The New York herald., 1870-09-17

directed the ocer to the different places where they
| could De found. Acting promptly on this Inor-
| nation the posse succeeded during the night OF
| SUNDAY In capturing the entire band In detail except
the leader, Guyanne.ta Meers. Two OF the others
were arrested at their homes aud two at the houses
leve Meers was informed Of his Intended arrest and
he at once Ned to the Dismal swamp, In the inpene-
ana " now wsa sao 20 be- concealed oners
on the contrary, strongly suspect that the ctlzens
captured Meers on the same git ~ te o.aers mere
the time sumnary executed him ana disposed OF MS
body since which he has never been heard OF: A
true bill OF Indictment for murder was i0und against
Bunkey. Cosien, Wellacs and we Nubys'
| AT THE TRIAL.
which took place at the August term or the County
Court the counsel for the prosecution found 1t
sary to use BunkIey as witness. and nolle pro
ed wi besdes MIN NJ were examined and facts
stantialy as above narrated were elici;ed. The de-
fence was conducted by counsel assigned by the
little argument on either side. After brief absence
the Jury returned to the court room and the foreman
announced that each the prisoners had been found
| guilty OF murder In the first degree.
| THE SENTENCE.
d,v tbe wsre ssptenced nv his Honor
Judge Atkinson to be hanged BY the neck until dead
on Friday, the 10th day OF September closing with
mercy on your soulsH The condemned men heard
their awful doom pronounced amid the most i'm
| was no visible emotion displayed in the counte-
Of any OF them though thrill Of horror swept
through the assembled crowd as the terrible Nat Of
the law was uttered. Owing to the insecurity OF the
jail here the Judge ordered the condemned men 70
be removed to tue Jail Of Norfolk Tor sale keeping,
| where they remained until yesterday, when they
| were brought here for the execution or their sen
| tences. Prior to their removal from Norfolk
THE CONDEMNED MEN
| were visited by your correspondent, through the
courtesy Colonel James Lewellen, sheriff or that
| city. They were confined in two adjoining cells,
| Jacob Wallace and Moses Nuby occupying one, and
| Peter NuDy and Henry Costen the other. rhe two
Nubys were born free the Others were former
| slaves.
Peter Nuby was the oldest of the four being about
thirty-nve or perhaps forty years OF age He was
native OF this county, five ieet eight inches high OF
i stout build brown skin color, or shade between
that and the mulatto complexion; wore mustache
and goatee and appeared at the timeI saw him quite
nervous, with a troubled and anxious expression on
his c0untenanCe
Moses Nuby was cousin OF Peter, and like him
| was born here Of free parents He was about
twentyseven years Of age, five feet ten inches high
well built gingerbread complexion and with an open
| frank countenance in which there was no remark
able expression beyond that OF shade OF anxiety.
Henry COsten was born q slave and formerly be-
| longeds to Mr. John East, OF this county He was
also brown skin negro, only twenty years old, of
| slender build about medium height and was
youth that would strike you as one OF the better
Jacob Wallace was the youngest of them all. being
only eighteen years OF age tau @ ana well propGSr M S
others, with handsome features, which were lit
with an expression of remarkable intelligence, and
as the most intelligent and sprghtly OF the FOUR
wearing an habitual smile on his face, acted as
spokesman ON the occasion Of my visit to the jail.
He answered all questions that. were put to him un
hesitattngly and With unusual candOr, evnclng
levty so remarkable as to preclude the suppositlon
that he really appreciated the terrible fate tnat was
SO soon to beiail hn.
Jacob asked, ''what do you know Of the
murder Of Mr.. Joel GraySr
~ seed Guyannetta Meers strike him wild stick
on Satday In December last"
"Where did that happens"
"Near Willis Bunkley's gate In Isle OF wight
"W6o was 1t struck himw
s.How often did ne strike him ?"
81 only seed hun strike him twice, case den
"who was with you at the time ~
Henry and Moses here and Uncle Peter NuDy
and Alfred Bunkley and Guyannetta."
where is Alfred Bunkley nOwW
"He turned States evidence agn us, an dey
''What has become of Guyannetta ~
"Well, dunno. Dey say he escaped; but speck
wild hun Dey was only ten minutes behind MIN.
an don't see how he could 'scape."
sna 'ds Guy
''We didn't do muffin. When Mr.. Gray halted we
al on tws a nase M 6sy AND
Guyannetta went up to him and hit him over de head
wild de stick"
''No, sab. He jumped over dc fence an ran on
sft Guyannetta tia standin over Mr. Gray in de- road e
"What brought you there II you took no part in the
II tell you, sab, we knowed nufin about 1t. We
was on our way home not tnnkin' OF nunin, when
Mr.. Gray halted us IN de road"
mo sab, we didn't-never heard nuf1ln about It,"
What did you DO when Guyannetta struck Mr.
sfhollowedat him TO stop hlttin' him. NOT to strike
him again; Didn't ], MosesT (surlnng to Moses).
s.Are you prepared to die on Friday nextr"
S h r. Is wns s TO hang
no preacher, cept one old colored man, who came
''Dont you think you had q fair trials"
"No san, We didn't get no fair show at all. Dey
tried us all one day and Sentenced us de next"
"Have your friends made any appeal 70 the Gov.
..No, san, not as knows off,
The statements OF Jacob were fully concurred In by
the others and endorsed the true facts OF the
but they all seemed particularly severe on Alfred
Bunkley for turning States evidence, and being in
did not appreciate even at that late day. their terri
BILE proximity to feon's grave
The spiritual condition OF the condemned men, as
the Rev. Dr. Peterson, who was frequently in their
cells during the past few days, remarked, was ex-
them to full realization Of the terrible fact that
they stood on the brink Of eternity, nor could any
produce in any Of them peaceful state Of mind
by exhortatiOns to repent They all, not excepting
who Is s ss
future though they frequently complained that
they ought to be allowed more time to repent. This
was the burden Of their appeals to the Jail ocials.
to visitors and to clergymen. Yet they made but
little use Of the short time they had to i've ana st
complained that they were not prepared to die.
Their miserable condition was not SO much the
result OF hardened and depraved natures as 1t was
the parbarous ana lmbecile ignorance that clouded
their feeble tntelleCts
THE LAST NIGHT OF THE CONDEMNED
After the preachers left them yesterday evening
another c0l0red prisoner who was religiOusly dis
posed, was admitted to their cells, and, as all
earthly hope had vanished, they endeav0red to join
him In prayer to the Throne Of Mercy; and thus
they passed their last night
APPREHENSIONS OF RESCUE.
Any attempt at rescue during their imprlson.
ment having been foed by the removal OF the con-
demned men to Norfolk, it was the opinion Of many
that the negroes still meditated such thing today
and In view Of this apprehension the Sheriff applied
to the Governor for Instructions the subject
ceiving in reply the following letter.
CoMMONwKALTH or VIRGINIA,