Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-15
THE GALLONS.
Execution i'm Alexandria.
WILLIAM JACKSON HANGED.
The Woman MGrder for which he Suffered beatA.
His Last Hours on Earth and Dying
Words.
Especial Dispatch q TIE Erentnq STAR

ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 10 1918.
To-day, between II and O'Clock, VIM. Jack
son, coored, suffered the extreme penalty OF
the law-death on the gallows-for the murder
OF Mary Fletcher, woman with whom he was
living near the brickyards between this city
and Washington. jackson, who was quite a
black man with kinky hair combed up from his
forehead, was about ~ years Of age and came
10 this section of the country from North Caro-
lima IN 1865, and worked about in the brick
yards, He "took up with the deceased about
1sIO, and they lived as man and wife in small
building near the brick yards OF Gantz and
Appleman. In February. 1872. the woman was
confined and about week Afterwards IL is al
legged, he attacked her with a club,
PRACTURING HER SKULL,
and death resulted the following morning. jus
tice Peterson held an inquest on the body, and
the principal witnesses were Diana Peterson
and Lucy johnson, (s'Crooked Mouth Lucy'D
who testified that jackson attacked her with 3
club, and a verdict was found that death was
caused by wounds inflicted by jackson. He
was taken into custody, and committed to jail,
and at the November term of the court he was
tried and convicted, Justice Peterson, IN addi-
ton to the two colOred women, being n witness.
Messrs. Kent and Neall appeared as his coun-
sci, and the defence was that, although he
struck the deceased he did not infict the fatal
wound, but that it was caused by her falling
out of bed
EXPORTS To SAVE JAcKsoN's LIPR
The accused was sentenced to be hanged on
the 2Sth of March last, but his counsel having
carried the case to the Court of Appeals, the
sentence was not carried into effect. This court
refused to reverse the action OF the lower court,
| and in June he was resentenced, and the time
fixed for August lst. An effort was made, how
| ever, for Communication of sentence, and the
| Governor granted a respite until to day.
| SINGULAR FATALITY.
| Since the trial Justice PetersOnded suddenly
| and Lucy johnson Crooked Mouth Lacy was
| found few months ago Z, al in a ditch near
| the Virginia end of the Long bridge, and they
4 h2y inn haH imF.nTfanf witnesses -
prisoner, many of the colored people, his friends.
have looked upon their deaths as judgments Of
! the Almighty Tor their course during the trial.
| PREPARATIONS FOR THE EXECUTION.
\ Yesterday, Sheriff O'Neal telegrsphed Gov.
| Walker in reference TO the case AMI received
| the answer that the executive would not inter
fere further. The scaffOld was therefore erected
| and other preparations made.
| At an early hour this morning large crowds of
people began TO gather about the jail, in the
| yard of which, southeast of the building, the
! scafod on which Manly was hung on the first
| Friday in May last was erected. But small
number were, however, admitted before eleven
| THE PRISONERS LAST HOURS.
| The prisoner spent quiet night, and on
| arising this morning his irons were taken of
and he attired himself in plain suit OF black
| cloth, with a white shirt, and attached TO his
| left lapel a blue ribbon. He ate heaty break
| fast and Revs. j. A. Aldridge, Alex Emmer-
| son, aud Henry Marshall, of the Baptist
| Church, shortly afterwards called and engaged
wish him in religious exercises until the hour
| 1Of leaving MS CELL ohcIlH " Meal
ing about IL u O'Clock received another dispatch
| stating that the Governor would not interfere.
| THE CROWD IN THE JAIL YARD.
| About IL O'Clock a m. Capt. Webster AMI
| Lieut.. Smith, with the police of the town, en-
| tered the yard and arranged themselves around
| the scaffOld, after which the applicants for sd-
| MISSION entered the yard to the number of four
| hundred OF more. including a number of COL
! pred women, and took the positions assigned
them, seemingly uvs caring for the rain, which
| was falling IN torrents.
L
| Those in the presence OF the condemned had
| by this time been reinforced by dozen or more
and the prisoner was taking an active part IN
the religious exercises, leading off in the hymns
| At the close of a prayer, about 115O he arose
| from his knees and shook hands with most OF
those who were in the room, exclaiming, "Thank
| the Lord, the time is near at hand" and then
| led OFF in the hymn, "Other refuge EaVe 1
none; daily hangs my soul on thee"
NOTHING TO SAT-.
| Sheriff O'Neal, at precisely u O'Clock noon.
| entered the apartment and asked the prisoner II
| he had anything to say. Standing up firmly,
| jackson replied: 81 have nothing 70 say. have
| got nothing to say to any one man" The sherif
| then read the sentence of the law and the re-
spites of the governor, and al so informed Jack
| son that he 1.-THE sheriff. had telegraphed to
Richmond and received the answer that the
| governor weuld not interfere further.
The Closing Scene.
All except the ministers then left the apart
| ment, and the prisoner hands having been tied
| behind him, they started to the scaffold, Jack
| son in front with Sheriff O'Neal and a deputy
following them the ministers. The prisoner, as
he walked, was uttering prayer evidently
while the ministers were singing, and he walked
up the steps with light step, and, going TO the
southwest corner of The scaflold, addressed the
assemblsge in rambling manner.
| JACEsoN's DYING SPEECH.
He said. "Iou see where am going to-day
! God and everybody knows that / am innocent
| i keep nothing back. III done il don't know
it, ard if / did it pray God to forgive me, and
| hope you will all forgive me, too am not a
| wilful murderer. Father in Heaven! take
| charge OF me now. and may feel prepared TO
| die. Let this be warning TO you ali before you
| give blow in wrath; take lick and 90 away,
| and say nothing about it. Good bye, friends
| o, Father in Heaven If am not prepared to
die, prepare me; have little babies in Heaven
which hope to meet this day. Jesus, if am
prepare me-"
Just as he commenced his remarks he drop
ped TO the ground note for Mr.. Bddle, who
has been friendly 10 him. The falling rain at
times drowned his voice, but he raised Il higher
and higher until he could Dc heard in cry
part of the enclosure.
THE FATAL DROP.
at the conclusion he stepped back on the
trap, and called out, "Brng me some water,
please" and while sn officer ran into the jail
not be heard, except the words, 40, Jesus, help
me to come 10 thee. 1 am gone"
Having taken drink of water, the rope was
adjusted, the black cap drawn over his face,
and the sheriff walking 10 the front of the scat
fold placed his foot on the spring, and Jack
sons body fell about seven feet. Several per-
sons in the crowd turned their faces at this
moment, and one young man tainted, and was
carried away by his friends. There were few
convulsive movements of the body, and all was
STILL The body, after hanging twenty minutes,
was lowered, and Drs. Adams and Garrett found
the neck broken, and pronounced life extinct
1t was then cut down and placed in a neat
coffin, and will be inferred this afternoon. G.
ASSOCIATED PRESS ACcOUNTI
ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 15.-wm Jack
son, convicted Of the murder of his wife in Feb
ruary last, after having been twice respited
to-day suffered the extreme penalty of the Law
in the jail yard. Notwithstanding the heavy
rain, there was large crowd present, and the
house windows in the neighborhood were fIied
with spectators. jackson made q speech of IF
teen or twenty minutes duration, denying h.
guilt, but not offering proof Of his innocence
The fall Of seven feet failed to break his necs
and be died Of suffoeat after a severe strug-
gle. He was arsenced on the scaffold by thrc
colored ministers. The body hung % minut
before life was extinct
THE AUGUST FALL OF MErEoRs.-A let.
from the Ohio Wesleyan University. at Deia-
ware, Ohio, August 18th, to the Cincinnati Gs
Tbara has m fan