Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-08-18
Honeycutt's Confession a Denial
of tho Charge of Murder.
From KnOzville Chroniclo. Aug. y. lg75l

From Knoxville Chronicle Aug. IL, 1879
Yesterday afternoon, about 90 min
utes past one O'clock, John G.. Webb
died on the gibbet, erected on the rail-
road lot near the Clinton Pike, to ex-
plate the crime of murder, committed
OF the 9Th of March, 1874, when Rich
Reynolds died at the hands of two as
sassins, full detail of which was Civ
en- in the CHRONICLE at the time.
Early yesterday crowds of people
could be seen passing in from every
direction, and every country road or
turnpike, leading into the city, was
thronged with men, women, boys and
girls, some riding in wagons, some on
horseback and others walking, AMI we
venture the assertion that among the
latter were thousands who came many
miles to satisfy that morbid appetite
to see a man hanging in midair at the
end of rope, dying. Thus it was
that ere nine o'clock in the morning
the streets of Knoxville were crowd
ed with strangers. The Jail was sur
rounded by dense crowd, and it was
with difficulty that the
NINETY GUARDS,
which had been summoned by Sheriff
Swan, could persuade the people to
keep out of the Jail yard. The hillside
adjoining the Turner Hall lot was fill
ed with living moss of humanity,
and Prince street, beyond Main was
hInaly ohnI Ia
ings, all anxious to see-what? a fell
low creature suffer and die.
FRESH ARRIVALS.
About ten o'clock the Maryville
train arrived with six coaches and "a
box car filled with representatives of
BlOunt county and "hOuth America"
while the ferry boat was kept busy
bringing others over from that side of
the river, swelling the crowd considera-
bly,.
Shortly after this the train on the
Knoxville and Ohio Railroad arriv ed
with Is cars, crowded to their utmost
capacity with men, women, and chill
dren, making large crowd of itself,
say from 1900 to 1000, the largest ma
jority of whom at once repaired to the
place of execution
TO GET GOOD SEATS
as we heard some of them express it,
and by 1920 o'clock the hillside, the
railroad track and open ground near
the gibbet was crowded with people,
so much so that the train i'm passing
had to go very slow and blow the alarm
usually given when anything obstructs
the track. Wagons with families in
them were on the ground as early as
O'Clock i'll the morning, remaining
there in the hot sun all day, merely in
order to have a good seat, and place
close to the gibbet.
The trains on the East Tennessee,
Virginia and Georgia Railroad,
brought more recruits and by the time
the hour for the execution had arrived
the crowd was being estimated all the
way from
TEN TO TWENTY THOUSAND.
Yet the majority of those expressing
an opinion in regard to the number of
witnesses of the last struggle of Webb,
gave the number at about fifteen
thousand.
This is truly sad commentary op
the state of the morals of East Tennes-
see, to be compelled to state that ten
thousand people witnessed hanging,
when but five thousand attended the
funeral of such man as EX-President
johnson.
THE LAST NIGHT,
Webb's wife remained with him until
about midnight, and sometime after
she left him he retired to rest, request
ing to be awakened in the morning,
which was done. He ate a hearty
breakfast, remarking that this was the
last opportunity to enjoy meal.
After breakfast Webb was
visited by Father Walsh,
his confessor, and some old rye whisky
having been given him, his spiritual
adviser asked him not to drink, but he
finally drank.
Among the visitors who called upon
him in the morning were Gen. Cooper
and Justice Ochs. He conversed with
the General in regard to his war record,
and with Justice Ochs in regard to his
first trial. He bid Mr.. Ochs farewell,
and said he did not think hard Of
him, as he had only done his duty
in binding him oyer to Court.
About ten o'clock the, prisoner was
furnished new suit of clothes provid-
ed by his brother, and it is said that
he used some very bitter language
when razor was refused him. Faith
er Walsh remained with him all
morning, and Father Marion fastened
down to the jail as soon as he arrived
on the IL o'clock train.
IN THE CELL.
About ID minutes of II o'clock, M,