The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-11-15
ROMANTIC.
A Condemned Murderer Changes
Clothes with His Wife and Es-
from the New York. Herald,

CapGS.
From the New York Heraldl
HENDERsONvILLE, N. c. Oct. 25.
Over five thousand people were as
sembled here to-day for the purpose
of witnessing the execution of Martin
Baynard, one of the murderers ofSilas
Weston AMI his three children, but
they were doomed to be wofullv dis
appointed. 1t viii be remembered
that two criminals have slrcady been
executed for this crime,.the details of
which were fully reported inthe Her.
aid, both at the time of its occurrence
and at the time of the execution of
George Baynard and Goven Adair.
Martin Baynard was to have suffered
the extreme penalty of the law when
the other two were hanged, but he
was respited from time to time, to be
used as a witness against the elder
Baynard and another, who were also
implicated in this horrible murder,
under a statute of this State which
provides that q condemned felon can
testify as a witness against other par
ties to the same crime. All the prep
arations were made, the scaffold was
in readiness and the crowd had been
arriving from all quarters for several
days to witness the tragedy. During
his Imprisonment the wife of the coli-
demned man was faithful, constant
and devoted in her attendance upon
him. A day did not pass that she
was not in his cell for several hours,
and, at the last moment, with a hero
ism worthy of q more noble cause, she
saved him from an ignominious death
upon the scaffOld. The. night that
| was to have been the last of Baynard's
earthly existence had arrived, and
upon the earnest, fearful and SORROW
full entreaty of his wife the jailer COM
passionately allowed her to pass the
few remaining hours of his life with
him in the cell. Morning broke clear
and bright, and alr ready the assembled
multitude were astir, eagerly await
ing the arrival of the hour when the
executioner and the scaffold would do
their terrible work. About 6 o'clock
a. m. the woman came to the jail door
to be let ont, with her bonnet drawn
down over her face and handker-
chief pressed Over her mouth, through
which her heart broken sObs burst as
the jailer passed her through the outer
door Ofthe prison. She walked slow
ly off with feeble gait, bowed figure,
and wailing pitifully, giving vent to
her great grief, and she was soon lost
to the sight of the gaping guards and
morbidly curious spectators. Break
fast time came at 8 o'clock. and the
confident and compassionate jailer,
with a meal-the last the doomed man
was to have eaten-comprised entirely
of tempting delicacies, repaired to the
cell. The bars were removed and the
heavy iron door was swung back, and
the jailer entered, when a sight that
made him shake like an aspen leaf
met his astonishcd gaze. In the fur
Their end of the cell. instead Of the con
demned man, crouched up in a corner |
was a woman In her night clothes.
The plates, dishes, with the basket, fell
from the ~jailor's hand to the floor and
were broken in fragments. He tried
to speak, but could find no words
for uttcrancc, aud as he stood in actn-
al despair the crouched figure arose,
and. in the tones of n oma who
thinks she has done Il praiseworthy
action, said: well. rs Martin is gone, !
| reckon | had better cat the break. |
fast aud she forthwith began picking
up the scattered portions of the meal.
Baynard had escaped in his wife's
clothes and was doubtless by this
time far beyond the reach Of the coun.
" officers. The Sheriff, rs soon n.
appraised of the circumstances, set out
IN pursuit of the criminal with u
posse, but in vain; for, after securing |
Tho cauufry for miles they rptnrupI |
without their prisoner. The assem-
bled crowd gave expression To their
chagrin in yarious ways, one the
least of which was IN anxious desire
Oh their part to see the woman hanged
in the place Of her husband, and, in
deed, maAy were firm III the impress
sion that such would be the case.
Having come tn see a 'hangin," they
were not particular who the victim
was, whether guilty or innocent, as
long as their morbid curiosity was
gratified. II is believed now that
Ip.,-1 I'LL A,-a 10. .n.,l i