Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-15
A WOMAN ON THE GIBBET.
BARBARA MILLER HANGS IN
THE RICHMOND JAIL.

Her Last Hours Spent with a Crowd of
Negroes Frenzied with Religious Ex-
citement-No TrepidatiOn In the Face
of Her DOom-Death Caused hv
Strangulation.
RICHMOND, Va, Sept. I4.-Barbara
Miller, colored, was hanged here to-day
for completely in the murder Of her
husbandin February last. Charles Henry
Lee, her accomplice, was hanged on the
Sd of last month. The execution TODAY
took place in the Jail yard of the Henrieo
County Court, and was witnessed bv
about one hundred people. The drop fell
at II minutes past II O'clock. She died
from strangulatiOn. Several thousand
persons were in the vicinity of the iail.
but everything passed off in an orderly
manner.
Last night prayer meeting was held
in the condemned wOman's cell. Rev.
Mr.. Boswell, cOlOred, conducted the ex-
erclses, which were prolonged till two
O'Clock this morning. Mrs. Miller was
then left with several colored women
friends. She and her company sIept
s0undly for several hours. At nine
O'Clock Mrs. Miller ate a hearty break
fast, and later several ministers.
ana a number of negroes gathered i'm
her cell, where prayer after PRAYER. fol-
lowed by the strange hymns characters
tic of the c0lOred people, were offered in
rapid succession. The excitement pro-
duced by the hymns was intense. The
doomed woman stood in the midst of the
thrOng with her arms uplItted swaving
her body to and fro as the crowd chanted
Barbara is nearing her home, and ssNear-
er, my God, TO Thee" occasionally she
joined IN the refrain, and now and then
shouted some exclamation Indicative of
intense excitement. The exercises were
kept up until the hour for the execution
arrived, when, preceded by the negro taller
and Sheriff and followed by colOred minis
teTs, she marched out from her cell. down
the Jail yard and up the scatfold steps. the
ministers singing a hymn. AS Barbara
mounted the steps she attempted to Join
In the refrain. She was attired in a white
muslin dress and had artificial lilacs and
orange blossoms in her bosom and n white
ribbon around her head. ON reach
ing the platform she was seated
in chair while Sheriff Southwark
read the death warrant. Being asked if
she had anything to say she stood up and in
drOning, chanting tone, bade the crowd
farewell. She warned her hearers to take
lesson from her fate, and said she was
going to glory and the angels above. A
IOhS pay u ny OH6 Vi the ministers fOi-
lowed, and then all but the Sheriff and
laller descended from the scaffold. Her
legs and arms were pinioned and the
black cap put over her head. She was
heard to say, Farewell. farewell to YOU
alI!' and the trap was sprung.
The TALL was over seven feet, but failed
to dislocate her neck. She struggled for
several minutes, and death resulted from
strangulation. After hanging twenty-five
minutes her body was cut down and
placed in coffin. Her mother, who had
been with her before the execution. cir
culated among the crowd and solicited
contributions to pay for her daughters
burial. She collected a considerable sum.
The body Will be taken to the home of the
deceased for interment
Last night the Sheriff. at Mrs. Miller,s
dlctatlon, wrote out another confession.
which she signed. In it she saws that
she and Lee had talked Of killing her hus-
band last September. In November Lee
bought the poison which he put in ginger
tea and gave Miller. 1t seemed TO cure
Miller of pain in his side. Subsequently
she went to Richmond and Lee told her he
was going to kill her husband before she
returned, but his courage failed. On the
night OF February Is both agreed that
Miller must die the next morning. Miller
went out and Lee followed him. When
Lee returned he had blood on his clothing
and she washed it out.
She says that Lee killed her husband at
her suggestion. If she and Lee had not
been arrested they would have been
married between then and Christmas. She
was willing to die for her crime as she
knew she was going to heaven,