Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-07-27
Alefau0rIa Gax&ttc
FRIDAY EVENING, JULY27.
A ScaGo{H Tragedy.

i telegram from New Orleans, date July %,
to the New York Herald, says
To-day there met his fate cu tho gallows.
Jules Guidry, convicted OF the murder OF John
Deal, in Calcasicu parish, Oh tho 10Th OF Au'
gust, 1915. Gu:dry was !. handsome young
mau, about thirty years OF age. About Six
tive woman named Della Lovise, by whom hu
had two cbi!drcu-a girl, DOW five years oI aE".
| and son two years younger. From the parish
OF St. Landry, few years later, lie moved 10
Lake Charles, Caleasieu parish, where he went
to work in a saw mill. Here the couple dwclt
together IN harmony until carly in 1875, when
tho wife charged Guidry with being uuiaithiul.
and shortly after by the advice OF somo of her
| friends, among whom WAS John Bealc: com.
menced cult for divorce. Guidry, it is al
legged, felt much outraged at this, stating the
| whole affair vas put up by Beale for the pur-
| pos, Of separating him and his wife, in order
that he might step in. Beale had, it is true,
| been living some time with the Gu!drys, board
! ing at their house, and certain circumstances
| led the husband to believe that his vile was
| unfatbfu to him; 10 fact, it is said he, on one
occasion, surprised them. This, however,
| Beale denied; but it was substantially proved
at he trial, when letters were produced which
established beyond doubt that there existed
| between tho two somewhat moro than friendly
relations.
These letters having beer discovered by Gui
! dry he became furious with passion, and on
August 20, hearing that Beac, who was away.
had returned to town, procured a pistol aal
| went to the postotlice, where be found Bea!e
| reading paper which hu had just picked nr.
| lie, apparently in friendly manner, asacd
| Beac what he was reading, and, As the other
repcd, without warning drew hla weapon and
! shct him through th1 heart, aud thea, without
| attempting TO escape, c00iy gave himself W TO
! an officer and was locked up.
| It appears Guidry and ROusscau (thc mur-
dcrcr recently hanged 10 ST. James parish.
alter committing twenty spurders) were confined
! together in the same cell, and that for some
reason the latter conceived the intcnscst haired
for the former, Threatening he would have HIM
hanged. This Guidry, who at That time, be
| licvel Ec would be pardrIcG, laughed at, hard
| ly believing any man 5 unTrov"kcd malice could
so exist. Rousseau, however, when he was on
the scafold, made statement IN which he saIi
that while in the cell with Guldry tho latter
had confessed that tic letters which were pro
duced at the trial were forged Or rather writ
ten, by Gudry's wife in order to tree him from
the gallows. These letters according to ROu'.
scau, had been written by Guldry's wife ut his
solicitation, he avcrriog they you'd save hll'.
| This, though it cntailcd disgrace On her, she
| did to save her husbands life, he having
| killed BeaIc co ~ Old grrage. This statement
was Of course denied by Guidry, and was
also generally diSbccvcd; indeed the authcutl,
city OF the letters were duly established, but II
! il was blu:cd arcuad that it was on this state
! merU Of Ron.soau's S that The Governor refused
| executive ciemcrcy; hence the excitement that
the dead murdcrcr's statement should be rccciv,
cd when the petition Of ex-G0v. McEncry and
| many other prominent citizens was refused. In
| spite OF this. however, Governor Men
o: remained finn, aud the morning cl
| the execution arrived. Such was public scntl.
mcut that il was at cpc time said Sheriff Reid
would cot dare execute linn, but 1t having been
ascertaincd beyond doubt that Gudry had at
temptcd 10 have the Sheriff aasassinaled while
bringing him from New Orleans, he naturally
lest his sympathy and paid due attc1tlon to the
details OF the execution.
| The moroiug was murky, with light ran
but as carly az six o'clock large crowds began
to gather 10 front oil the ga.lows, which was SIT
uatcd near the Jail. Among tue asSemblagc
large number OF Guidry's friends and rcatonS
from St. Landry were noticeable, but there was
20 appcaraicc Of an attempt at rescue.
| Guiiry,who all along had borne himself bravcly,
~ the hour approached began TO assume an alr
ot:brayado ard surveyed the crowd from his
prison window jecriogIy. Ills brothers and
friends who visited him advised some sort OF
confession, but he was evidently unwilling to
do so. As the friends OF the unlortuuate MA!
we're still sanguine Of d rcprlcvc The execution
was delayed until fifteen minutes to two IN
the afternoon, a. which hour, 10 word having
come, the doomed man was led out ol the
l T.. l,oo lad
Sheriff Reid, deputy sheriff aud Father
Charles, the Catholic priest who had at'cndch
him throughout. lie handed bis slouctcd hat
to the Sheriff, rcInarkiug, "Ihc fall will not
be enough / want real breakIeck tall! about
ten feet" The rope was accordingly length J.,
. cncd, vhcn he again cooly took it UP and sad
scornfuy This is . pretty arrangement 70
choke man with, amt il? Father Charles
began to say the prayer for the dying when the
condemned man stepped GU the trap.
While keeping his sclf.pos:cssloa he appear
} cd to be full of wild excitement, ard as the
Sheriff oinioucd his arms said, in loud iccr-
ipg voice, "L don't care 10 die; l. an a man;
friends. am about to dic for crime do not
regret. | would do it again. L don't care;
: am a map. What Sheriff Ducson, o' St. Ian
dry, said is not 3d. -,
The rope Was adjusted about his neck and hc
badc adicu to tho priest and his ircnd5, thank
ING them for their kindncs9. lie then turncd
!. to the Sheriff and exclaimed, "Ihat Is tor
Q tight; put the knot on tho side Of my neck.
Bv this time the hravado Of the man and ms
desperate determination to die scor1lng ,hc
whole proceedings bccau.c really Horrible lie
laughed loudly, saying 10 the Sheriff, u can
sec through the cap; it's too thin. Good bye;
j., The axe descended, the rope fell, and as th[
drop was considerable the murderer ezpIatc"
| his crime without 4 struGg lc. Alter hanging
= far about half 80 hour the body vas cut dcwE
and eiycn to his friends, ald the crowd slowly
dispersed, thus ending what from the bcgnnnl
> | to the end WAS most extraordinary tragedy
AyOTICE-All citizens arc hereby notlhed 10
e. ~ clean the gl.tors and remove the grass
| from in front Of their premises ANY failure u
| comply with this order Will subject In""' -
. 4 nf n =