The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-21
A WOMAN HANGED.
Execution of a Colored Murderess in
Virginia.
Marching TO the Gahows Amid Much
Excitement.

Barbara Miller (colored) was hanged at
Richmond, Va, for completely in the murder
of her husband in February last. Charles
Henry Lee, her a%ccomplice, was hanged ok
he Sd Of last month. The execution toon
place in the jailyard of the Henrico county
court, in presence of about 100 people. The
drop fell at 1912 o'clock, and the woman died
from strangulation. Several thousand per-
sons were in the vicinity of the jail. Every
thing passed off orderly. An account of the
scenes preceding and during the execution
says;
Last night a prayer-meeting was held in
the condemned woman's cell. The Rev. Mr..
Boswell, colored, conducted the exercises,
which were prolonged until 2 o'clock this
morning. The minister then departed and
Mrs. Miller was left with several colored wo-
men friends She and her companions slept
soundly for several hours. AT about o'clock
Mrs. Miller ate a hearty breakfast and later
several ministers and q number of %neighbors
gathered in her cell, where prayer after
prayer, followed in every instance by those
strange hymns characteristic of the colored
people, was offered in rapid succession. The
excitement produced by the hymns was in
tense. The doomed woman stood in the mids
of the sable throng with her arms uplifted.
swaying her body to and fro as the crowd
chanted: Barbara is nearing her home
and NEARER, My God, to Thee" Oc-
casionally she joined in the refrain,
and now and then shouted in a
full voice some exclamation in
dicative of intense excitement. The exercises
were kept up until the hour for the execution
arrived, when, preceded by the negro iailor
and sheriff and followed by four colored min
listers, she marched out from her cell into
the iailyard and up the scatfold steps,
the ministers singing a hymn. As
Barbara Mount the steps she attempted
to join in the refrain. She went up slowly,
but evidently her excitement was the re-
suit more of what she had passed through
than a realization of her impending
fate. In accordance with her request she
was attired in a neat-titting white muslin
dress. She had a bunch of artificial hlacs and
orange blossoms on her bosom, and a broad
white ribbon around her head. On reaching
the platform she was seated in a chair, while
Sheriff Southwark read the -death-warrant.
Upon being asked is she had anything to say,
she stood up and, in q droning, chanting
tone, babe her farewell to all present. She
warned her hearers to take a lesson from
her fate, and said that she was going to glory
and the angels above. A long prayer by one
Of the ministers followed, and then all but
the sheriff and jailer descended from the
scaffold. Her legs and arms were pinioned
and the black cap was put over her head.
Just then she was heard to say: Farewell,
farewell to you all The next instant the
sheriff gave the signal by dropping a hand
kerchief, and the trap was sprung. The
fall was over seven feet, but failed to dis
locate the neck. She struggled considerably
for several minutes, and it was evident that
death resulted from strangulation. After
hanging for twenty-five minutes the physi-
rians having pronounced life extinct, the
body was cut down and placed III a coffin,
Barbara's mother, who had been with her
before the execution, circulated among the
crowd and solicited contributions to pay for
her daughters burial.