesting that their bodies be
given to their friends.
After the caps were drawn over their
faces, Owens said: Good bye, Billy,
this is what they have been after for a
long time" ...s
Yes, said King. "they have got it
at last"
owens remarked repeatedly, Hold
up your head, Billy" "a 7aii. 70
AT precisely O'Clock, p. NJ, the men
fell. Owens died almost instantly, but
King lived twenty-five minutes. His
neck was not broken, he having re-
quested the Sheriff to adjust the rope
in such a manner that It would not
break it. ..r5za- .1..-- -.54 !.
Up to the last moment they declared
their innocence, and maintained the
courage and nerve that had character
lied them from the first. They had
abandoned all hope of a reprieve before
leaving their cells. f- NOV. 10 fr
The large crowd was quiet and order
ly. One young woman became hyster-
ical during Ovens remarks, and shout
ed "Glory TO God,p and exhorted all 10
get religion. lra.- s-1 vi asniiL-- e.
The melancholy duty OF Sheriffs Bo-
| gan and Howell WAS discharged in u
manner highly creditable to them.
Taken altogether, it was one of the
most remarkable executions in the his
tory of Kentucky. From all the vast
crowd present there was but one express
| sion of opinion heard, and that was thai
the prisoners were guilty. 7al z,.-ls 30