Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-29
THE PRISON, THE GALLONS
AND THE GRAVE.
Six Thousand People Witness
the Execution.
SPEECHES OF THE PRISONERS
UPON THE sCAFFOLD.
Terrible Death of the RobbeT
Chief.


TIE DAY.
Yesterday expired the respite from the
sentence Of death passed upon the railroad
robbers, William Phillips King and Abra-
ham Owens, by the Circuit Court of Simp-
son county, Kentucky, for the murder OF
Harvey King, a member of the band and
broti2r TO the chief one of the prisoners.
The morning broke clear and eloudless
above the beautiful little town of franklin,
where the death sentence was to be exc
cuted The birds were sweetly WarbliDg
in the trees and cool breeze swept over the
broad green landscape giving promise of a
lovely day, scarce in keeping with the ter
rible events which were to transpire before
the setting of the sun, and which were to
seal forever the fate of two erring human
beings who had dared to tread the path of
death in defiance of inevitable consequences
The prisoners were, on Thursday, re-
moved from the dungeon in which they
had been confined, on the lower floor Of
The jail building, their new quarters being
much neater and cooler, and better adapted
to the reception of visitors and friends.
The wife of King, to whom he had been
married only three months before his arrest,
and his mother and two sisters, who reside
some four miles from Franklin, visited the
prisoners on that day, in company with the
mothers, lister and brother of Owens. They
remained with the prisoners nearly all day,
bidding a last farewell as they parted from
them toward its close.
The approach of the terrible day seemed
- Al 4 L.
less expected at least a communication of
their sentences to imprisonment for life.
Every effort had been made to save them.
The wife of King and his mother, soon
after the passage Of sentence, went to Gov.
Bramlette, in company with Rev. l.. NJ.
Horn, and by representing that the spiritual
condition of the prisoners was such as to
demand respite, that they might prepare
for the fate which awaited them, secured
fifty-six days postponement OF the execu-
ton, which was then to have taken place
on the 18th of May.
On the approach Of that day, another
expedient to gain time was resorted to. 1t
was represented to Gov. Bramlettethat the
wife of King would be able TO produce, at
the June session Of the Circuit Court, such
evidence as would clear the prisoners. The
Governor, wishing to give them ample OPP
portunity to prove themselves guiltless,
again respited them to June 18th. When
the court convened, no attempt whatever
was made to prove anything by Mrs King,
and as the time wore on, still another ex-
pertinent was tried. This was the arrest of
an old man named Riley Tow. who had
moved from Simpson to Allen. county, on
charge OF having murdered Harvey
King. The scheme, however, like the
Others, failed in its ultimate object.
Meanwhile, the robbers had been PLAN
ming an escape. They at one time sue
ceeded in cutting hole through the floor
of the cell, but coming to large bed of
rocks beneath, were compelled TO give up
this method Of egress.
At another time they outwitted the Jail
or, ran the guard, and very nearly effected
their escape, bullet in the arm of King
only stopping his fight, and Owens being
found beneath the floor of kitchen.
Even up to yesterday morning they had
not given up hope of relief from some
quarter, and constantly asserted their in
nocence.