The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-28
The possibility OF a aep issue OF i1conuertib,e
paper Iregard ,cilh Gmazenaent and anxiety and.
Ia mv judgment, such an issue could be a det1f
naent ana q shdUae.-CHARLEs SUMNER.
Execution OF White Man Mt Abbeville-
Affecting Scenes at the Gallows.


Affecting Scenes at the Gallows.
ABBEvILLE, S. c.. March 81 1874.
Samuel Banks was hung here to-day at twelve
O'CLOCK In the Jail yard, Tor the murder OF Thomas
Shedd at Dorns mine in this county, on the 18th OF
November last. He was lodged III jail the next
day, where he has since been confined. He was
convicted at the last january term of the court
before Judge Cook. Efforts were made for his
communication, but the Governor refused to inter-
fere. When confined he was very hard to please,
but confessed with much repentance and embraced
religion. The clergy were with him constantly and
exerted themselves to make him resign himself to
his doom. Revs. w. I. Capers, OF the Methodist,
and r. N. Pratt of the Baptist church, were with
tim last night, and went with him to the galows.
lie was taken from his cell in Jail to the scaffold
at quarter to twelve. On the scaffold he con-
Quoted himself calmly, and was firm to the last.
He spoke for twelve minutes on the causes leading
to mis- fate. and attributed his end to the immod-
crate use OF whiskey. He warned his friends OF
the use of whiskey, and detailed In a few brief and
pointed sentences the disgrace and ruin II had
brought on nun. ne protested TO have placed his
hopes in God, and babe farewell to his friends and
his religious supporters with unaffected simplicity
HIS last words were Lord, take charge OF me, On
SENT INTO ETERNITY
The trap was sprung at twelve O'Clock precisely,
when his body iel with deep, heavy thud After
nifty. His neck was completely broken, and he
died without the slightest pain. After hanging
nineteen minutes he was pronounced dead, placed
III coffin and conveyed to his home for burial
He would have been twenty three years Old to-
morrow. He leaves wife, mother and three chill
dren. More tnan 1900 people, mostly negroes,
witnessed the execution The negroes appeared
to gloat over the misiortnnes Of the man, ana
keeping with the occasion. Sheriff Dufln per-
lormed his duties ksindly and expeditioasly:
The rope used for the occasion was
hempen three quarters of an inch In diam
eter. The scanOid consisted Of two upright
posts crossbeam and trapdoor, with fall OF lour
and hall 1eet. The day was beautiful, and the
sun shone brightly on the deed OF horror. Banks
claimed that he knew nothing Of the murder Tor
which he paid his life; that he was so full Of
liquor as to take away the power Of sense feel
ing He claimed on the gallows that he would
have died Tor shedd and that they were good
friends. He was an engineer by trade, and when
first white man hanged in Abbeville county for
twenty EIGHT years. Banks was tried at the Feb
ruary term OF court last year for killing Jake
Brown, colored, but was acquitted.
Two negroes now IN Jail under sentence Of death,
grOaned aloud as they saw their fellow criminal
fall from the scaffold They saw in him similar
penalty allotted Tor their bloody deeds.