The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-17
HEADED FOR HEAVEN.
Execution of the Negro Robert
Cheney in Iberville Par
ish Yesterday.
Twenty-Five Hundred People Witness LIS
Choking to Death in the Courtyard
A Bunghng Hanging and Half Fright
ened Executoner.

mast II o'clock. the negro Robert Cheney
aims Robert Ellis, alias Robert Bull, wa
hanged in the court yard Of Plaquemine
narish OF Ibervlle for the crime Of rape com
mitted on the person Of q white child, aged i
years, named Amelia Voight.
HISTORY or THE CRIME.
AS the details OF this case arc too revolving
to be dwelt on al any length, a mere outline o
the crime Is pictured. On the morning o
the first OF June, 1878, at the early hour OF {
o'clock. the accused met the girl going out tc
the pasture to find cow AT the time he
saw her he was attending to some shrimp
nets that he had set out on the river bank
The girl on seeing the negro called him and
asked IL he would not assist her In hunting
the COW. He declined and returned TO attend
to his nets.
Subsequently he again met her Mt what
they call the slaughter pen and, there put In
execution his hellish design.
The unfortunate child, as soon as she was
released by the iiend. repaired to her home
and from fear OF future punishment by him,
did not Mt first tell her parents Of what had
hammered. but concealed herself under her
he'd until discovered by her mother, who, at
tracted by her peculiar actions, brought her
TO an Issue and learned the shocking details
Of what had happened.
Amella's two brothers were Immediately
apprized Of the result Of their mothers inves-
tigation. They promptly started out to search
FOR the villain, whom they found near the
scene of his crime attending 10 his nets ON
the river bank.
They took him In charge. and although his
crime was d henous one, they were not will
ling to take the law In their own hands
and become his executors, yet they were de-
termined TO chastise him In manner that
would not lay themselves liable. Still he
would suffer come punishment at their hands,
They each cut good stick and gave him q
most terrible drubbing.
Whilethey were soaring the negroes body
with welts and bruises one of the citizens Of
the town came along. and seing the two men
beating him, asked them to desist, saying at
the same time: Boys, his punishment
to hang him to one Of those trees yonder, why,
take him to prison and turn him over to the
authorities
The two young men accepted the latter
proposition, and conveyed him TO tho jail.
home to be identified by his victim. While
there one OF the brothers became so enraged,
when viewing his sister 9 hapless condition
as she faced the culprit TO identify him, that
he turned upon him, and, leveling pistol at
his head, would have killed him where he
stood save for the interference of his mother,
who begged him to allow the law to take It's
course, and to convey him to the prison.
HIS TRIAL, CONVICTION AND sEHTENGE.
Cheney was confined In the parish jail
until the sixteenth Of July. when the grand
Jury OF the parish found true bill against
him for his offense.
I'm Monday, the seventeenth OF July he
was arraigned before the Fifth judicial Dig
trict Court for the parish Of IberyiIIe, pre-
I,,N ~ s,l ntrnsY
Yea, and through his counsel. Mr.. David n
Barron, appointed by the court, entered a
plea Of not guilty. He was then remanded to
prison without the benefit OF bail TO await
trial.
Judge and District Attorney J. II. Lehman.
with commendable promptitude, fixed the
trial for that day In the morning the ac-
cused came into court to be tried. The jury,
when impaneled, consisted Of nine white men
and three OF the accuseds own color. His at
torney reserved various bills OF exceptions,
both ut the beginning and throughout the
trial, but all OF them were 0yerruled by the
court.
The trial was Mt once begun and after an
avalanche OF testimony, all going to establish
the guilt Of the prisoner given by five wit
nesses for the State, the case was closed.
There being no testimony Tor tne defense, the
ments by Il 9 district attorney and attorney
for the prisr ner. After twenty minutes de-
liberation II . jury returned an unqualified
verdict OF 4, lily.
Cheney came into court to receive the SEN
tence Of the law and having nothing to say
why the same should not be passed upon him
was sentenced To be hanged by the neck until
he was dead, ut such time and place as the
Governor should select.
The attorney for the defense appealed to
the Supreme Court on several hills OF excep-
tions, and on the twenty-fourth of March
last the Supreme Court overruled the bills Of
exception and affirmed the judgment Of the
on the fifth of May Gov. Nichols signed
the death warrant, and on the seventh it
was read to the condemned man. Those
who were present at the time OF the reading
Of the warrant to Cheney said that he took
IL very quietly, simply murmurfng In some
what inaudabe tone, ~ am to die. suppose
there IL no hope for me; but suppose it's the
law, and must make the best OF It,
THE REPORTER AND THE CONDEMNED
On Thursday representative Of this paper
repaired to the scene of the execution, and ar
rived there In the evening. After making the
acquaintance of Sheriff Andrew Caneza, the
latter conducted him to the cell Of the con-
demned.
After the usual unlocking of doors and the
rushing aside of large iron bolts, the reporter
found himself in o perfect dungeon In the
presence OF as perfect a specimen OF de-
Seendant OF Africa as was ever born. III was
the condemned man, or, as we might say,
boy, as Cheney is only eighteen years OF age,
save one day, his birthday being to-day.
The condemned man Ii not prepossessing In
appearance. lie is five feet six inches htgb
thick-set, with proportionless hands and feet,
small black eyes, made more black and pierre
ing by the Wilderness around the pupils, large
thick lips and q shapeiess mouth, fiat nose
so characteristic OF the African. together with
a slug-shaped head which sits on his shout
ders save Tor a chunk of muscle at the base
of the skull, going to represent a neck.
He was at the time OF our entrance lying
III an easy position ON pallet on the floor
his left foot was chained to a staple in the
door, which ratified and made the scene more
solemn and imposing every time he moved.
He did not rise at our entrance, but sat up
in a sort OF kangaroo fashion. He had on a
portion Of his grave clothes, which consisted
OF white shirt which was clean, but which
looked a little the worse for wear; white
pair OF pants; no shoes.
lie said he knew what his fate was-that he
was gong TO he hung. He was eighteen years
III agsn3thatls, i he could have lived to see the
ny NY ioiIioWlhg the one set apart for his execu-
liuI HI was his hiffhAnx- TIA