The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-12-03
TIE nay OF the Hanging.
Last Friday, the 26th ultino, was day
that-wflisbe long remein bsred ii, the history

tor years to come as ..the day OF the hang
ing" when two human beings, one man
and the other n woman, were publicly exc
cated, by hanging, for the crime of murder.
The execution is something we had rather
not write about having no taste ofthat sort,
but the public will expect, very naturally,
an account of the tragic occurrence, and to
this feeling we are compelled to yield.
AS we stated last week, Toney Nellnn
and Alcee Harris were condemn ned to death
for the murder of Henry Harris, husband
OF Alcee. in May of last year. All the
parties were negroes. The killing was
found to be murder, and the confessionsiof
the two Justified the verdict. Horny Harris
was killed in bed by Nellum with an axe,
the wife, Alcee, having urged Nellum 10
commit the deed and leaving her child in
the bed with Henry Harris knowing the
murder was to be committed. Efforts We're
made to secure the pardon ofthe woman,
but Mr.. Kellogg refused to grant the
pardon, and, we think, very properly. r
d, The execution came OFF Friday morning
ut half-past ten o'clock, but even so early
IS noon the day before there n stir on
the streets and an appearance Of strange
faces which betokened an event OF unusual
Interest. ...tt ...la......',.
THE CROWD
was certainly the largest ever gathered
parishes around, on horseback, in wagons,
by rail and on foot. More than half Of the
number were women and children, and
very nearly all, numbering fully five
Thousand, wore colored. The sidewalks
werejammed to impassibiiity for nearly
quarter Of a mile, and a hub b.b prevailed
that was painful to the ear.
A few minutes after ton the writer went
to the jail, where tho condemned were pre-
pairing for death. The gallows had been
erected in the middle of The public square
and could be seen from the front cell Of the
Jail. Father Enaut was engaged earnestly
in consollng the condemned. Alcee Harris
: was no longer the bold woman we had met
: week before, who said she was reJoiced nj
her husbands death. She dressed in
white and sat III chair. Her eye-litla were
closed and her lips compressed. both jerking
occasionally from nervous excitement and
her whole frame would be convufsed at
times as If suffering from Intense bodily
pain. The Sheriff, great Alree's dis
tress, tn ,ught he would be compelled to
lift her to tho fatal scafIold. Toney Nellum
was more at ease, but exhibited signs
nnnistakable of II knowledge of his com ing
fate. While Alcee was almost inperturbn-
. bly, silent. Tonoy was greatly inclined TO
talk and I'm that way demonstrated the
Same feeling Alcee did by silence.
Before the Anal ministrations of the
Priest In Jail were concluded. the Sheriff
and tho jailor entered, and, with common
battling Irvine, secured the arms of the con-
dsmned, which was done by extending the
Irvine from arm to arm behind tho back,
leaving tho hands and forearm free. Both
Toney and Alcee appeared moro deeply
impressed than at any time before. The
last lingering ray of hope had faded away,
and they descended Tho of i.;i
shortly afterwards, not resigned t." their
fate, but fully assured the gttiows awaited
them. a number of special deputy sher;f-
were In front of the Jail to preserve order
and enforce the law. The scaflold was in
the center of the public square. abou,
seventy yards from tho Jail. Toney wake cd
without support, but Alcoe had to be aisis-
ted. Tho gallows was surrounded with Il
rope fastened to stakes driven in the
ground, tho circle having n diameter OF
about fifty feet. Around tho circle II large
number Of colored people wore gathered.
Alcce and Toney walked toward tho gal
lows. won't around it to tho steps ascend
Ing to tho fatal trap and stopped moment
until Sheriff Hamlet had examined the
structure. The ropes were found to be in
position, the trap steady, and nothing
remained but for the condemned to ascend
to the scatfold. This they did without
asSAStnuSe, AoheN pIeceulnS NlCCo. Here
followed very natural but sad scene. A.
Alcee mounted the scail'nld thore were cries
of"poor thing from the colorcd women
present, and other expressions of syn,pa-
thy that produced deep impression upon
those around and II still deeper one upon
the poor creature soon to die. There
wero groans, Screams andlarn ont ut MS us the
figure in white stood undcr tho fatal rope
ready to die, such as one seldom hears.
The supreme moment for these poor
creatures had nearly arrived. At ton
o'clock fifteen minutes they had loft the
Jail. Five minutes, perhaps, had elapsed
when the Sheriff from the scatrula read the
the death warrants in distinct, cloar VOICE
to which the condemned apparently lis
tened with great interest. Following this
came tho placing of the fatal noosos around
the necks. Alcee was asked If she had
anything to say. and declined speaking.
Her lips were Quivering and her cye-Iids
closed, but she stood erect without support.
Toney began talking and gcsticulating n,
the moment the rope was put over his
head. he was, he said, about to go homo
to heaven. "rhank God" responded q
number of voices from among tho colotctl
women. LET nobody" lie said, .'Ericvc
after me. The old man is gwine home
directly. was born to de-" he continued