The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-10-01
TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE PRES
ENT.
BLALR'S LAST MOMEN7B OF LIFE.
HOW HE LOOKED AND WHAT he
SAID.
THE HISTORY OF THE MUDER, DC

Last Friday witnessed in Morristown
the only public execution of a criminal
that ever occurred in our county the |
hanging of Anthony Blair, colored-
Morristown never has contained such |
an assemblage of people before. Visitors
led by morbid taste for exciting scenes, |
began to arrive in town and in the vicini |
ty on Thursday evening. By the early
hour of seven o'clock on Friday morn
ing there were hundreds on the streets.
From an eminence near the town, all
the roads leading into town can be seen
for some distance. We are told by a
gentleman, who witnessed the scene
from that point, that every road present
ed an unbroken line of dust, thick and
sitting as far as the eye could reach from
early morn till noon. We are told by
another gentleman whS sat near the road
half a mile out of town, from 10 a. m,
till 70 a. m. that he counted on that road
during those two hours no less than 1900
persons passing into town.
The streets presented a strange specta-
Gle, during the morning, hot, dry and
dusty, and everybody moving, Great
crowds moving up the streets at q rapid
gate seemingly intent on reaching some
thing or some place, without delay.
Great crowds moving down the streets
seemingly bent on a similar errand,
every body looking, gazing, as if hunt
ing for something, and determined to
find it. In the crowd were men old and
gray, middle aged and young. Women
of all ages, children without number,
black, white, mixed. But we can't des-
cribe the crowd. It numbered not less
than 5000 to 10, 900 persons.
At 10 o'clock a. M, Sheriff Loop, with
his deputies, % guards and the .Sheriffs
of Cooke and Granger counties proceed
ed to the Jail, and after manacling the
condemned man, placed him on his cot
fin, with the rope around his neck in a
wagon and drove slowly through the
suIging mass to the gallOws. Religious
services appropriate to the occasion were
conducted by Rev. Geo, Branner, color
ed, Blair himself doing the singing
Blair was then permitted to address the
crowd. His opening words were ut
seems this is a solemn day" "Hhank
God am born to die" These express
sions are fair sample of his 35 minutes
harangue. He freely confessed himself
guilty of the murder; and as freely stated
facts which showed that prior to the
murder he had been guilty, very guilty
in another way. He showed q stolidity
and want of appreciation of his situa-
ton that was disgusting. At :35 the
black cap was drawn over his face, the
rope adjusted and the wagon moved
from under him. In 9 minutes, his
heart had ceased to act, in 10 minutes
the pulse was gone, in Is minutes he was
pronounced dead, and just 20 minutes
after the wagon moved, he was lowered
into his coffin.
The crime for which the Inflated
man offered up his life on the gaIlows,
as an expiration, was committed on the
night of July 80, near Russellville.
Most of our readers are no doubt famil.
lar with the facts in the case, but for
the benefit of those who are not we will
give them again. The victim was Mag
gle Blair, step-daughter of Anthony
Blair, who was about eighteen years of
age. Far some reason or other she left
his house near JonesborO', about the LIST
of May, and was, when killed, in the
employ of VIM. Donaldson, who repre-
scented her as a smart, industrious and
become acquainted with her where
abouts, came down to Russellvilie on
the goth of July. He repaired immedi-
ately to the residence of Mr.. Donaldson,
and entering the kitchen where she and
Mrs. Donaldson were preparing dinner,
told her in very vindictive voice to
come out of the house as he wished to
speak with her. The girl, who, it ap-
peared, was very much afraid of him,
refused to do so, and MIR. D. coming up
at this juncture, he left, and nothing
more was seen of him until the night
which Witnessed the awful deed. That
night Maggie, with few friends, went
up to near Russellville, to attend prayer
meeting. The party was met while re-
turning by Blair, who, pressing Henry
Taylor, Maggie's escort, away from her,
grabbed her by the wrist and dragged
her along the road hundred yards OF
SO, saying, "You must come home with
me on the train tonight to your grand
papa" She struggled all the time, stat
ing that she would rather die than go
back with him. This seems to have en-
ragged him beyond description, and |
drawing his revolver he fired two shots |
in rapid succession, both Of which took
effect The unfortunate girl only lived
until Saturday morning. Blair was ar
rested on Thursday, tried before a JUS
tice and committed to Jail.
On Monday, August 4th, the Grand
Jury of the Circuit Court of Hamblen
county found an indictment for murder.
On Thursday of the same week he was
tried and found guilty, and on the next
day was sentenced-only eight days
having elapsed between the murder and
the science. He refused TO take an APP
peal, saying that the verdict was just,
md that he was only sorry he was not
10 hang sooner. Here we have the un-
wonted sight of only two months divid-
ing the death-day of the murdered and
he murderer, The victim and the victor.
The like has never before happened in
his part of the country.
We must say in conclusion, that we
would be glad indeed If We knew this
vas the last public execution that would
yer occur In Tennessee. The whole
Gene here was demoralizing aud in no
spect did it in our opinion bring any
.oOd result. We favor hanging Cor de-
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