, 1876-05-27
Horrible; Incident Attending Ills EIeeu-
tien-The nead Torn from
Tho Body.
Hanging Of Burrell Sphinx,
Co1ored, at Lebanon,
Tenn.
A Party Of Murderers Taken from
the Sheriff and Shot in
South Carolina.
PIPER.
Epsdat Dispatch 10 Tho Tribune.

Spsdal Dispatch TO Tne Tribune
TIE EXECUTION.
nosroN, Mass, May 2o.-Tho execution Of
Thornas A. Piper. formerly thu sexton Of the
Warren Arcnuo baptist Church in this city,
took place At Tho ChAres Street Jail tlis morn-
nE.
pipcr Was convicted last February, on his
SECOND trial. OF tho murder Of Mabel Young,
aged years, In the tower OF the church, on the
Rid Of May, 1a75 ..-.
Tho crowd outside Of the Jail hailed wfsl, ap-
plause thu announcement Ut Ills execution
pIrER's ArpgAL AND TRIAL.
The decd for which Thomas W. Piper was
hanged today WA committed Just ono year and
three days ago. Not a mnn or woman In the
city but remembers tho thrill OF horror that ran
over tho town TINT calm Sunday AFTERNOON,
when ID became known that beautiful little
girl had bccn found killed in the stecple of
church OIL one of tic most fashionable streets
Of the South End. The confused appearance ot
the sexton, and the fact that ho aone lad been
seen In the vicinity, at ONO fixed suspicion upon
lin; and III less than three lloura he was ar-
restetl mud directly charged With tho crime. To
lhc rough inquiries Of thu detectives, "Damn
you, Piper,
WHAT min foU KILL
TINT little girl for T. lie returned no reply, but
now and then stout1y maintained his Innocence.
The evidence against him Was purely clrcunl-
rt,ntia; but the fnct that the murder Ind been
tonc whilc the congregation was separating
litter tho Babtatl,-scllouI, and Tint no ulie esc
but tho accused had been seen In tho yfcinlty nf
tie belfry-staircasc, or, Indeed, had access to
those stairs, pointed directly ht lin, atl llc Ss
fully committed to await tlc result Of the
Coroncrss Inquest This jury found verdict
A&us1
Await tlc action Of tho Grand Jury. That
lutiy presented bill Of indictment for murder
III tie first degree, Mt tic June. term. i Wns
certified by tho Superior to tho Supreme Court,
Sept. IS, and day ect for his trial. It begun
Dec. 1,-the Hon. Edward Avery, ono OF our
hest l.wyers, nn EtwaF! r. bro,sn' appearing
81 s"a e f ts p c eay %ss yas sa M
III lmpaneling.a jury; and utter trial lasting
eleven days, during which tho prisoner himself
went On the stand,
THE Iulr plsAonKED,-
nine being for conviction aud three for acqntt-
lut. The SECOND trial began within six weeks,
Jan 81, IND lasted nine days. The defense wns
the saIlc as before,-tfse weakness md tho t.a1i-
gcr Of circulnstantial evidencc,--hnt the Coy
Crn1nent had strengthened its case BY The dia-
roycry Of two or tl.rre witnesses to corroboIate
testimony Which before rested on the reculleo-
tn the possibility 1T one Of tl,r witnesses being
The guilty nnn. The jury at this trial agreed
upon II verdict Of
t'au1lTY OF MURDER IN TnE F1RaT nEaRRE,"
after all absence Vi Il few Luurs. Exceptions
wrre filed March !, aud oyerrulcd Mareh 70;
md, March n, scntencc OF denth WIS Imposed,
the Court expressing ita sense Of the Justice OF
the verdict. Two weeks weeks later Ter ti1o warrant M lor
Cpunell; and, on Saturday, May 9, motion
for new trsal, OIL tle ground of ncwly-dis-
covered evidence, was filed.
Tho next tfay, Mr. Brown, tho junior counsel,
allied on Piper at tho jail, and told him that he
,elt obliged to say, as 1lo hal done previously,
That hr did not believe It possible for any
human power &, do anything which would pre-
rent the execution Of tho sentence upon lin;
that he hnd come to him for the purpose of say-
ing 10 HIN that any tore which he might have
!ndulKcl IN regard to tho success Of tho motion
Tor new trial, should he ut once abandoned,
lnasniuch Us, in Lis judgment, there was d
Goral certainty that thu nlotion would DO over
ruled.
This led to tho confession which follows.
EAn MABEL YOUNG AuKnEN-pIpEn'B FIRST
STORY AND TI1R TAuE TALK.
After few more w0rtla, Mr.. lroHn said !:
"Tell nle over again exactly low this accident
took place." Piper replied:
tience-rooHl went Downstairs to tie largo
l!bu!c hnd conversation With sone peEsons there;
sn 70 t ss Sa1 hS ea,cs + M
very warm, went ~ into thu tower, r,ropred up
~ wh e 1a yesn Yor
Told her had been up to tho tower where the
tce thu pigeons. to!d ior .ne could mol, ~ zl,r
wDnlA ret her clothes dirty. She peEsnadrd MIC tc
M as and ,r startsd led and r.. en on shnra Gu
stairs thu Dsll.deck, and followed ilnuedlate1,
after hsr, on!y ons or txo escps behind Whut
tho last tread, she knocked tGe bat from under
the trap -aooE, and 1t fell upon her.
Mr.. Drow1. then asked llIul to explain Just how
her body rested, which he did; an.l Mr; Brown
mt II iii III
not telling ine the truth" lie saiI hu wns, a,d
undertook 70 cxllalni upon which MIR: brown
pointed out to him tic Inconsistencies between
lis and hia tirst stury, and the imposstbIl!ty II
the lust version being true. Piper became more
md more cnHfusrd, and ME. Nrt,wn sat to hin,
nThoMas' LII 10y atc too nea. your grave to tFllls
lie Aank back lur q moment, and then said
Mr.. brown, AIN not talling thA truth"
Nj, brown quickly replica: 'sreli me tte
'p5} ps}4 r. RSea 'o,ains sa sst t' St5wn t5g1"
AN GUILTY; K1L1xp THE c41Lpn
Mr. hr0wn, III uInazumctlt, naked: "Do you
nean 70 say that you killed thu child with that
~ Do" said he, and his head fell.
His counsel took him By the hand, "a he wouli
aava taken TINT Of dying lnan, IA la sud
"ThSS'mss .nv,S'nx Ill.,. 7 thls 5e trns pty yaa Gsyt
possible that you cnultl hAyestruck thu child Will
!he bat, und want you to tell nc uli about 1t
Whateyer rasses het~oen Us IL con!ident!al, i
5oA uCb4Eo lki Ullt Jou luubt TeC0!iSCL lGlt II
loss thug you did not do, " It II that yuu til
ne exactly wlat you did do"
Piper 1epre&sed his sobs aud tears, unI, will
khu appuara.lce ot 4 ,uan throwing ut1 u terrbl
burden, began to tell the wholo story. liz sal'
hat he went to the church after llnucE, with
acsiEa to kill ealneh.4y; aud, With that pnr
pose, put tAe bat within tho towur door, on til
stA!ra. Attar the seEyicca were over and al1nos
10 ht1a aud asked q SC thc pigeons in III
lower. They went up together, Lp takiug Il,
o4t iI Ills hull1 as Ae went u{. Just Ill the
reached the foot u the lal4er VI tllu top Vi til
italrs, liz raised the bat aud
sTAuCk Akls ON TUE HkAn.
Tbs blow feiled huS ~ the nour, face down
aafla. lie took her by the left shoulder Wit
h!s left ha1I Aud raissl l,tr FROM the Apur, and
with ~ s, bat 10 hi right hana .t1usl +, ler
heard tile lonea erack IN ilcr head. / laid hv
down where the kr,t IL bloud wts found on III
apor, helow tie bsll4lreko At1c did mot srrent,
Rnd l'supposed tt1E WIS dead. ! then went iu