Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-27
THE SOUTH.
North Carolina.

Hurled Into Eternity-Executton of
 Very .sBad dNigger''-CIosing Scenes i'm a
 Murderer's Life.
 LUMBERroN, Sept 26.-The closing scene in the life of Peter Leach was enacted here Friday, when he paid the penalty for his crime The execution took place ill public. The number 5 of persons present, old and young, white and colored, has been variously estimated at from two to three thousand. There was no expectation of reprieve, and the poor wretch was not deceived. He knew that nothing could save him. Leach passed the night quietly, much of the time having been spent with his spiritual advisers. At eight minutes to 10 o'clock the jail doors were thrown open and the sad procession issued forth and proceeded to the galIows erected in the jail yard The doomed man was accompanied by the officials and the va rious ministers who had attended him. He addressed the crowd from the scaffold in the usual stereotyped phrases. As he was phys1- cally unable to stand he was placed in chair on the trap, and at five minutes to 1 o'clock I the cap was adjusted. The trap was sprung, l and Peter Leach was hurled into eternity. He | made no confession. The poor wretch's woes were however, not yet over. There was a clear fall of some five feet but his neck was not broken. He writhed and strug- glsd in a manner fearful to behold, and 1t was 1 not until he had been hanging eleven min
 utes that the struggles ceased.
 1 Leach, who was a colored man, was con-
 victed of the murder of Sam Townsend, also ! colored whom he killed on the evening of l January 6, 1879. Leach and Townsend were l both married men, and lived in the same 1 house. Each was jealous that the other was I criminally intimate with his wife. On the l night in question there was quite gathering of the colored people of the nelghborhood at ! a1 hu Townsend, and the evening was passed ID seeming pleasantness, in singing hymns, until | quite late, when suddenly an angry alterca tion sprang up between the two. After { few violent words Townsend went out o1
 doors, and was soon followed by Peter. The
 latter discharged gun which he had selzee
 at Sam hitting him in the left thigh, neal
 the groin, and breaking the bone. This being
 done, Peter walked quietly away, while those
 near by assisted Sam into the house. Surgl 1 cal attendance was at once summoned, but
 after lingering three days he died.
 Leach was what is known in the parlanc
 of the South as a 'bad nigger." He wa
 about 30 years of age. full blooded black
 of rather slight build, about feet inche
 high, with an expression of countenance be
 traying more of low cunning than brutality
 He had one of his ears cropped few year ago by the notorious Henry Berry Lowery
 the leader of that noted band of outlaws wh
 were the terror of this county just after tn
 war. Leach belonged to bad family
 One>of his brothers committed murde upon an officer who was sent to al l rest him for an offense against the law. Il
 is now at large and supposed to be in Sout :, l Carolina Another brother paid the e1 treme penalty of the law for the crime C l murder, and he, like Peter, became pal . a1yzed after sentence was passed upon hin , and was executed at Fayetteville, N: c |. while sitting in chair. It is the opinio of his fellow prisoners that Peter had bee
 ''playing 'possum, ' and that had he seen l pardon or good opportunity to he woul I have made his legs as useful as they eve l l have been.