Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-13
Very Little Sympathy Excited
for the Criminal,
He Dies Protesting His Innocence
to the Last,
And Denouncing His Accusers
as Perjurers,

Special Dispatch to the Chronicle.
NEWPORT, TENN, Nov. IL, via
MORRIsTOwN, TENN.-The execution
of D. c. Potter took place at the muster
grounds, one mile from Newport,
spot afording view from all sides, the
scene OF the hanging of Griffey, year
ago. The people commenced gather.
ing last night, and by 8 O'Clock to-
day from four to six thousand were
prraent, including many women
and childrent and people Of wealth
with their families. They came
from the surrounding counties and
borders of North Carolins.
ON HIS WAY TO DEATH.
The prisoner was taken from the Jail
at 11;20 and conveyed to the place of
execution, accompanied by his wife, son
aged II, daughter aged 10, Father
Welch and Sheriff Boyer. He would
not be interrogsted I'D, but confined his
attention to the priest, who read from
Catholic book. A rope was
stretched around the gallows forming
circle of sixty feet in diameter, with
out which the multitude pushed and
crowded in their eff prts to get nearer
view. The crowd was boisterous, but
there was no serious dist lrbanoe.
There was very lit e sympathy for the
criminal. He manifested total indif-
ference to his fate, aud only spoke q
few words as follows:
AN INNOCENT MAN.
81 wish 20 say to you ladies
and gentlemen, and everybody,
that you have come here to see
an innocent man die a cruel
death. But if men are willing to per-
jure themselves to destroy my life,2 I
am willing to givs it; let it go.n Then
turning around with wave
of the hand, said bid everybody
farewell" The doomed man had re-
quested the sheriff to adjust the rope 80
as to cause as easy death as possible.
The knot catching under the chin de-
Iayed death and tie body swung sew
eral minutes with violent convulsions
and hard breathing sounds, audible for
a considerable distance.
A FEARFUL DEATH.
The sheriff adjusted the rope and in
l9 minutes the physicians pronounc-
Ell life extinct. The body was taken
to Bridgeport for interment, where
relatives of the criminal are buried
A ear ago Potter acted as guard at the
execut on of Griffey and expressed 8
wish to die before so large crowd
During the morning he talked very
recklessly and profanely regarding his
death and the future.
~ THE CRIME.
The murder for which the unhappy
man yielded up his own life in con-
formity with the old Mosaic law, AN
eye for an eye and tooth for tooth
was committed April Sth, 1879, in
Cooke county, seventeen short months
ago. The victim, Willis McMahan
and the murderer were always or
friendly terms and the tragedy is dis
| tinctly tracabie to that demon whisky
which is the fruitful source of nearly
all similar occurrences. The two were
walking along the public highway
when they became engaged in som,
triiing quarrel concerning brothel
of .McMahap. Potter struck him .
terrific blow in the face and followed
it up with
SEVERAL DEADLY BLOWS
with his knife. He then went ava,
from the spot, but fearing that lif'
had not Left the unfortunate
mans body. returned and stabbed hin
| again. McMahan lay all night alon'
with his wounds, but was found early tn
next day. He was carried to q neigh
boring house and attempts were mad
to retain the vital spark which wa
flckering and waning but all to n
purpose. Before he died, however
] he was able to f1x the terrible crime Of