The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-29
[special 10 The state ,mnn. |

Franklin. Last night Waite rested
well, and before going to sleep he
drank a bottle of champagne and
smoked the best cigars to be had.
This morning Deputy Sheriff Tom
Jones read the death warrant to him.
AT 1870 he was conveyed to the
gallows, one half mile south of the
town, in a hack. 1t was his request
that no preacher would be on hand,
believing it would do him no good.
Waite never trembled or exhibited
any nervousness, and he was pro-
nounced by all as being the brayest
man they ever saw to the last moment.
Just before the execution Tom Jones
adjusted the trap and rope and drop
ped handkerchief, when the TAILOR,
Mr.. Tom Raynhart, cut the rope.
Waite's neck was broken. He hung
eighteen minutes. There were
about two thousand people in
town, and general quiet prevailed.
On starting from the Jail the hack
was driven in trot. Waite's dinner
to-day, as ordered by him, was: First
hot chicken pot pie, old fashioned;
second, lemon custard; third, sweet
milk; fourth, two oranges; fifth,
bananas and apples; sixth, hot bis
cults and butter; seventh, cham
payne; eighth, cigars. Yesterday the
prisoner conyersed freely and read
from the second chapter of st. James
Faith without works is dead" He
did not believe in a death-bed repent.
ance and had no faith in such forgiv-
enness. He considered it dangerous
and hypocricy. He read from the
third chapter of Ecclesiastics, 18th to
22nd verses inclusive and argued
from that, and said his experience
in life was that after death
all would be painless. He
come here painless and would go away
painless. He knew nothing of his life
in the world to come, and would have
no memory and knowledge in thii
earth upon his advent TO the next
world. Late in the evening he desired
no one to see him but few friends
and attendants. He drank bottle o.
champagne, and said he wanted NJ
opium or liquor on the scaffold. HI
wanted to die cool and self-possessed
that man was coward who feared
death. At about l o'clock p. M. HI
assembled the scaffold and read tn
confession of his crime. The gallow
were constructed with a fall of sever
feet. The drop was an admirable sue
cess. The prisoner, at o'clock p
M, said goodbye, boys" and at l o;
p. m. went though the trap. No
muscle moved, and at 20 p. m. hi
was placed in his coffin and taken II
his grave. He desired his body to b
buried although he had sold it an,
received the money. He died coo
and unfiinching and had no religion
advice to give. Many people lief
when the black cap was placed Oh
his head.
Among the prisoners confined il
the Robertson county Jail, at Frank
lin, Texas, on the morning of Ma,
%, 1882, were three men who that da,
perpetrated one of the most bruta
murders that has found a record il
the criminal annals of the state. Tn,
men were Fred E. Waite, alias Light
ner, charged with theft. He was
very handsome. finely built younj
man, and of exceedingly bright intel
ligence. Another, Wyatt Banks, wa
a very likely negro, charged wit
horse stealing. The third was DAME
Compton, man of good family, an
formerly of good reputation, but at tn
time mentioned under the revoltin
charge of incest. Between eight an
nine o'clock that morning the iailol
Add. WISER, was murdered, and tn
prisoners were csc ping, for whicl
murder Compton is now serving
life sentence in the Huntsville pen
Tertiary, and Waite was publicly ext
cuted to-day.
APLoT IN PRISON.
The details of the horrible crime, a
learned by interviewers and by cor
densing the material facts from th
official record of the trial, are, sui
stantially, that on the day previou
to the murder MAY 2O the prisoner
in the Jail developed plan to gal
their liberty, by overpowering, and
necessary, killing the jailor. Tn
principal witness for the state on thi
point was a negro prisoner name
Sam Webb. The drift of his test
mony was, that there were six pris
oners in the jail-Daniel Compton
Wyatt Banks, Jordon Scott, Fred j
Waite, Austin Brown and himsel
All were in the lower or ground foe
tier of cells-Banks, Scott and Brow
in No. /, Wait, Compton and himsel
in No. 2, with No. 3 empty and tn
door open. The jailer, Add. Wysel
made it part of his duties to atten
to the feeding of the prisoners, bring
ing them their food twice a da.
Outside the cells was a corridor cage
in from the body of the Jail buildin
with iron bars. WISER allowed til
prisoners the freedom of the corridC
for exercise, giving them admissio
to it by unlocking the cell doors b
throwing off the brakes by means {
a lever. The freedom of the corridC
was allowed the prisoners from abou
8 a. IN. to 2 p. m. When Wyst
would bring the food to the prison
ers he would first order them int
their cells, turn on the BRAKE
fastening the doors, deposit the foe
/ on the corridor floor in front of I'll
cells, step outside the corridor, tur
off the brakes, open the cell doors an
let the prisoners out. If the floor I
the corridor was dirty, WISER left II
meals on small wash stand, at II
extreme end of the corridor, necessit
ting his walking the length of it
the stand and back. On Saturd;
morning, May q, Compton, Waite al
Banks called Webb IRON cell No.
into cell No. 2, and informed him
plan was being formulated ny whiC
they might escape, and asked him
Join in it. Waite was to secrete hir
self in the vacant cell No. 3, and VIII,
WISER should come in to feed them
(Waite) was to knock him down, tai
his pistol and watch, turn oil u
brakes and let all hands out. One
the conspirators asked Waite how
could do it. to which he
piled: HE'LL / can knock him dow
with my fist" to which Banks reptile
Hell, mol You'll make failuI
Get a club or piece of iron, or som
thing YOU can knock him down with
Compton said the same, imDressii
upon the others the importance
making a success of the attempt, al
when some one suggested that the I
, suit would be the killing of the jail'
Banks replied vindictiyely: Il dol
care if it does; he called Inc d.
yaller s-n of a D-h, and i have u
got over it, and never will get ov
ftw Compton was willing the XII
ing should occur if escape could
secured. The plan was according
{ agreed upon, Waite to hide in the
| cant cell while the prisoners had {
/ freedom of the corridor, and VIII