The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-05-02
THE GALLONS CLAIMS TIS
own.
sim SaGGIe- Successfully SWING
Oh at Decatur.
Mrrilian Mercury.

MERRIAM Mercury.
We had a notice in our last tri weekly
issue Of the departure hence, on We'd
+ hes lay evening last, of the negro wife
murderer, Sim Suttles, under the guar
ditnship of Sheriff Gillaspy, of Newton
county.
We lately had an account of the exc
culion of j. d. Lee, the noted murderer
of the Mountain Meadows, twenty years
ago, and the most notable circu Instance
Attending it was, l. .e's cool courage and
self possession in the face of certain
death Lee knew he had a world look
ing ut him that day through the Argus
ewes of the press, and that may have
been ii most powerful brace to his nerves.
But this conspicuous courage Of the
greatest murderer of America is dimmed
/ BIZ the unsurpassed coOlnees and courage
Of this humble negro, without the ad-
ventitious aid of a whole world to look
t upon It,
As Mr.. Gillaspy entered the cell of
/ the condemned man, confined in our jail,
on Wednesday evening, with his attend
ants and Mr.. Golden, the blacksmith,
with his tools to disshackle him, Sim
calculated, with a lght-hearted jest:
I" Well, Mr.. Gillaspy, yoa are going
to swing her off Friday, sure enough.
He repeated, again and again, his will
ingnesS to die, and even expressing wish
to atone with his life his great crime. lie
made a remark as he was leaving here,
that he would rather go to his own hang
ing than to party.
On the way out to Hickory, where the
D lrty left the train, with cocl and imper
turabIe curiosity, he enquired of Sheriff
Gillaspy whether he had yet built the
gallows Upon being Informed that 1t
h ID already been put up, he enquired of
what material it was made. Upon be-
ing informed that it was made OF pine
poles, he expressed some displeasure, and
was disposed to reproach the officer,
Winding him that the State paid for the
lob, and he could have afforded to put
up more respectable gallOws. Some
one enquired if he wanted it painted.
With Il slight exhibition of temper, he
said: - am talking now"
At Hickory, crowd OF negroes had
assembled to meet him. They got eXcit
ed at this sight of a human being led to
execution, and some of them proposed to
sing and pray He rebuked them
sharply, saying the Newton negroes
never would have any sense, u am the
one to pray, not you, and L have
prayed"
1t was the first public execution that
ever occurred in Newton county. A great
many people came to witness the scene.
1t was estimated that near 3, 900 people
were present.
Sims attendants, in the morning,
kindly consulted him about his breakfast,
if he would have any, and to indicate
what it should be- He said, as it would
be his last, he wanted full good break
fast, and expressed decided preference
for fried ham and eggs, with biscuit and
coffee. 1t was furnished him in abund
ance, and he made gluttonous meal.
He was offered whisky in the morning,
but declined, saying he had never been
a whisky drnker; but told his friends if
they would come around with the whisky
about II he would take some.
He naively enquired of the sheriff if
he had prepared his rope, and had
stretched and CREASED it, and then direct
ed the officer to give him drop of ex
actlv four and half feet.
When first shown his coffin he again
expressed to the sheriff dissatisfaction at
its plainness. He said he would have
preferred to have spent some of his own
money to have secured better box to be
! laid away in But, he said, he reckoned
| it didn't make any difference and seemed
to reconcile himself to it,
He went upon the gallows with perfect
composure, and, without rudeness, but,
with firmess, declined the religious min
istration of some religious ministers of his
own race. He gave an intelligent reason
for it, that the matter was entirely be-
tween himself and his God, and his ease
was beyond the reach and help Of any
human Intervention.
| He addressed The immense throng in
a clear stentoran voice without betraying
the slightest falling of nerve or the per
feet composure he had maintained. Dur
ing his address the crowd OF negroes some
times wanted to break out into relig-
Gus hurrah, which he promptly rebuked
as out of time and unavailing.
He assisted the sheriff to adjust the
rope to his own neck, directing where the
the knot should strike. When the black
cap was about to be put over his face he
begged that it be omitted; he wanted
no screen between himself and his
doom; he preferred to face death as
one who has no fears of it. The cap was
left off.
And the drop fell his own four feet and
and half was a success, and he W IS
quickly beyond tae river, where he so
often said he wanted to be to meet his
wife.
During his imprisonment here, he
talked freely to Mr.. Wilson, his jailor,
about his crime, giving many particulars
which we omit for want of snace.