Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-03-30
Execution Of BGalGr.,. His Crime, &c,

coloreQ, was nanSeu IN the yarQ OF the
county Jail at this place this morning. He
spent quiet night and eat hearty break
fast.
Yesterday evening he confessed his guilt
of the crime charged against him.
At $40 this morning he was led to the
scaffold when after prayer by Rev. R. T.
Davis, of the Episcopal Church, the moose
was placed around the culprits neck and
at g. so the drop fell The neck was dislo-
Gated and death ensued in about fifteen
minutes.
All through the preliiainaries Beaner was
perfectly calm and walked upon the scaftold
with firm step.
The prisoner was asked the usual ques.
tons on the scaffold, and all he said in re-
ply was, Farewell, friends"
The execution took place in drizzling
rain In the presence of about seventy Eve
persons only
The remains were inferred at the expense
Of the county
HISTORY OF THE CRIME.
On the afternoon Of Sept. 5th, 1882, as two
children, zone a girl Of ten years and the
other some years younger) Of Mr. George
A. Hunt, living near Purcellville, in this
county, were returning home from school,
they were hailed by colored boy named
VIM. Beaner, who was at work in a field by
the roadside. The boy was we'll known to
the children, and they stopped. He came
up to them in the road and Selling the little
girl made the henous assault upon her, the
penalty of which he has paid with his life
on the scafold. The mother, alarmed by
the delay of Der children in returning,
started out to look for them. AS she az.
preached the scene of the outrage, Beaner,
IN seml.nude state, jumped up and ran.
The cries of the mother attracted NIr. Hunt
to the spot ana he gave chase to the black
tlend, while the mother, carried the almost
senscless child to the house, but a short
distance away. Beaner took refuge in a
neighboring hay NOW, where, almost naked
he was captured by MIR. Hunt, who took him
to his house, where he was fully identified
by the children as being the party who had
made the assault. The father, notwith.
standing the natural impulse for summary
vengeance, determined to place him in the
hands of the law, and conveyed him to Jus
tice Gaver, at Hillsborough, some four or
Eve miles distant He was given a partial
hearing that night before the Justice and
made very contradictory and absurd state
ments in regard to the affair. He admitted
having seen the children pass, but said he
had not touched them. In response to q
question of the Justice he said he had taken
off his clothes to fight humble bees. The
next morning, (the 9Th he was brought
by Constable Grub to Leesburg, and
lodged in the county Jail to await trial for
his revolving crime.
On the night of the 9TH of September, be.
tween the hours of twelve and one, the
town was aroused from its slumbers by the
clatter OF horses hoots Us party of about
fifty horsemen dashed through the streets
in the direction of the Jail. At once there
was great commotion and the drowsv citi-
zens poured out upon the streets in short
order, thinking, of course, the negro was to
be lynched But the horsemen after reach.
ing the entrance to the Jail and being told
by some persons whom they found there
that the corridors were full of armed men
guarding the prisoner, seemed satisfied of
his safety and like good citizens decided not
to attempt TO hasten the laws delay" In
less time than it takes to tell it, they had
turned their horses heads and disappeared
in the direction of their homes among the
quiet hills i'll the western part of the coun.
try. Since then there has been no excite
ment whatever over the case.
At one or two terms Of the County Court
the case was called for trial, but was post
poned until finally the prisoner elected to be
tried in the Circuit Court, and on Monday,
January 18th, 1888, the case was called and
the prisoner put upon his trial in that court,
Capt. J. ". Foster, attorney for the Com
monwealth, prosecuting and Chas. L. Pol
lock- esq, conducting the defense. A Jury
was soon empannelled and the examination
of witnesses begun, the child herself, her
parents, DR.. Stone, the physician who at
tended her, and one or two others, being
all that were examined After able areu.
ments by the counsel on both sides the case
was at five o'clock p. m, given to the Jury.
Judge Keith, in order as he said to allow
the jury time for calm and deliberate con-
sderation of the facts In evidence, adjourn
ed court until the Lext morning. When
court was opened on Tuesday morning, the
jury IN response to the usual inquiry, an
nounced that they had agreed upon a YER
dict and fixed the punishment at death
The jury was at once discharged and the
prisoner remanded to Jail.
o'Aooiy OthDGF was
again brought into court and Judge Keith
proceeded to sentence him, pronouncua
that on the SOth day Of March, 1888, be.
tween the hours of and 8 a. m, he be
hanged by the neck until be was dead. The
prisoner was then, as he had been through.
out the trial perfectly unmoved, giving no
sign either Of fear or concern.
Since sentence was passed upon him.
VIM. Beaner has been carefully guarded in
the Jail, and has been visited by numbers of
persons The Rev. DR.. Davis of the Epis-
copal Church and the Rev. Samuel Rodgers.
of the NJ. E. Church, South, have visited
him several times, though his chief spiritual
advisers have been the two coored minis.
tiers in the town, Rev. j. c. Love of the
Methodist, and Tilghman of the Baptist
Church.
VIM. Beaner, the executed bow was
about seventeen years of age, a little below
medium height and slightly built He was
dusky mulatto, but considerably paled by
confinement, and had not bad face. THOUGH
it was not indicative of much intelligence
He was we'll treated by Tailor Nixon
and Sheriff Carruthers, and seemed very
of, 70