The New York herald., 1872-12-14


again removed to the Salisbury jail for safe keep
ing. During his confinement there, as the Sheriff
tells me, his conduct was most exemplary as
criminal under sentence OF death. Ine time
for his execution having nearly arrived.
the sheriff, on Wednesday, with strong
guard, went to Salisbury, and yesterday morning
returned with the condemned man and placed him
In the jail here. He was confined in cell In the
upper story OF the building 5ut was not manaced;
the prisoner. When we entered the building on
the lower loor to get light crowd OF young
ers, followed us up the stairs. Locks innumerable
were unlocked, heavy bolts that Jared harshly on
the ear were pulled back by main force; thick
wooden door was thrown open, alter that cross
barred iron door, and, the name or "Johnson'
negro have described.
A colored preacher said,
NOW ARE you, TOM 2"
J0HNSoN-lse well, thank you.
PREAcnER-ilaye you considered the texts !
gave you, Toms Have you been praying9
10 JoiNsoN-l reckon have prayed twice since
PnEAcHER-But you ought to have been praying
There was no answer to this, and then there was
prayer and several hymns, In which the con-
war,s S man ana al present joined Soon after
@ M ne was let alone to pass his last night upon
carth In that cold and dismal cell.
TIE scAFFoLD
was sllatcu IN the rear OF the all, to the north
west OF the town, and was, as compared with
others that have seen, an admirable structure.
There was platform, supported by posts In 'front.'
and resting a ledge within a short dis.
tance OF the height oil the Jail enclosure in the
rear; over this regular gallows was erected con.
sisting OF two uprights ana cross-beam and
beneath which was the drop, attached by hinges to
the platform. This drop was fully eight feet high
This morning Visited the condemned man, and
the
FOLLOWING CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE.
CoRREsroNDENT-H0w are you, T0m2
ToM-Quite well, thank you.
CoRREsroNDENT-fiow did you sleep last night
TONI didn't sleep but ali hour or two. walked
about most OF the night.
CoRREsP0NDENT-Did you pray2
ToM-fes, prayed some, not much though.
CokREsPoNDENT-Are you prepared to meet your
terrible fate to-day
ToM-l thinks Is; 1 have tried to.
CoRREsPoNDENT-Do you acknowledge the JUS
tice OF your sentcnceY
ToM-No, sir; am an innocent man.
CoRREspoNDENr-Are you prepared to meet your
Maker with those words your lips
ToM-Well, III try to, II do meet Him.
CORRESPONDENT-Ihere Is no possible doubt about
that now. Tom, you had better be prepared.
TONI never got fair showing when was
could have proved was not at the place whar the
woman was.
CoRREsroNDENr-Did you see Susan Thompson
TOM--NO, SIR, did not.
REsPoNDENr-Did you not meet with her on
the track OF the North Carolina Railroad
TOM-No, sir, did not; did not walk from here
to Thomasviile rode on the railroad from here
TO High Point (which is some distance beyond
Thomusville the scene Of the outraged.
CoRREsPoNDEST--Wha was the occasion OF your
first meeting with Mrs. Thompson2
Toni never seed her till | was arrested and
brought to ThonasVille, and then she looked at me
Tor a long time before she SAID was the man.
Tom then asked me to tell the Sheriif to come to
him. and, promising to do this, bid him farewell,
but before doing SO he asked me for a chew OF
tobacco. l told him l did not use the article,
who came here TO send the HERALD report gave
Tom the much desired chew, and this he retained
In his mouth to the last OF his earthly existence.
He spoke as coolly and with as much SanlJi,Oid as
II he was conversing about some everyday bus-
ness, exhibiting as little concern as some OF the
spectators present awaiting the tragedy of which
he was to be the principal.
WHEN THE SHERIFF ARRIVED
Tom asked for a looking glass and comb, and
these being brought he took q last look at face
that had then an ashen hue, almost ghastly ap-
pearance, and the expression OF determined viii
lain such as never witnessed before. At this time,
nearly midday all the preparations for the death
scene had been completed, and the jail yard was
filed with privileged spectators, admitted by spe.
cial permit from Snerllf J. A. Sewers. An armed
guard OF thirty men surrounded the sca1rold and
Kept an open space in front OF it, Outside the jail
enclosure there was large crowd OF people, ana
white es and C colored, and the few trees in
the the scaoS Were aense pacRea pSs with
living humanity. The execution was designed to
have been public, for nearly everybody in the
vicinity witnessed IT.. AT ten minutes past twelve
o pinion or brace on him. and with his hands
stuffed in his brceches pockets. He walked with
staggering air across the jail yard and nimbly
mounted the steps to the platform Of the scafold,
where he took seat on q bench. cOl0red
preacher then read hymn, OF which the following
Is tho first verse, and which Johnson specially
quested the assembled crowd to Join him in sing.
!" - There Is a fountain filled with blood.
Drawn from EmmanucFs veins
Lose ali their guilty stains
After the singing OF this hymn the colored
preacher delivered a stereotyped, hardshell Bap-
tst funeral Grafton, which served to tcrrify and
prolong the torture OF the condemned wretch,
though he continued to be imperturbably cool, and
sat more like disnterested spectator than the
principal actor IN the to ng0e nnDsen iran
his painful duty to execute the sentence or the
law, but in doing this he allowed him the privilege
OF addressing the assembled spectators. Upon this
Johnson, alter taking quiet survey OF the crowd.
spoke as iollows:-
LADIES AND GESrLEnES WHITE AND BLAcK-I stand here
at the point Of death give you AZ heed black and
innocent OF The crime which about to die. and
s1s Ths sp he repeaed several times and reiterated
his warning that he was an innocent man, con-
Guiding by saving ~ don't know I tnas aaaN nave % goS
another hymn was sung. All this time Johnson
had nothing but one foot and hall OF fence and
two or three young men with guns in their hands
between him and blessed liberty. Never was there
such
| of a condemned feon, with an ign0minous death
| staring him in the face The guards and officials
on the scalfold would have been as mere puppets
in the hands OF man Of such stalwart proportions
as Johnson, though Sheriff Sewers, who Is an able
man, might have been able to cope with him. A.
spring would have placed him In the midst OF the
crowd outside, when firing at him would have been
dangerous to the lives OF others. In few min
uLcS he HlSHJ nave TedCHeu JHe WOouS anu Dlu uc-
fiance to pursuit Even If captured he could never
have been executed before two O'Clock and AZ that
time his sentence expired.
"Ohln said liberty-loving by-stander "what Q
chance was lost for fame aud liberty.u
A. foriy,ave MINUTES SIs Rask sYeye snerm H. somers
request Of the condemned man, several cOlOTed
PERSONS were allowed to come on the scaff0ld and
bid him a final farewell. The Sheriff then, before
Johnson either pinioned or bound, pulled
white cap over his face, which partially shut out
the blessed light OF day. Johnson then requested
that the cap be removed and that some col0red
females he knew be allowed to come and shake
hands and say farewell This request was granted,
and again there came another request to send
message TO some colored female. AS long as 1t was
possible he
DELAYED HIS doom,
and the impression prevailed that 1t was his intens
tion to make desperate effort for liberty and
lie. At last the cap was pulled over his features
for the last time and he was gently pushed forward
on the drop aud p.nioned at the ankles and ell