Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-11-29
End of a Wicked Life.

The jail at Nashville, Nash county
North Carolina, in which Jerry Cox
notable as one of the most desperat
criminals ever known IN the State, wa
confined under sentence of death, wa
fired by him recently and entirely de
stToyed. About midnight people wer
awakened by the roar of the flames
aud many hastened to the Jail, but OF
their arrival they found the walls anl
bars glowing red with heat, while ia,
murderer within was screaming In Iii:
death agony. In less than an hour tn,
Jail was mass of ruins. Early the mex
morning the body of Cox was found
and great crowd stood appalled, at the
terrible fate which had overtaken the
brutal murderer,
Cox was one Of the leaders III the
famous Worley murder. near Goldsboro
In the early spring of 1873. One night
he and others Of gang Of desperate
swamp negroes murdered Mr.. Worley
by beating out his brains, after enticine
him into the yard of his house. They
then caught his wife as she ran out Oh
hearing tine dying groans of her hus-
band, criminally assaulted her repeat
eGly, ana then beat out her brains with
clubs. The whole State rang with the
story OF the CRIME, and after a hot
pursuit the nurderers were captured.
Four negroes were subsequented execu-
ted on the gallows at Goldsboro, having
been convicted principally upon the
testimony OF jerry Cox, who, by turning
States evidence, escaped the gallows,
but narrowly missed lynchIng, and had
TO be removed secretly by the authori-
ties.
For four years the whereabouts OF
Cox was a mystery, but he finally made
his appearance Lear Battleboro, where.
on November 10 last, he committed
another horrible murder. For year
before that time, Cox VINO was a coal
black negro of most repulsIve form aud
features, had lived with a degraded
white woman named Mary Hawkins.
Maddened by drink and jealousy he on
several occasions nearly killed her, and
she at times performed most menial
offices fou him. He, having pretended
to doubt her faithfulness, met her one
day at the house of negro woman.
They quarrelled, he struck her, and
then went away. She followed him to
where he slept-under a water tank
when he took her to a secluded place
near the railroad track and cruelty
murdered her. For hours he watched
by the side of the body, and before
daylight, placed 1t on the track of the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad,
where the wheels of lightning express
train mangled 1t horribly. The station
agent saw the body, and, not far away,
discovered jerry Cox and tine negro
woman watching. Cox, being interro-
gated, said that the Hawkins woman
had walked on the track while drunk
and TINS met her death. He became
greatly excited and was at once az
rested.
At the trial the evidence OF Cox's
guilt was overwhelming, and in a lew
minutes after being charged the jury
rendered a verdict Ot ''guIlty 10 murder.
Cox was accordingly sentenced 20 be
hanged at Nashville, September 20. but
took an appeal to the Supreme Court.
While IN Jail, Cox made desperate
attempt to klll the jailor with piece OF
chain and paddock. He was beaten
into submission. but several times after
wards he broke chains and was other
wise violent,