, 1870-09-19

-Four Negroes Executed 5u Isle Of
Wight County, yn&, for Highway
Robbcry and murder.
Is'tef lright Court LIouse. r.. tsfpt. 1s' CORE.
ste1e1ife III eo ~ nota the T =; t l'sx sna M'a
Wight County as the day Of the scafrolds car
niyal, long to be remembered on account OF
the terrible scene just enacted here. Four
condemned Enegroes-Peter Nuby. Moses
Nuby, Henry Costen. and Jacob Wnlla:e-
the murder and highway robbery OF white
man named joel Graz, on the night Of the 11th
Of December, 1869, under circumstances OF
grcat atrocity and ba1barisy.
at o'clock in the morning the condemned
{wLo had been confined in the Norfolk Jai)
we're handcuffed in paira. and conducted to the
depot Of the Norfolk l. Petersburg Railroad,
wherc they took the cnre for Windsor Station,
il, this county. It wss the commencement OF
their Iido to death. Arrived at Windsor, an
other detachment Of the guard. with muskets:
stood ready to receive them. Each shackled
pair was then placed in two-whee}ed carts.with
guard. The remainder OF tue guardthen got
INTO similar carts and number OF buggies,
/ making in all about thirty, with the carts bear
| ing the condemned at the head. Those formed
hours al anguish aud torture brought tue
prisoners to the Court House. Here another
force Of guards were assembled. and through
these the prisoners we're marched to the jail
yard, where they had full view Of the scat
fold.
They eyed tho terrible structure, aid be-
came visibly excited over the preparations for
their approaching doom. Nearly ali their
faces became ivid and gtastiy with terror !:
two of them tremblea, or, rather, shook
twitcled nervously, aud the voices Of two Of
them became weak aud husky They were
then placed in cells to await the hour for their
final exit, which Was fixed at ! p. N. The
scafoid WAS erected at one emil OF tho parrow
aud contracted jail:yasd. Il was substantially
feet h1eh-a gallows above. an upright sup.
1ottinG the drop, and four iron eye~bolts.
from Which the ropes huuE suspended in the
cross beam of the gal1ows- -Four collins were
piled up at the other end Of tha fail-yard.
people outside had view OF the upper por-
tion Of the acano1d. which was several feet
higher than TIE wall, and this WAS at least
| scme qualification to tue large crowd, whose
morbid love Of the horrible attracted them to
witness the dying agonies Of four miserable
| fellpW-c1eatures as we'll as fc!ons.
During the morning Noses Snby made q
partial confession, which went to show they
| had 5een implicated in the murder. and that j
| raan named ]. D. Vail was havo. been killed
: | tie same time that Gray VAS, but this was
prevented By tho accident which threw the
. others refused to speak at all upon the sub
! jcct Of the murder, and said thes would makt
! | their statement on the scaHold.
At 12:10 p. N. the Sheriff. accompanied b.
! an assistant. proceeded to the cell Of the con
). dcmned men and pinioned them tightly By
6 tllo wrists, their arms behind their backs
. While undergoing this operation two Of them
5 Moeee Nubv and Henry Costen appeared Z
lose all control Of themselves under the terri
BILE excitement Of tho time. but jacob Mallsct
I and Peter Nuby we're not onlY calm, W
\. while vet in the cell to induce confession
= Int without effect. At 12:A5 they we're ia
j, out in the following order, in which the
!. ascended the scaffold First jacob Naliace
next, Moses Snby thsn HSnsE IN h gossen; a. an -
, scaGold, they were each placad beneath one Q
;. = the eye-bolts in the cross-beam: Nose
Il Nuby, from the moment of his exit, pEaye
aloud. the others remaining silent line
r faced the crowd without. With almost cru
:. haste, the esecutioner placed the noSst p
|e around their necks. 1t the same time the
anklcs were pinioned. The Sheriff then rea
tho death-wa1rant. The criminals we're aske
it they had ANYTHING to say: henry coSte a
spoke first, and Noses Nuoy followed. IN sac
,;- eompany. which soth alleged had brous
ys them to the gsIlows. jacob Wallace spoke
e. | a sitai}ar strain, and concluded With re
I'd Wild and incoherent prayer, which, ho"eve
lat was full Of fervor. Peter Nnby dlc rot spea s
It The executiouer then placed the black Ga
H. over their heads and readjusted the fat
uoosee, when all the condemned men bro
into The widest entreatles to Heaven
mercy. As long ss they remained sssnag esd1;g
lte The drop-and It waa q considerable pet1oo
ed tbeir vehement appeals continued. Dnri
this time al the oifcisls had LETT the scafto
no ne tho auxiliary props were taken from benes
re re tho drop, and the hansnan stood with !. 70
,ng attached to HE main prop, awaiting the So
ars IL : signal to launch the: four wretchea il
nh eternliy. This vas delayed for ne
DIX + three ninutes, tho criminals l,,at1 me-
time praying excitedly, while among i
crowd there Vas profoued silence as II
. waited for the terrible tragedy. At length.
&C. &C. ! o'clock, the main prop vas jsskGd from
sSc de. Eeath the drop and with fearful crash
ess bodies Of the four fell, two OK them being
key cipitated to the earth With great forcs .!
bfeaking Of Tho ropes, The two middle Ct
insls .en,ained hanging: CT q h9l .'i
arose from the crowd both within and Win
'ev- the iail yard. Two strands Of the rope A1o'
ave @ he neck OF Moses Enby alao broke, the Il
'a> s:r,,.s :,:1e t,1:...-, !, ~ .olj slsps4