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

| DOuble Execution at Franklin, Ey..--
William r. King and Abram Owens
! Hanged for the Murder OF Kings
Br0Iher---They Assert their limo.
cence 10 the I.ast-.-DyinE Speeches of
the Doomed Men.--WItnes>es for the
| Prosecution DenOunced as ..Liars,
scOundrels and 4IurIererE''-.-And n
Railroad Company CharSed with
kubOrnlnE I'eEIurers---An Immense
| Crowd of People Witness Ihe shock.
ing scene. aF ll rarT 1
Zslegraphfe Correspondence Cincinnati. Com
| H-- t' nIeTciIL
FRASKLIN, KY, June 2S.
Wm. r. King and Abram Owens, con-
victed of the murder of III. King, were
executed here to-day.
AT IL a. IN. they were tuken from the
| jail-tO-the place of execution half a
mile east of town, on the Louisville and
Lexington Railroad, Besides the Sher-
| if and assistants, they were guarded by
| Company. E, Second United States In
| fantry, commanded by Lieutenant
| Maize,' and by twenty citizen guards,
armed with le-barrslled shOtRuns,
rifles and pistols, under command of
Captain r. p Finn. -r
At half-pRst o o'clock a. IN. the con-
! demned men were visited by five min
isters, who prayed with them. King
shed tears. Owens was calm and col
| lected.
Before leaving the cell, King protest.
| ed his innocence of the murder and of
the train robbery.
| they were then taken down stairs,
where their irons were taken off, and
| they were dressed in thin suits OF black
| lustre clothes, straw hats, white cotton
gloves and lasting shoes. Their arms
| were then securely bound with leather
straps, and they were surrounded by
the citizen and soldier guards. While
| dressing, the prisoners laughed and
ioked with the Sheriff. Three-quarter
inch grass ropes were then placed
aroundtheir necks, with running
moose.
They then took farewell of their fell
low prisoners. Owens eXhorted his
] brother, who is coutiued for robbing a
train, to hold up his head and die like II
man If he had to die. They lighted c1-
gaTs, nnd got into the wagon with the
Sheriff aud his deputies. a=
| The procession then formed in the fol-
| lowing order: Brass band in front;
| Com pAny F. Second United States In
| fantry; the prisoners and Sheritfs: a
wagon, containing two collins; citizen
| guards; the clerGymen, on foot; citizens,
male and female. r--
| The band played Il funeral march on
| the way 10 the gallows.
On the way to the place of execution
King and Owens called to their friends
as they saw them in the crowd, and ex-
| horted them to meet them in heaven.
Between 5000 and 1000 persons, old
and Vounp. assembled TO witness the
execution. Delicate women who would
! scream at the sight of Il spider, came
| many miles and stood in the broiling
sun for hours to see the poor wretches
hung.
| Owens was the first man on il, ascend
| ing the ladder with firm step. and
bowinr to the crowd, He was followed
| by King. e
I Tine Sheriffs, ministers and members
| of the nress were proyided with seats
| on the scaffold, Rev, James Horn, of
4 the Baptist Church sung the HYMN
commencing:
/ .,tJ,,,o ,,J,,, TorI n, T.o-r, ,,,,rr,t,,..
! Let a TeneniiinD TebeI i've
Roth nrisaners ioined in s;ncipg tho
b,,,"O, Pt-'OA' IO---s'. ~ 81 1lS s '1'
"g gPatt 5ian' 3olGor,J ortbaN5 T. Cburob NJ.
\ 80, :, .,s.SI,o " N-' 80 - ~ -
| N
| hiN" SfHEOh'
| At the conclusion of the prayer, Capt.
| King spoke as follows:
| "My dear dying friends-1 have met
| most of YOU before, but we nov meet
| for the last time on earth. i see many
| faces before me that have met in hap
| pier rdays-young ladies and gentlemen
with whom 1 have passed the happiest
hours of my life. have been confined
\ eight months in Jail. L am to die an
1 ignominious death. Yet have the
| proud consciousness of knowing that /
| am innocent of the charge for which i
am dying, have hope in Heaven,
| which 1 wouldn't give Tor my life.
"My dying friends, the peace of a
/ Christian is worth more than anything
| else on earth. Hecan lay down at night
1 and sleep soundly. In my lonely cell
! I.have walked like beast of the forest
during my confinement, thinking of
4 mother, sisters and wife. l tried my
! best TO reform once more. y, could i
be free and permitted to go home 10
4 those love, would give all tine world,
\ We're it mine, but have to die. am
one of the happiest men you ever saw,
| cheated and chissled tne out OF my ltle.
| 1 am not able TO make q speech; would
/ that had the voice SO that all my
! friends could near me.2 .I.sF I'll
4 Here King became much excited!
''fell Grih. Wright who has treated me
| worse than man has ever treated me
before; that want to meet him in hea-
ven. Tell'him he swore away my life,
bat forgive him, and could take him
in my arms and love hlm. And you
4 pr missed faithfully, Grit. Wright, that
you would stand py me throughout my
! troubles. You swore it, too, over the
l body OF my dead brother, but yon have
borne,false testimony against me, and
/ hunted all the liars IN simpson county
\ to swear away my life. Instead of
standing by me. you gave me the P ueeP-
est stabi but forgive 1t all: Meet me
4 in Heaven. Rhope no one willthink Il
am angry. This is my last speech. Two
| hours from now hope will be with