The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-31
BILL LONGLEY OF TEXAS.
The End OF the Most Atrocious Criminal
in the Country.

The End OF the Most Atrocious Criminal
in the Country.
The telegraph has already announced
the execution at Giddings, Texas, on
Friday last, of the notorious William
Longley, for the murder of William An
derson, a field hand, in March, 1875.
Upon reaching the gallows and after the
completion Of all the preliminary ar
rangements, during which Longley sur
veyed the scaffold and gave directions
how to tie the rope, hatchet was asked
for. Longley wanted to know if they
were going to cut his head of. He
walked up the stairs with light, mimic
military tread, smile upon his face and
lighted cigar in his mouth. Fearing
the steps might give way, when about
half way up he stopped and laughingly
said he didn't want Ito be crippled"
After the sheriff read the deathwarrant
Longley took his cigar from his mouth
and addressed the crowd, saying:
"Well, 1 haven't got much to say. ]
see n good many enemies around me, and
mighty few friends. Hope to God you
will forgive me. / will you. l hate to
die, of course; any man hates to die.
But have earned this by taking lives of
men who love life as well as l do. If l
have any friends here I hope they will
do nothing to avenge my death !; if they
want to help me let them pray for me.
I hear my brother is in the crowd. I
hope he amt, but if he is hope he will
not take anybody's life to avenge mine.
I have done enough of that. / deserve
this fate. 1t is debt I owe for my wild,
reckless life. When it is paid it will be
all over with. 1 hope you will all for
give Inc. will forgive you whether you
do so or not. May God forgive me-"
His arms and limbs were then pinion-
ed. He kissed the priests, shook hands
with the officers and said, Goodbye
everybody" The black cap was then
put on and the drop fell. The body
hung for eleven minutes, when the doc
tor declared life extinct, and it was cut
down and given to friends for interment.
LoNGLEY's CAREER.
Longley was perhaps the worst crimi.
nal in the confines of Texas. He hated
labor, whilst murder was his delight.
He was born in Texas twenty-six years
ago. At an early age he was an expert
with firearms. When the negroes were
disarmed, shortly after the Confederate
war, he practiced on one of the colored
militiamen, near Evergreen, hitting
him in the centre of the head at one
hundred yards. He was not arrested for
this crime, and the failure ofjustice made
him desperate, for he thought he could
defy the law. Four months later he en-
gagged in q quarrel with another negro
and killed him. This time the sheriff
made a move, but Longley was too quick
for him and fled the country, becoming
regular bandit.
In 1869 detachment of United States
cavalry pursued Longley in Gonzales,
thinking he was one Taylor, wanted for
outlawry. One of the soldiers, who was
admirably mounted, overlook him and
was right by his side, so close that when
Longley was about to discharge his last
shot the hammer of the pistol caught in
the lapel of the soldiers overcoat; in
pulling it back the hammer was released,
and, striking the cap, sent the ball
through the soldiers body. This ended
this affair and Longley escaped. He
then went to Arkansas and fell in with
Tom johnson, q noted horse-thief and
desperado. Being caught with Johnson
by regulators, Longley and Johnson
were both taken out, munacled, and hung
to the same tree. He was destined net
to die at this time. The rope around
Longley's neck did not slip, and the knot
catching under the ear, he was in a fair
way to die of strangulation, when one of
the party suggested that he had better
shoot the rascals before some one should
come along and cut them down. His
first shot struck the belt containing gold
which Longley had belted around his
body, and the second shot cut two strands
of the rope by which be was hanging,
and the ball, passing through his jaw,
broke out one of his teeth. A little
brother of Tom johnson followed the
party, and came upon the scene just as
the rope by which Longley was hanging
broke. The little fellow, aged about 13
years, cut the rope from Longley's hands
and his neck and revived him. johnson
was little less fortunate. He was dead,
Longley then joined Cullen Bakers no
torious gang, who plundered and robbed
unfortunately throughout Arkansas.
His fourth trouble consisted in his hang
ing to the same tree from which he had
miraculously escaped the man who had
shot him on the fatal night Of the cap
tnre of himself and young Johnson. The
mans name was Jones. While he was
hanging Longley fired four or five shots
into his body. He remained with the
Baker party about six months, during
which time he assisted in killing seven
men. Returning to Texas, Longley
Joined his brother-in-law, John Wilson,
afterwards killed., and while roaming
over the country they killed seven COL
ored men, of which number Longley
killed four alone. He then went to the
Indian Territory, where he killed Hec-
tor, his employer, who was herder. He
then left with friend named Davis. In
Utah they killed a man in recovering
two stolen horses, for which 500 was
offered. Longley then left Davis and
went to Leavenworth, Kansas Here, in
gambling house, a Federal soldier said
to him, "There's not yirtuous woman
in Texas" Longley loaded the speak
er's brain with lead and left. He was
captured at St. Joseph, Mo. He bribed
a guard and escaped. He went to
Omaha and as far as Cheyenne, Wyom-
ing Territory. From here lie went to
Camp Brown, where he was employed by
an army quartermaster to take charge OF
a corral of government mules. The
quartermaster was "on the make" and
Instructed Longley in the science OF
making money out of his employment,
with the understanding that the profits
Of his transactions were to be divided.
Out of this agreement his seventh trou-
BILE came. Longley got to beating even
the commissary, and ending by shooting
him. He then escaped to Salt Lake.
He was next heard Of at Parkersburg,
Arkansas, where he killed young man