Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-10-12
The xecutioa of John Pc rksns at Norfolk,

From the No-;cIk Journal Oct 1Ol
The teiroIs of the ,clfold were fully end
Perkins, a wbit. man Convicted at the Ia II
Criminal tei ln of the Court OF Norfolk county,
OF the terrible and revolving crime Of rape upol
the per on OF highly re pre- able and Intere, :.
irg young girl aoout twe1sy yeJts of age. re-
si0iDg in No. ,olk coHnty.
The nero se,ompli.e, Ben Jeffer on, tried
and convicted at the same te N. was to have
sbsr tie Iate of Perkins, but y--t,rday
morning a few hours before the execution ex.
ecuuve clemency inierpos and commut,d the
sen ence OF yenerson to imprisonment in the
Ye e!tertay morning we visitcd the cell O..
Perkins, but aing cloIely engaged in bls r.
up; ole o pave any dir It communic /. ION W. Il
him. We lc.rn that he pa, ed the previous
n'sht very r stse .-ly, being aga, me lily in
praying I'D singing hymn.
Around the g. hold was iIwa a deta chime 1 L
OF troops rom the Norfolk garI. Oh, under
Lieu ,nant Rogers, with f-rd b iyonets and
square were the oahrers Of the Court, tre sber.
jf counsel, pbysicians and Pre- IS. Ol he
on ,ide WIS large rs. emblr re Of cillEens wro
b d teen sdmit ID - tie grounds - vita ); :.
The Jail-watls were keps rom s. &C. r0rs, but
the house top, IT - and n'neaces We're Ut
rally crowd with The c-,se.ly curious.
Al a qu?r-cr pcst enc O'Clock Perkins wrs
broush out of his cell into the ..idor of the
J:il, ard .. ,r beng shiord 4 = Id pi1on
was lrd by the two depr y She fs to the c,f-
fold in the yaro follow 4 by Father PIunEe.
in the ycstment o. tie Caurch, b. .rlpg
prayer volupe. Perkins hybay ran IN Ne
ste of the sclffold and stood upol re rrop,
rs cheerIut and conte1 IDLY % If some We v
gr.iiiying circums lnce were about 10 occur.
How II was pc -ible for him . 90 .rye sdcl
Strange snd upnatu.Jl buoyaucy, and look so
calm = id sdrsficd on the very threshhold OF
eternity, is beyond our power to conjecture.
Father Piunkett Joining him on tbs drop.
they knelt together on chair and prayed loJg
and lervently, Perkins reps lt!ng in Sic sdy,
audible voice the words OF the invocation. He
prsy c!-hestly for sire agth TO suffer, rep II
the Lords prayer and the CT I'd, and ,onclud
his petition 70 the Most High with-"I an hear
implore thy mercy and forgiveness. Into thy
hands, Jesus, commend my soul -
Deputy Sheriff John Ethef.dye then ap-
prOleh2d and addrc, I'd him:
John PerkiEs-Under selieace OF the Coup.y
Court OF Norfolk county, pronounced on the
goth day of August, is, agrinst yoa, upon the
S.rs Elizabeth Fsrd, that you be ha yed by
the neck until yon be de I'd, aud t1at the execu.
tlon OF the judl lment be made cad done upon
yon bv me. the Snerif Of Norfolk county, on
this friday the 9th day OF Oc,oLsr, Io, be-
tws en- the hours of eleven O'clock in the fore
noon and two O'Clock in the aitern oon of the
I'm now about exc cutting the SID sen'ence. and
you are now at liberty TO ~ what you may
dctire touching the said charge or the s AID .sn.
tence May God have mercy on your .ouli
Perkins then s.eppSd Tor ward. aod ic o yoirs
Perfectly Conpo- ed said:
aGentIe men, i suppo e Il is ns ile-s for me
TO declare ttat an innof eat, fSoagh teere )
Just GOD wDO knows Y It i don't know
whether .rch Ford IL man or wo ne .. Ism
as guiltlf S OF the ch:rge as t1e an .c's "a
heaven. ye.un my 5 o.ere tbc iks ID i1e
officers of he u 10. sde KIND - ls-nc1t. I'd
m ay fcsven bil2 Father pluaEe.t. Goos.J g
to ell." s...,r -r .f-.5
He shook hands with Frther Plunke.t I'd
all ON the scadeld, and bid them good bye.
Parting viii Mr. ior Ethridye, he sad :-aTrr
in q cd and follow me. ! am innoc at" Toe
nc pse wrs then adius; 4 around b., nhck and
the cap drawn ever his .acf, end exactly at
half.past one O'Clock the drop fell, aad with a
prayer on h. lips Tie .oul Of John Perkins
wss usher d into the presence of 1t Maker.
He was calm to the very last, and di; pie Id.
ing his innocence. sa4 Ed
There was tome slight quivering, but no
severe contorticn of the body, after the TALL and
apparently de th epsued Is e,sily sz It eould
possibly have done. The neck must have
broken instantly. Alter iematninS suspe pdcd
thS usual tinc-thdrty minute ,-4ors. T.. M.
Watt,, Jss. Williamson and J. M. Covert,
" no were in att,ndanc,, examined the body
and pronounced lie extinct 1t was then cut
down and PLACID in common piAe CONN aad
conveyed TO the Clhohc cemetsry, where Ii
was given the ritcs Of decent sepulture.