The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-03-21
CLEBURNE HANGING,
SAMUEL HOUSTON MYERS EXECUTED,
4 Detailed Account OF the Anair-He
Dies Game, Saying lie iIad the
Nerve 20 he CHECKED "a Death
Scenes About the bcan0id,

press Al Q O'Clock yesterday morning, our TO-
porter arrived In the HKRALD's West Texas
team from CleburHc, distance Of
nearly sixty miles by the route he
had 10 take owing TO bad roads, Ito
brought full and detailed report of the
execution of Samuel II, Myers, on Friday
nj Cleburnc, and which We give below
the soAPFoLD,
At2il0 pm, yesterday afternoon, Samuel
II. Myers assembled the scsfiOld In the jail
yard at Cleburne, johnson county, under the
penalty attached by the law for tho purpose
of eSpiatlng the crime of murder, which II
was alleged he had committed. II Is cstma-
tod that there were present, as spectators ut
tho scene, about five thousand, The doomed
man was neatly attired In n suit
of black broadcloth, black neck
tie, with soft dark, felt hat.
lie walked from his cell 10 the scaflold, dis
lance of about ten feet, with n firm, erect
and determined step, and with lighted ci-
gar In his mouth. He WAS accompanied by
Parson Nelms, of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and Parsoa Hutchinson, of the Epis'
copal church, and the Sheriff, John q.
Brown, with two Deputies, Bleds,e and Cox,
On the scOtiold there WIS u chair for him, on
which he seated himself whilst Mr.. helms
offered short prayer, Myers then address
cd the assembled audience, reading
from pamphlet which had
ocon printed nj the Dallas HERALD
Office and furnished to him on the duy pre-.
ceedng his execution, and apart from slip
from some other office. This occupied about
twenty minutes. Iethen reseated himself and
lit secof cigar Mr.. Hutchinson then made
few remarks, closing with prayer. The
Reverend gentleman, then taking the hand of
the prisoner with the other laid on tho lat
tors shoulder, said substantially TO him.
"You have always heretofore protested to
me your innocence, and nowif you are guilt
less of the decd charged, now that you are
about to leave this world, this is the time and
the only opportunity for you TO speak tho
truth, If ever you expect TO DO
cared for in the great hereafter
as you should go to the next world withouta
lie rs of your latest acts" With clear and
distinct voice, and looking the preacher in
the eye, Myers replied: lam innocent.
Then finishing smoking his cigar he spoke
with Sheriff Brown and tho deputies, CON
suming about quarter of an hour. His
attention being directed to the large con.
course Of people present, he looked around
at them and smiled.
OVER THE TRAP.
Then taking his position Immediately over
the trap, his hands being bound behind
him with asmall cord, the prisoner remarked,
as the deputy adjusted the rope around his
neck, "Now, as | am going to be executed, |
am innocent" Then the large, loose, black
cap was placed on his head and pulled over
his face Myers then said to Deputy Bledsoe,
"Put the knot behind my neck so that it will
not break it; have the nerve TO be choked to
DEATH" Then, at 2:i7 p. m, by our repor- |
ter's watch, the drop occurred. With
scarcely any physical contortions the priso-
ner hung for some twenty minutes. Thel
rope was then cut and the liieless form OF
the unfortunate man passed from the view
of the spectators. His body was delivered
to Messrs. Gray & Blair, undertakes, who
placed it in the coffin and turned over all to
the deceased brot' er John Myers,
Before the prisoner was brought to the
scaffold, the johnson County Guards, thirty
six strong, marched through the Jail into the
jail yard with Offering bayonets. There
we're also thirty armed citizcus in the yard
around the structure.
HIS CONDITION.
Atl0a m. Yesterday morning our repor-
ter visited Myers in his cell, and after asking
how he felt generally, he responded: 81
feel ms well ms ever; slept soundly
last night, eat hearty breakfast
this morning, and feel consciousness OF
my entire innocence. do not retract a SIN
Gle statement contained in the pamphlet as
published by tho Dallas HERALD, as it is lit |
orally correct" The reporter rendering his
services to him for anything further that he
might do for him ere no passed from
EARTH he expressed thanks and
answered in the negative. In the same time, |
he made out his will which was as follows:
al give all that | possess and is coming to
me. to John w. Myers, my brother, except |
$500 which are due to me by brother Tom, the
note for which is surrendered 10 tie latter
Our efficient reporter and agent, Mr.. X. M.
Stevens, to whose skill and interchangeable
efforts we are indebted for the full details OF |
this unhappy business, desires to return his
thanks to Sheriff Brown, of johnson county,
and his deputies Bledsoe and Cox,
for the valuable assistance at all times
80 cheerfully rendered in the interest OF the
unfortunate man, and the recording OF the
exact data appertaining to the case.
THE JAIL AND SURROUNDINGS.
The Jail is two-story stone building with |
a hipped roof, surmounted by large alarm
bell, and surrounded on three sides with a
fence of open pickets about twelve feet high
enclosing an area of about one-eigbth OF an
acre. 1t is situated one block east from the
southeast corner of the square, its south |
front flush with the street running east
The enclosed yard is mainly on its north
side, and in the middle stands the gallows in
all its grim signfcance--the drop about ten
feet from the ground.
On the east stands the Cumberland Presby-
terrain church with its tall steeple, IA 6eauti-
full structure) about one hundred yards dis
tant and id full view. Davis livery stable, a
large building of its kind, about the same dis.
lance on the north, intervening several
small buildings, and TO the west and north,
west, conspicuous from their height, blalrs
hall and the Taylor building both large TWO
story bricks fronting westward on the pu6hc
square, their rear commanding a good view
of the scene of execution, as did also the
roofs of smaller business houses in the same
row. A broad alley runs on the east, another
on the west of the iail-yard which with other
open ground afforded room for densely
packed crowd that iammed every foot OF the
space, every room and every window which