Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-01-25
THE DEATH PENALTY!
Execution of Bill Dennis at New
Castle Yesterday.

Castle Yesterday.
he C0NFESSEs his CRIME ! |
The code Of this State makes murder |
punishable with death, but inhlcts the
laws extreme penalty for one or two other
ofenses, prominent amongst which is the
crime Of rape, and this feature Of the law
produces more executions than the enact
laents making wilful murder punishable
with death.
Yesterday the death penalty was inflicted
upon VIM. Dennis alias Richard. Duckerv,
for the commission Of an outage of pc
culiarly aggravated character, the circum-
stances attending which are still so fresh
in the minds Of our people that they need
not BE stated at great length. Briefly told,
the story of the crime is as follows
On tile morning of the 9th Of March
last, between midnight and 10 O'Clock, n
negro man demanded admittance into the
house of John Thompson, s.tuited In
Lambson's lane, in New Castle hundred,
about two-and-a-half miles from this city.
John Thompson, the man of the house,
was away, and there was no one at
home but his wife, Mary Thompson, and
her two children, both quite small. Mrs.
Thompson refused to admit the negro,
who thereupon foreibly entered the house
through a window. Mrs. Thompson fed
from the place, but was followed by the
negro, who seized her by the hair and
actually dragged her thus back to her
home, and then dragged her by the hair to
au upper story, and perpetrated the
vile outrage his beasty passion prompted,
accompanying the commission of the crime
by acts Of absolutely deyilish brutality.
He bit pieces Of flesh out from her neck
and arms and beat and bruised her terribly
in the struggle which preceded the vile
outrage. His brute desires satisfied, the
william drew razor and told her he would
cut her throat to prevent her, as he said,
appearing In Court against him. The ter
riiled woman again broke from his grasp
and ran TO the residence of Mr.. Joseph
LeFeyre, about quarter of a mile away,
where she arrived nearly exhausted, half
frozen aud absolutely nude, every stitch of
clothing having been torn from her In the
struggle.
As soon as she was able to speak she
told the story of the terrible wrong she
had suffered aud declared that she roeog-
nized her assailant as Bill Dennis.
As soon as the facts were known, an ex-
cited crowd began a search for the villain
which continued for some days, but was
fruitless. Meanwhile, the police had be-
gun less excited but more systematic
search, and parties Of them in citizens
dress, secured the country for thirty miles
around here In search of the prisoner.
The search was stimulated by the offer by
the Governor Of a reward of $500, which
by Subsequent proclamation he Increased
, ] co. q lao IF hu Rrfanpnr a
arrest after arrest was made, but none oil
those arrested proved to be Bill Dennis
Eleven different arrests were thus made
and the people had about concluded that
the real cdlprit would never be caught.
$ Meanwhile, Sergeant David II. Wingate
I (since resigned, but then, and for man,
3 wears previous, a member of our policl
. force) was quietly working up the case
e He had two or three colored men In hi
q employ hunting for the man in this State
. New Jersey and Pennsylvania. AT las
q one Of these discovered Dennis and notified
Wingate that DenNis was working on tn
. farm of Matthew Henderson, in Delawar
: county, Pa about four miles from GU
i, neighboriug city of Chester.
Wingate at once called officer Stewar
q to his assistance, and the two went to tn
'e place designated, arriving there betwee
- y anu ~ v flOIhS VI Nht XIV VI
IN June 7th. They found Dennis up stair
y In he'd, and at once arrested him and too
At him. to Chester, whence they brought hii
b. to Wilmington by the midnight trail
"a Arriving here and lodging the prisoner
10 the cells at about O'Clock on the mornin
"a Of June stb, Mrs. Thompson, the victii
m of the outrage was az once sent for, an
- the prisoner was given hearing as SOC
as she arrived. She fully identified hi
b. as her assailant, and the Mayor committt
ne him without bail, and the two officers toe
a him over to New Castle at 4 o'clock TIL
IA morning and lodged him in jail. While
~ the custody of officer Winglte he admitti
AZ TO that officer his guilt, but declared tn
en the woman's husband had instigated hi
lss to the crime.
he As the Spring term of Court was owe
he his trial could not take place till the la
ell November term at the beginning OF whit
ma be was arraigned, and having plead
re- "not guilty" and being without couns,
le the Court assigned Johu II. Rodney, ESQ
Ms counsel for the prisoner.
: " His trial took place on Thursday, Nc
e,s 2lst last, when, after hearing eyiden
-, con1rmatory OF the story as told nbo'
'er the Jury, after celebrating but flite
vel minutes, returned a verdict of guilty, a
IN on the Saturday following Chief Just
'ar, Gilpin sentenced him to be hung on FfidI
tie Jan 24tb, 1873. between the hours of
lies a. m. 9Dd p. IN.
ld'i Since Dennis has been incareerated
st" has been very docile and penltent, and
" Thursday he told Rev. VIM. Green that
the was guilty of the offence charged sagai
oon him, and the story that Thompson
"a woman's husband had bribed him 70 co
no. init the deed was entirely false.
18th All the clergyman of New Castle hi
and talked with him during the past f
h Of weeks, and for about ten days or a WI
The Rev. VIM. Green and Isaac Young, I
,itb colored ministers of the Methodist pers
nm. sion have been with him almost incessan
"a He has prayed with them and entered i
,I their devotions as If he felt truly penitt
ule Thursday afternoon and evening
'ivn TWO colored ministers were with him h
ated ing service, when he professed TO b
Win found peace with God aud to be ready
die.
On Thursday he requested of She
sen Armstrong that he should have Z
men supper and breakfast, which were
high nished him.
able He rested very little Thursday nil
TRY. praying aloud nearly all the time.
y in Friday he appeared tranquil,
one after breakfast asked for a cigar, wi
nary he smoked.
This The Sheriff summoned the follow
vols who acted as jurymen Jacob Richard
foreman, Joseph Petitdemange. Cha
Green, Benz W. Davis, James Swee
Dem o. H. Appleby, jonathan L. Geo
ding George Abel, James Fletcher, Edm
usie. Shaw, f. P. Gruob, Richard Alburger
SAM The same scatfold ON which Clark
mot hung was erected in the yard of the
" -a'o. facing the pillory and whippiug-p
'ssH' 1t had a drop Of five feet six Inc
IeSns beneath which was placed a pine c.
'uafy awaiting the body.
arly' AT 10 minutes after IL O'Clock the
;, sss oner was brought from his cell and mar
to the scaiiold following the jury. He
dressed in blue shirt, blue jacket
brown pair of pants.
Sheriff Armstrong, ex-sherif Hei
Pres and two deputies, with Rev. MIR. Colcli
z his Of the Methodist Church, attended
IL he prisoner on the seatlold