Smyrna times., 1879-01-15

I.
hCantrong, in January, 1878.
A"' HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
,rrder will long hold an important
The ID ,be criminal history of the country.
place ~ Hunter, a reputable citizen of
BenI 'I,nl1nbia. about fifty-fve years of age,
Pbsun,srly been partner of James NJ.
bad W onc music publisher, who lived
ArrnsH:O,a and did business at $50 Sansom
nea' D;h ';sht in the heart of the city. Early
strePt Hunter asked Armstrong to
in pr; ~ life insured as a guarantee for the
have nJ Us, Of money loaned him. To this
pay,.onc consented, without the knowl-
Arn''f g any OF his family. Hunter then
edge -, three policies-one for $4,000 in
took oKyG.,,,al Gu Life, one of the same amount in
the 3M10nhatten, and one for $1,000 in the
inssrJent. ins No sooner was this business
PFo'iIrtd than he went to Thomas Gra-
coup, dissolute young man who had for
pau, Wv been in his employ, and without any
meI! nary remarks asked him if he knew
Prelll Pr..onc Graham replied that he did,
Ar1lTITtr Tnnter reioined, " He owes me lot
ana ,nsy na and he has got to die. If you
Ci nOa 10 II YOU are no friend of mine"
doh a,ora was said, and Hunter put the
L!le e his debtors life at five hundred
Pns.s PEITs He began paying Graham little
doIt,, ,;ne. two dollars one week, and other
+" ~ Tr, snn,s as he asked for them. A week
sman later Hunter brought hammer to
o. %ar, with the explanation that he had
VIan.J vi..'- 10 the Job with that. He had cut
oe.' ;n;tials "F. w. d." upon the handle in
~I -. that suspicion might fall upon Ford
OluN' htrsInnsS in ('or,Io,,
,.rss in debt to Armstrong. He wanted
S.,bsm TO do the work while he was away in
V'ar y.,.;ria but Graham was not quite hard
'.a5 anovgh, and Hunter came back with
en having heard the news for which he
W. - anxious. He berated Graham for
r:a r dolav. and finally came round one night,
~, uSo~t the last of January, and said that
HU ss",.,ronp was going over to Camden on
a., r;oht and he had better commit the
I.".dsT sna. lar then. He had previously drawn a
Ian If the streets leading to the house of
R,v. and explained to Graham that he
30. ~ do the JOB near his house in Camden,
n orIer that suspicion might fall as he in
,anded. But for some reason or other
ARMSTRONG did not GO over that night and
be escaped for twenty.four hours.
Hunter, however, WIS llISu Vi WdlllIiE,
and coming round to Graham's house said
that they had been fooling long enough.
Ea would go over to Camden that night
himself with Armstrong, and Graham could
fellow and do the business. The two came
down town together. Hunter went up to
lrmstrongs office, waited for him until he
closed up and then started for the ferry
Graham following. They crossed over just
before : o'clock, and, when they arrived op
posite SIS Vine street, Hunter gave the
signal and Graham came up and struck a
blow on the forehead with a hammer
Hunter said, shit him. but Graham;
heart failed him. He dropped his hammer
and ran across vacant lot, jumped dowr
ntoa cellar and escaped into another street
He reached the ferry only few minutes
before Hunter, for the latter joined him be
fore his departure from the slip. With hi!
heart in his boots Graham tremblingly
asked "well;" Hunter replied coolly tina
be had finished him, but had some troubl,
in finding the hammer, which Graham haC
flung away. On arriving in Philadelphia
they took drink. and separated. Hunte
frst giving Graham twenty-fv cents. Th
murdered man was found a few minute
later, just after I o'clock, by the man il
front of whose house he fell, and he wa
taken to druggist, who found four gapin,
wounds in his head. From one of them hi
brains protruded, and either Of the other
was enough to cause serious injury. A
midnight he was taken home and lingeret
in an unconscious state until Friday morn
ing, when he died.
After the murder they tried to fasten tn
crime on Ford W. Davis, but link after lin
Of Evidence were wrought out to fasten tn
crime on Hunter and Graham.
BEFORE THE EXECUTION.
Hunter, a day or two before the execl
ton tried to cut an artery in his leg with
piece Of an old tin cup and was very wee
from the loss of blood. On the day
execution at ll.lS, Hunter, failing to gai
strength and being unable to walk, WI
carried down stairs and into the inclosure
the corridor in an utterly helpless cond
ton. The white cap was quickly adjuste
over his face and the rope around his nee
while four men held him on his feet, tt
condemned criminal being seeming obliN
Gus to all the surroundings. The sher
put the usual questions to him as to whet
erhe had anything to say why his exec
ton should not take place, but he made !
response.
BUNGLED JOB.
At lbs A. N. the sheriff cut the auxilia
rope, and here occurred a sickening spect
Ge The rope either had to much slack
gave away so much that it lifted the CT
Pflt barely from the floor, when he f,
CseK and was caught by the assistan
SaeriH Calhoun seized the rope leading
'ne basement, and hoisted Hunter into Il
ar and ne was hung only by number
persons holding to the rope during t
whole time in which he was suspended.
ihe physicians said at once that his ne
was not broken, and although he died
'GahguIation he gave no outward eviden
pam, hanging quietly, as though he h
e'eI instantly. Three minutes after har
ng hls pulse beat at Ga; one minute lat
a. lV-, and at ll.3l it beat IA. the ma
mum At ll.37 the pulse was GA, at H.
became spasmodic, and at ll.40 it h
ceased altogether.
DISPOSAL OF THE BODY.
AT l2O5 the rope was cut and the dc
UOuy was viewed by jury, after which
%ssunty physician, DR.. Morgan, gave a {
IIlcate; The body was then delivered
oSnn T. Hunter, the brother who has
slohg been so devoted in his efforts
secure some mitigation Of the sentence.
iae news from Afghanistan, by way
.9uia' indicates the complete breaking
'he authority Of the Ameer and
almost ,. bloodless triumph of the Bri