The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-10


law and desire to make some statements.
I will first introduce Wightman Allen"
Amidst silence that was almost pain
full, Wightman Allen, with blanched
face and tremulous voice, arose and said !:
"God has, said, whosoever cometh unto
me / will in no wise cast out. I want all
my friends to take warning from my
presence here to-day. Get ready to meet
Christ. Keep your. foot in-the path from
earth to heaven. My friends, do not
think too much of your friends; this is
what brought me here. I am here to be
crucifed like my Saviour: I-don't know
what am put here for. This thing will
stare you in the face when you don't ex-
pect it. May God have mercy on me-"
jenkins Whitner next arose and said
81 thank God that l am able through
His mercy to stand before you. I thank
God 4e has enabled me to flee from the
wrath to come. You may rejoice at the
death of one poor servant, but all have to
come to this. The tall, the wise, the
rev'rent head must lie as low as ours.
Here's me; see me holding on to this
last solemn words. am innocent Of this
this very object. I amt got the blood
of any man on my hands. Thank God
when I lie down I will have no blood on
my hands. Lord bless us all, my friends
that they may be able to realize their
true condition. God bless you all. God
loves all of you; BE loves your souls.
God is the ruler on high; He is able to
save sinners. I can smile at my coffin
down there. God bless you all, white
and colored. May God bless you. May
God save you all. give my respects to
Mr.. Jones and family. They have been
kind to us-kind to us all; and say
here upon my last solemn tomb believe
my Redeemer won't charge it to him.
I'm innocent of it. Remember these
words. Pray all of you. Pray that God
may save your souls; that you may be
able to flee from the wrath to come.
May God bless you all and save you in
His Kingdom" .'rt
John Allen then spoke as follows:
"I'm here in the hands of My God. I'm
going to IL the truth. I've got to stand
before Gou's judgment bar. ! was with
the party that killed Mr.. Allen. Tired
I run but I don't know whether I hit or
not. I thank God feel that am clear
of that. Try to meet me in heaven.
I've tried to make my calling and elec-
ton sure" '-..'J 80 ~
The Sheriff, assisted by Mr.. Hughes,
then adjusted the ropes about the necks
of the unhappy convicts, bade them good
bye and descended from the gallows.
There was moment of awful suspense,
and at q minutes past IL the drop fell
with dead thud, and the majesty of the
law was fearfully vindicated. The
Sheriff had taken the precaution to tack
bagging around the lower part of the
gallows frame, 80 that the contortions of
the hanged men could not be seen by the
multitude. Drs. Edwin Parker, of this
place, o. P. Hawthorn, of Due West,
and J. g. johnson, of Lowndesville,;
acted as medical experts, and at min
utes 10 IL o'clock pronounced the three
men dead, when they were cut down and
deposited in neatly stained cofins that
were in waiting by the scaffold. The
necks of the two Aliens were completely
broken, and they died almost without q
struggle. Whitner lived for seventeen
minutes after the drop fell, and
died from asphykia, or strangulation.
Wightman Allen was 81 years old, about
s feet in height, with small body and
good looking face. he was formerly the
slave of James Allen, and was named
for Bishop Wightmans of tho Methodist
Church. He was married and had three
Lying children. he had always lived
in Lowndesville. He had no education !;
could neither read nor write, but pos
sessed the average intelligence of his
race. BE claimed TO the last that he was
not present at the shooting of Allen /;
that he was aoquarter of q mile distant
from the scene of the murder at the time
the shooting took place. 1t was at his
house that the conspirators assembled
both before and after the shooting, and
this, together with the fact that he had
taken an active part in raising the crowd,
led to his execution. r. fe.:77 ~!
John Allen was brother to Wight
man, and was twenty-one years old. He
could cad a little, went to school to a
colored man, Tom Heard. He had a
forbidding front and an evil eye. He
was little over FIVE feet in height, and
weighed perhaps one hundred and sixty
pounds. He confessed o. his trial and
from the gallows that he was present at
the murder of Allen and that he fred
upon him.
Jenkins Whitner was about twenty
four years old, and large, stout, heavily
built black fellow, with pretty fair
countenance and rather pleasant man.
ners. He could read and write, and was
more intelligent than the masses Of his
people. He was born and raised in An
derson County, and was once owned by
Maxy Moorehead, who lived three miles
from Anderson village. He came to
Lowndesville year before last; and lived
there until last December. He went
to school to Mary Hicks at Anderson.
He was q lieutenant of the squad that
murdered Allen.
The Sheriff's conduct at the execution
was most admirable behaved like a
man, and deserves the highest praise.
The best order prevailed throughout the
entire day, and by four o'clock in the
afternoon the town.was deserted. What
effect this execution will have the future
alone can determine.
A large establishment has beer
onanad In Sf Tnnia for driving eppa. IL