Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-15
THE Crime DOCKET.
THE EXECUTION OF BARBARA MIL
LER At RICHMOND YESTERDAY.
a Large Crowd Attracted, but Few Persons
Permitted to Witness the Scepe-A Man
and Wife Found Murdered in Ohio-A
Large Defalcation Discovered in New
YOrk-Other Cussedness.
HANGED FOR MURDER.

HANGED FOR MURDER.
RICHMOND, Va, Sept. 14.-Barbara Mil.
Ter (colored) was hanged here to-day for
completely in the murder of her husband
| in February last. Chas. Lee, her accom-
plice, was hanged the Sd of last month.
| She died from strangulation. Several
thousand persons were in the vicinity of
the jail. Everything was orderly. The
execution took place in the Jail yard, only
| about 100 persons having witnessed it,
though many hundreds had applied for
permission to witness the novel spectacle
of hanging a woman. The trap was
| sprung at 1910. Henry Lee, her accom-
plice, planned the murder but failed to
execute it when the time came and the
woman took the axe from him and Drained
Miller while asleep. Lee then carried the
body to the railroad, where several trains
passed over and mangled the corpse in a
horrible manner. 1t was thought the
victim was asleep on the track and the
railroad company paid the expenses of
the funeral, but subsequently suspicion
was aroused and the culprits arrested and
confessed their guilt.
Last night prayer meeting was held in
the condemned woman's cell. Rev. Mr..
Rosivall, colored, conducted the exercises,
which were prolonged until 2 this morn
ing. The ministers then departed and
Mrs. Miller was left with several colored
women friends. She and companions
slept soundly several hours. At about 8
o'clock Mrs. Miller and party took break
fast. Later several ministers and num-
Der of negroes gathered in her cell,
where prayer after prayer was
offered, followed, in every instance,
by those strange hymns characteristic of
colored people. The excitement produced
by the hymns was intense. The doomed
woman stood in the midst of the throng
her arms uplifted, swaying her body to
and fro, while the crowd chanted, "Bar-
bara is nearing her home" and "Nearer
my God to Thee" Occasionally she join
ed in full voice some exclamation indie
alive of intense excitement. The
exercise. was kept up until the hour for
execution, when preceded by a negro jailer
and the sheriff and followed by four coiored
ministers, she marched out from the cell,
down into the Jail yard and up the scaffold
steps, the minister singing hymn. AS
Barbara mounted 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 fate. In accord
ance with her request, Barbara was attired
N neat-ftting white muslin dress. She had
bunch of artificial lilacs and orange
blossoms on her bosom and broad white
ribbon around her head. On reaching the
platform she was seated in chair, while
the sheriff read the warrant. Being asked
if she had anything to say, she stood up
and in chanting tone bid farewell. She
warned her hearers to take lesson from
her fate, and said she was going to glory
and the angels above. A long prayer by
one of the ministers followed and
from the scafold. Her legs and arms
we're pinioned and black cap put over
her head. just then she was heard to say
Farewell, farewell to you all.n The next
instant the sheriff gave the, signal by
dropping his hat, and the trap sprung.
The fall was over seven feet but failed to
dislocate her neck. She struggled con-
siderably for several minutes
and death resulted from strangulation.
After hanging twenty five minutes her
body was cut down and placed in coffin.
The body will be taken to Henry county
near the late home of deceased for burial.
Last night the sheriff at Mrs. Miller's
dictation wrote out another confession,
which she signed and turned over to him
to be made public after her death. In it
she says she and Lee had talked of killing
her husband September last, but nothing
was done. In November Lee bought some
poison, which he put in some ginger tea
and gave to Miller. 1t did not have the
intended effect, but on the contrary
it seemed to cure Miller of pain in his
side, OF which he had been complaining.
Subsequently she says she vert to Rich
mond, and Lee told her he was going to
kill her husband before she returned, but
his courage failed and he did not
do it. On the night of February
18th both finally agreed Miller
must die. Next morning Miller went out
and Lee followed him, for the. purpose, as
she knew, of killing him. When Lee re-
| turned he had blood on his clothing, and
she washed it off. She says Lee killed hel
husband at her suggestion. If she and
Lee had net been arrested they would have
| been married between that time and
Christmas. She said she was willing te
| die for her crime. She knew she was
going to heaven.
TRAIN WRECKING.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
MILWAUKEE, Sept. 14.-An open switch
on the Chicago Milwaukee & st. Paul rail.
road, at Rogers park, one of the Chicago
northern suburbs, caused freight train
to run off the track this morning, SC
encumbering the latter with wreckage that
the passenger train which was due here at
IL a. m, did not arrive until after O'Clock
The engineer of the freight was badly
scalded, Later this afternoon it was
| learned that another freight train had also
| been derailed somewhere near Racine.
| Fuller particulars cannot be learned. II
| is understood that about dozen cars were
| badly smashed up in the two accidents and
the damage to the road will be considera-
I ble Both accidents were caused by van
dals opening switches. A number of at
tempts have been made the past month OF
| So tn vraclx trains on the Northwestern