Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-11-21
HANGED BY THE NECK.
Execution of Shade WestmOre.
land at Chattanooga.
He Makes a Confession, and
Says the killing Was in
Self Defense.
Special to the Union and American.

OF Inc II. 4. CnIrcn, OOutn, anu hef.
Bachman, of the Presbyterian Church, ad-
ministering the ordination. The death
warrant was then read. Westmoreland
conversed freely with the other prison
ers in bis cell and gave them locks of his
hair, at their request. At 1l:30 A. NJ, thepro-
cession left the Jail and passed through the
city to the execution grounds near the city
cemetery. Several clergymen met the con-
demned man at the gallows and aecompa-
MED him from the carriage to the fatal
drop. The usual religious services were
gone through with and Westmoreland adj
dressed the crowd in rambling speech, in
which he denied that he murdered Ember-
ling, but claimed that he killed him in self
defense. His attorneys were thanked, and
after the usual wishes that he might meet
everybody present in heaven were express
ed, the cap was pulled over his face, and at
precisely ten minutes past P. NJ, Sheriff
Champion cut the rope and the trap fell.
The body fell four feet. The neck was not
broken, but no signs of life were visible
after the drop, except a few convulsive
twitches of the limbs. At p minutes past
l o'clock the surgeons pronounced life ex-
tinct.
WestmOreland was convicted at the No
yember term of the Circuit Court of Ham
ilton county, 1873, of murder in the first
degree. he appealed to the Supreme
Court, and the verdict below was affirmed
in September at Knoxville. The killing
was most unproyoked, and grew out Of a
criminal connection of WestmOreland with
Emberling's, the murder mans wife. This
Shade did not at first deny, but as he dies
q pious and sanctiied soul, suppose he
finds it necessary to revise his first state
ment. There were at least 1900 people
present at the execution.
The real name of WeStmOreland was
Shade Woods, be having taken the name
WeStmoreland from the man who raised
him. During the war he served in the
Fourth Tennessee cavalry. Having been
raised in Hamilton and Bradley counties,
be drifted back here and took up his resi-
dence in this cOunty-living here and there,
and paying his way by questionable pTac-
ticeS. Not long after the war he fell in
with another ex-Federal soldier named
VIM. Emberling. He lived at Emberling's
house a great portion of the years of 1868
go. An intimacy Of an immoral char
acter sprung up between Shade and En-
beTling wife, and the two finally made the
] l. r IL
Shade remained and he and Mrs. Enber-
ling continued TO live together for about a
year.
In the fall of 1872 Emberling returned,
and all the mad jealousy of Shade was
aroused, and the deadly hate of the woman
spuTred him on TO destroy her husband. lie
freely made threats against Emberling's
life, and had him in such fear that he was
afraid to go home. Finally the two met at
a neighbOr's house. Without prOyOcation,
Emberling was shot by Westmoreland. He
ran and was pursued. by his murderer He
fell over i log, pierced with bullets. Shade
went 10 the prOstrate man, and sayagely
beat him on the head with a club. When
taken from the log be was dead.
Mrs. Emberling was present and saw,
and no doubt approved, the hideOus crime.
She and Shade were arrested. Both were
tried, the woman first; she was acquitted.
Shade was convicted of murder in the first
degree at the November term, 1873, of the
Circuit Court for this county. His at
tOrneys appealed TO the Supreme Courl,
and at the September term this year, the
verdict below was sustained, aud the ex-
ecution ordered to take place on Friday,
Nov. 20. Yesterday he made the follow
ing statement with regard to the murder,
as
HIS CONFESSION.
AT this solemn hour, on the eve of my
execution, do l relate to you, the last and
only confession of the crime for which
am adjudged guilty by the law, and am
shortly to suffer death.
first became acquainted with Mr.. VIM.
Emberling in 1865, meeting and renewing
partial acquaintance till the winter of 1872,
when took lease on his farm and COM
menced living in his family. While thus
| living, he approached me with inducements
! to steal a sack of salt from sam. Finnel,
which positively refused to have anything
| to DO with.
The matter then dropped. A Ashort time af-
! ter Mr.Emberling became involved in steal
| hIg some hogs, and fed. During his ab-
| sence l remained on the farm, living with
| his family. He returned in about two
months to his family, and We lived quietly
| for week, when he learned of my telling
| Mr.. Finnel of his intention of stealing his
! (Mr. F.'s) salt. On the next Sunday after
his return home, made preparations for
crossing the gulch, to be absent for the day,
| and. as was not in the habit of carrying
weapons, strapped on my revolver only TO
shoot any game might chance to see.
Up to that time had given him no cause
| for disagreement, either in my work or in
my relations to his family: and l hereby
make this, my last assertion, in behalf of
Mrs. Emberling. She is not guilty, directly
| OF indirectly, of the charges preferred by an
! excited and p-ejudiced community.
Mr.. Emberling approached me in the mat
| ter of my telling of his salt stealing inten-
/ tions. / acknowledged it, when he began
/ upbraiding, abusing and cursing me. l
| b not been drinking that morning in the
least. We had got out in the porch when
we grappled each other and rolled Off the
porch on the ground. He released himself
| from my grasp and seized hold of a large
| stick of wood and struck me, catching the
| blows on my arms and head, till l drew my
revolver and fired three times, the shots
| taking effect in his foot and body. l still
| claim l fired in self-defense. After the
! firing. he walked a short distance and sat,
! or fell down, while l sat on the porch a
moment. then went up to him with some
water. After his drinking, | assisted him
into the house, and then went four miles
for help. During the melee, Mrs. Emberling,
Mrs. Crofford and Mrs. Card were in the
garden, near 10y. or
AT near sundown, was arrested by OH
| GERS Bean. Coleman and Sims, and by them
conveyed to prison, where have remained
till the present time.
have no fault to find, save L do desire
! greatly to see my child once more, but 1t
cannot be. God help him and may he re
ceive good education and walk in the path
] Of peace. | now freely forgive the Judge,
! Prosecuting Attorney and Jury, as feel L
am forgiven. | wish to return my thanks
to my attorneys and friends who have done
all they could. / wish to express my
heartfelt thanks TO Mr.. Howard, my jailOr,
for his many acts Of kindness during my
confinement; TO the Clergy who have assist
ed me with their PRAYERS; and TO you (the
reporter) for your cheering words of that
summer land which have comfOrted me in
my gloom.
oh, there must be brighter side to this
dark cloud which is over me. With the
full faith that my Heavenly Father dOeth
| n ,l.;.,--- ,,-oll I hid this uorl1 rDod byo