Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-10-03
The Gailevs in Virginia.
EXECUTION OF ANDERSON sHIFFLETT
.,.. AT HARRIsoNBURG. ~,

l.
The execution Of Anderson Shifiett, one
of the three parties convicted of the
murder Of David G. Lawson in the
mountainous region of East Rocking.
ham, on the afternoon OF the 18th Of
March, 1875, took place here to day
within the jail enclosure. Up to yester-
day it was believed by almost everybody
who had attended the trials of the per
sons charged with the killing Of Lawson
that Silas Morris, Shif1ett's confederate
in the crime for which be has been hung,
would have executed at the same time,
but respite from Gov. Kelnper arrived
by special messenger from Richmond at
noon yesterday, and Morris has apoth-
er month in which to seek to establish
his claim to exemption from the penalty
paid by Shif1ett. The execution was
comparatively private, the persons pres
ent in the enclosure in the rear of the
jail embracing not more than forty or
fifty. Amongst these were several re-
porters for the newspaper press of Bal
timore, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis
and the Associated Press.
Shiflett rested very uneasily the night
before his execution, groaning and toss
ing upon his couch. The sacrament
was administered to him in his cell at
A. NJ. by Rev. David Bar, Of the Epis-
copal Church, assisted by Rev. William
G. Eggleston, of the Southern NJ. E.
Church, in the presense of one or two
special friends Of the condemned. At
ter the conclusion of the services of the
sacrament the hymn commencing SUI
sus, lover of my SOUL" was sung, the
CONDEMNED seemed to engage heartily in
the exercises. Shifflett had made pro-
fession of religion, and said that he felt
that when he left this world he would
soon be with his Maker. ii
The platform was erected in the rear
Of the cell occupied by Silas Morris and
Louisa Lawson, now under sentence of
death as participants in the murder for
which shihiet has been hung. The
scaffold was a PLAN, rough platform,
with steps. 1t had fall offour feet. The
Harrlsonburg Guards, whose services
on this occasion had been called into
requisition by the Governor, surrounded
the jail to prevent the crowd from get
ting near the prison: ropes were strech-
ed across the streets near the Jail, and
the impatient and serious crowd was
thus kept at a distance. So eager,
however, were some persons to see the
execution that they climbed upon the
house-tops and chimneys surrounding
the Jail
Shifflet was taken from his cell after
the conclusio of the religious services,
and supported on either side by High
Sheriff D. H. Ralston, the jailor and
one of his deputies, conducted through
corridor into the enclosure where the
scaffold stood. He was neatly dressed in
anew suit of dark cassimer clothing,
was bareheaded, and had just been shaw
ed. He was weeping violently as be pass
ed to the scaffold, and doubtless appres
ciated fully the horrors Of the situation.
He had evidently broken down and was
full of dread; he held his hands to his
ia ce as he passed to and mounted the
steps of the scafold, and continued
weeping and grooming almost all the
time. Rev. Mr.. Barr, his spiritual
and adviser, read Shifiett's statement
from the scafeld. He called God to
witness that what it contained was
true.
THE STATEMENT.
The statement was in substance as
follows
-Four weeks before Lawson was MUIR
dered Samuel Hall, one of the States
witnesses and against Sh!flett, offered
him twenty-five dollars to kill Lawson,
saying that lfhe did not do it there
were two others who would. He knew
the day was fixed for Lawson to be kill
ed, and when it was done he said he
was standing on knoll three hundred
yards off, heard the fatal shot fred and
knew then that Lawsonwaskilled. He
denied that he had ever confessed the
murder to any one before his ar
rest, or that be was paid any money By
Morris to do it. He protested that q
former confession made since hts sen.
tence was not true, and said he was In
duced to make it to get money for his
family. He was promised, he said, elgh.
teen dollars in money and two bushels o.
wheat to make that confession. One dol.
lar only had been paid to his wife. Mrs,
Lawson, also condemned to be hung fol
the crime, he said, did not offer him mon,
ey, but told him that he would &c,
1