The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1883-06-28
/ He HANGING.
The Crowd Esti-
mated at Five
Thousand.
ALL THE MEN
DIE GAME
Except Little Jim John
son.
CROWD QUIET AND ORDERLY.
a Child Dead From the
Effect Of Intense
Heat.
THE LAST OF THE TRAIN ROBBERS.
The Execution Well Done
Nv Sheriff Mcconnell.
DROP FELL AT TWELVE FORTY-FlvE,
And Cove. johnson, Jim john
son, Jim HerndOn and Mon
roe Mcdonald Went to
Their Long Home.


An event which will long be re-
membered in the history of the Little
Rock and Fort Smith railroad oc-
Cured last Friday at Clarksyille,
Arks. When the drop fell from I'M
derneath the feet of the four men
mentioned above the law. supreme
in its majesty. proclaimed a salts
faction at once terrible and yet
righteous. and consumated an event
long to be remembered in this
Arkansas valley.
All the forenoon from every quar-
ter Of the country multltudes Of peo-
pie came pouring into town and
GAINESVILLE never before saw such a
concourse of people, all eager and
anxious to see the execution.
At II o'clock M, Sheriff NcCon-
nell in charge of the doomed men,
attended by strong guard Of well
armed men filed out of the Jail IN
the court house, and took the direc-
ton of the gallows. Extra precau-
ton was taken in consequence OF q
rumor that an effort would be made
by the friends of the robbers to re-
lease them.
The scaffold was about 100
Yards from the platform of the
depot on Sheriff McConneiPs land.
On ascending the scahold, the men
cenversed with those around them.
Herndon spoke Of his mother. On
referring to the killing, Herndon
said, Il didn't kill anybody" to
which Cove johnson replied with
some spite, ''its no use to bring that
old thing up now, you don't know
whether you did or not
The men. all died game except
little jim johnson. A few minutes
to 12:45 the death warrant was read
to the doomed men, and just before
the adjustment of the black caps,
Jim called for a drink of water, and
as he raised it to his head, his knees
gave way, but he was caught and
prevented from falling.
The men made no public confess
ions and none spoke publicly to the
crowd except Cove johnson, who
said: "Yon know what have been
brought here for. have no con-
fessions to make to man. | have
made my confessions to my God"
He advised the young men to take
warning from his sad example. The
crowd to witness the execution was
immense, packed in every direction
and dotted all over the face of the
earth, on all the neighboring trees.
1t was estimated at between four
and five thousand. A very singu-
lar feature was the large
amount of women and children;
another feature was the extraordin-
arx quiet that characterized the
whole proceedings.
None of Conductor Gains family
was present except Mrs. Gains SON
in-law.
The father of Jim johnson and
brother Of Cove. witnessed the ex-
cution and also Herndon's broth
Ell in.law.
Some fifteen or twenty women
tainted and one little child died fiom
the intense heat and press Of the inn
mense and excited crowd.
DR.. Craigler of the NJ. +. G.
South was on the scaffold giving
spiritual aid and advice, and offered
prayer just few minutes pnor to
he fall of the drop.
Cove. and Jim assembled the seat /
old together and Mcdonald and
4 erndon. The necks of all the men
we're instantly broken except that
II Cove. Johnson who literally
hoked to death, Struggling his
houlders full thirty minutes or more
rom the time when his standing
lace passed from beneath his feet.
'ut the tale is told and another
ark page finished in the history Of
Zine, and four men, among them a
oy, with ruined hopes under the
ghteous judgment Of the law, are
snt, to meet face to face righte-
as God.