The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-04-26

striped garments of the guilty and
"jolned the gang" on a convict farm
to work out his Indebtedness to the
commonwealth. This sort of life and
associates was more than the proud
spirit of the Senegambian sport could
bear, and the first favorable oppOr-
tunity that presented itself he made a
bold break for liberty and attempted
to escape, in which he succeeded, but
took with him in his back a portion
of charge of buckShot fired at him
as parting salute by a convict
guard in an attempt to halt the
fugitive. Wyatt then stole a horse
to accelerate his efforts in placing
distance between himself and his
purSuers. But fate was against him.
He was recaptured and his troubles
and woes multiplied. He was again
lodged in Jail, indicted for horse
stealing, and was awaiting trial when
he mounted to the top round of the
ladder of crime by aiding in the
murder of AID Wiser, a deputy sheriff
and the keeper of the Robertson
county Jail at Franklin, on Sunday
morning, May %, 1882. A full ac-
count of this crime, the trial, convic-
was published in the columns of the
STATESMAN, in its issue of March "a,
1883, in connection with the execu-
ton of the principal murderer, Fred.
E. Waite. alias Lelghtner, which took
place at Franklin the day previous.
HISTORY OF HIS CRIME.
The facts, briefly stated. are as fol-
lows: Waite was in Jail for theft;
Banks for horse-stealing; Daniel
Compton for incest; three other priso-
ners on various charges. The three
named formulated a plot to iberate
all the prisoners by overpowering,
and, if necessary, killing the jailor.
On Saturday night, May q, Waite
succeeded in Secreting himself in a
cell, with the door open leading into
the iron corridor, unknown to the
jailor. The latter entered the corri-
dor the following morning with
breakfast for the prisoners, and while
the church bells were sounding their
first peals and chimes, notify
ing the human creatures of
God to assemble in their
temples and render worship
unto Him, was made the victim of a
deed that cast a blackened, pall-like
shadow over the community of Frank
lin, and made it day of sadness and
sorrow in the history of the town and
county. Fred. E. Waite, stealthily,
heartlessly and cowardly, crept from
his den of concealment, and in full
view of his aiders and abettors in the
crime, brutally beat Add WISER over
the back of the head with an iron
Il nd Ia of &c Af Il iah
he expired about 10 o'clock that night.
victed of murder in the first degree,
cuted amid sensational scenes of
champagne drinking. cigar smoking;
grand dinner upon the choicest bill
of fare ever served in the county and
without any religious ceremony,
and dying game" and full OF
nerve on March %. Compton is serv-
ing life sentence at Huntsville
prison. Wyatt Banks was to have
been executed with Fred E. Waite
but was granted respite of thirty
days by Gov. Ireland, on application
for Communication of the sentence to
life Imprisonment, but the governor
after full investigation, decided that
the case was one not merltlng the eX
tension of executive clemency, and
Banks was notified and warned tC
prepare for the final dissolution of the
body and the spirit, through the me
dunn of the hangman with his rope
and death trap. The public senti
ment is in accord with the governors
conclusion, and the general judgment
is that the ends of justice have not
been attained at penalty and pro-
cess of too much severity.