The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-19
BY TELEGRAPH.
TIE DEATH PENALTY.
EXECUTION OF CYRUS coAcHMAN, TIE
NEGRO MURDERER, AT DARLINGTON
COURTHOUSE.
THE pR1sosER's CONFESSION.

THE PRIsOHER's CONFESSION.
6NauLAR SPECTACLE PREVIOUS no TEE n
K0UTON-DEMKANoR OF THE NEGRO sHEB
HF-LAsT SPEECH OF IHR CONDEMNED
Ms HOPES OF A REsCUE-aooD ORDER n
THE cRowD-rHE LAST SCENE OF ALL.
fRamAL TKLps1AN 10 TN Nxwa1
F1oRKxu, 8. O.. Friday, June 1s.-The frs
execution in South Carolina, under the ney
Radical S:ate Government, took place to-day
At haH-past four o'clock this afternoon, Coach
man, . negro mur6arer, paid the penalty O
Z his crime ct Darlington Com thouse. TA,
event vas attended with considerable excite
ment throughout this and the adjoining coun
ties, especially among the celored population
The whites, too, had their interest aroused b.
the fact that the sherif and most Of the othe,
officials who were to act ON the occasion wert
negroes. The following is brief statement
Of the
HwToRY OF TIE CASE.
Cyrus Coachman, oolored, was convicted be-
1ore Judge Rutlsnd, at,the last term Of court
In Darlington, of the murder Of Robert p.
Suggs, colored, near Florence, on the 10th ol
January, 1859, and sentenced to be hanged
The execution OF the sentence was delayed, in
order to allow time for an investigation of the
case by the Governor, to whom petition for
pardon was made. The Governor, as is bis
plan now with al such cases, applied to the
Judge for his opinion on the case. Judge But
land wrote an opinion. and also submitted an
outline Of the testimony, which was vofumin.
Gus. The murdered man-Suggs- clerk
in store, and was murdered by party Of five
persons for the purpose Of stealing the goods
IN the store. Some Of the> goods were found
with Coachman-in his house and about it.
Has explanation was that he bought them from
ono Of the other tour-one who was not caught.
:. IL was clearly proven that suggs was murder
cd by one Of spsrty Of Ave, and two witnesses
identified Goodman as-oue OF that fve, al
though itscould not be proven thst he dealt
The fatal blow. His being present, aiding and
abetting, is as conclusive against him in law
as If he we're proven to have himself done the
deed. All the Witnesses concur in proving
Coaefman to have been present. Judge Rut-
land describes Coaehman ss having bad face,
and the homicide a. most daring, unpro-
voksd and premeditated act.
The case was we'll defended; but Goodman
was convicted mainly upon negro evidence.
and by ajury partly composed of co!ored mel.
vC- Tm aHounD or APPEAL -
for Executive clemency consisted almost en-
Hrely in feeble doubt "a to identity. At the
.emoner's inquest, At which Edward Jackson,
oolpred-who Was also tried for the murder
along With achman-vss present and Coach
man was not, one witnessA Windham, swore
that jackson was the murderer. Windhsm
seems to have relied entirely in this identiaca-
lion upon the coat that jackson wore at the
inquest, swearing then that the coat was the
same as that worn by the murderer. When,
however, Windham was confronted with jack
son without chat oost) and Cosehman TO-
sether In court, be swore that the murderer
was Coachman, and not Jackson. Besides,
jackson proved an aIbi. SO that there re-
NAMED not even shadow Of support for . Pc.
tisiop; yet . petition was made, After sSars-
ful consideration OF Judge Rutland's opinion,
together with the evidences IN detail, the Gov
ernor declined to interfere further in Coach
mans behalf NTH the regular operation OF the
law.
The jail at Darlington Courthouse having
beeRdestroyed by are, the prisoner has been
coni1ed for soas time past in the Jail at
Merton Courthouse, whence he was brought to
Darlington On Thursday afternoon. The ne.
kfoes in the neighborhood for two days past
have been very much excited. and threatened
to prevent the execution, 80 the sheriff sum-
moned all the atisens to mount guard last
night, but no interference was attempted.
TIE PRISONER MAKss FULL CONFESSION.
During the highland early this morning the
prisoner told several different stories in re-
gard 10 the murder, but at II O'CLOCK to-day.
captain e. z. Darg.n who Was appointed by
the court 70 defend the prisoner, called upon
him. when he made confession, duplicating
negroes who had not heretofore been known in
connection with the crime. Prominent among
them ia an Intelligent mulatto rascal named
Howe, who was formerly deputy sheriff, and
who was cne Of the principal witnesses for the
shte in the ossea The confession was taken
down by magistrate, and warrants for the ar
rests Of the parties implicated have been made
ont The confession is as follows
Charles Howe Organized the party that kill
ed Suges about ten days before the murder.
Noses Williams, Parry Green, Tom Green, linn
Rysns, John Harllee and myself were the
party. Howe and Evans did not 90 to the
store; all the rest did and bad guns, excepting
me and Harllee. The plan was to hold Suggs
and then rob the store wasa hen sr we got sss sh
S;u, hr,t thew suddsniy sbando ed this plan,
and determined 10 xii! hum; Williams then
ha1aed me his gun. and asked me to- go out,
side and shoot Suges. I refused, and 80 DID
another fellow, wno was also asked. he
then told Tom Green to shoot suggss; ST. 1
a oun was fred through ne window from out
side and suggs fell dead Green came inside
and Harllee and me ran out and hid IN the
bushes near fence corner. The goo1s taroWn
ont or the store we're put in bags and carried