The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-23

=. G.
"Wednesday, Aug. %, 1876.
The Death Penalty.
THE HANGING OF JERRY COLE.
kFriday last was the day appointed
the execution Of Jerry Coleman.
The bar rooms were closed and the
@ utmost good order prevailed
hrpughoutthe entire day. The crowd
Ias>pot half so large rs the assenlblage
bn the 2Stbsof II, the day first ap-
ypointed for his. EecutionN and did not
Bexceed&fteen hundrelor two tliousand
: persons. Sheriff Gafnftogether with
thetown council and the committee OF
safety tookeall the precautionary meas
ures to prevent any disturbance of the
peace, and 1t is ruly gtatifying to re.
port that there was notlthe least act, OF
tirbulance or the least cause for fear or
apprehension of trouble.
PREPARING FOR THE HANGING.
Sheriff Gufin engaged Mr.. d. E.
Smith the principal carpenter Of the
town to make q coffin and to examine
and put the scaffold in readiness for the
judicial tragedy. This is the same scat
fold upon which Banks was hung two
tham\two years ago, in full view of
Coleman who was then under sem
elce of death. BY Thursday even
ing everything was ready. The
scaffold situated in the jill yard, was
made of uprightpieces in the ground
twelve or fourteen>fe Zee high sustaining
q cross beam, to which the rope which
hung the prisoner vas secured. The
trap or platform was Fastened with
hinges to one of the posts while the
other side was held up by a rope
which was passed over the top beam
and brought down and fastened to a
neg on tie other post, where It could
he easily cut whenever the Sheritf
was ready to let the platform faltfrom
uHder the convict.
THE GUARD.
At half-psst ten o'clock, the Able
willie Rifles marched from their drill
oom to the jail and halted under the
shade Of the trees in the yard until
half-past eleven, when q detachment
of the Company under command of
Lieutenant Hemphill, accompanied
by the Sheriff, proceeded to the cell OF
Jerry Coleman which was on the
northwest side of the building. The
balance of the company marched to
and formed q hollow square around
the scatfold, facing outward. The
prisoners arms were pinioned, and
fifteen minutes before twelve the
Sheriff marched him down the steps
of the Jail, accompanied by Father
Folchi, Mr.. e. Roche, and the detach-
ment of the Abbeville Rifles, and
went at once to the scaffold, sonle
fifty yards from the building. A de-
tachment of colored militia acted as
guard around the enclosure.
AT THE ScAFFoL.D
Coleman stepped upon the platform
and Father Folchi followed. After
exchanging a few words, the Rever-
end Father came down and Coleman
made his speech, which was delivered
in a clear and distinct voice without
the least tremor, but in tones of the
greatest seriousness and e~arnestness,
which was somewhat as follows:
GENTLEMEN: l am here before you.
You all see me. My condition should
be q warning to all my friends, both
white and black. You should never
allow your passions to control your
senscs, as l did. l know that T shall
be dead in a few minutes; you know
not how long or how short a time it
may be before you shall die; God has
been good to me and has for the past
three years warned me of my sin and
of my approaching death; during
that time [ have suffered more than
death ; I now rejoice ut my condition
and hope through the mediation of
Jesus Christ, to meet you all in hcav-
en-; I feel that my trouble Is now
over and that I shall in a few min
utes be with God in heaven; you
know not when death shall come to
you, ~ I have known. but it may
come to you as q thief in the night, at
a time when least expected. l recog-
Mise some Of nv old friends before
me ; I hope that they especially may
not fall into the sinful ways which
have brought me here"
KISSING TIE CRUClFIN.
At the conclusion Of his speech
Father Folchi assembled the steps and
after some religious services, asked
the Sheriff If his time was out, and
upon being informed that il was not,
Coleman kneeled OH the scaffold, and
from the movement of his lips he was
supposed to be saying an earnest
prayer, while the Reverend Father
read from his prayer book something
which the doomed man seemed not to
hear. At the conclusion Of the pray
er Coleman kissed the crucifiX which
he held in his hand, and he came to a
standing position, when some addi-
tional prayers were read and repeated.
This concluded, he shook hands with
Coleman aud descended the steps,
and the Sheriff stepped upon the plat
form, fastened the rope to the cross
beam, and adjusted the knot around
his neck. When the Sheriff unfolded
the black cap aud was making prepar-
atoms to put it OH his head, Coleman
with a polite bow and q graceful
movement of the hand, said In a man
touch the heart of every N who
heard 1t:
Friends, 1 bid you all adieu.
again."
The cap was thrown e his face
and the sunlight was shut out from
his eyes forever. In less than a min
ute the Sheriff cut the rope which
sustained the platform and he
fell five feet with q heavy thud, and
his body was dead and his soul
wig fahncheT into eternity. This
was atfive minutes past twelve o'clock.
Seventeen minutes later he was pro-
noupced dead By DR.. HIT. Lyon, and
WASH put sin the !cpFfh which had
befn brought for htr4y' His friends
wese not present to claim the body and
the Sheriff expressed it to them at
Ninety-EiI on Saturday morning.
'NoTEszef HIS CASE. 4
Ioepy, (Nn1an1oA y.,o fn;a5 o~S