Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-20
A WOMAN ON THE GIBBET.
MARGARET HARRIS PUBLICLY
HANGED AT CALHOUN.

She Dies FearlessIy and Protesting Her
InnOeence-Ten Thousand Spectators
Watch Taylor Bryant's Execution at
MOnroe-He Also Denies GuiIt-Hoyey
Hanged in New York
CALHOUN, GA, Oct. 19.-In answer to
letter written by Col Joseph McCon-
nell, attorney for Margaret Harris, re-
questing a respite, the Governor replied:
ATLANTA, GA, Oct. 19.-Io joseph
HcC0lneU, Calhoun, Ga: Your letter
contains no sufficient reasons to Justify
Executive interference with the sentence
Of the court in the case of Margaret Har-
ris. Signed HENRY d. MCDANIEL
1t was hoped by some that the Cover
nor would interfere. as the condemned
stated that the confession was forced by
beating and hanging, but it is not gener-
ally believed. The day was cloudy and
the dust unbearable. People poured
into town all last night, and fully 5000
were here. At ii o'clock Margaret Har-
ris was taken out of jail, and under a
guard of sixty men was carried to the
gallows, half mile north of the town in
sight of the railroad. Two white and two
colored preachers went ON the stand and
prayed and sang. Margaret requested
that they sing SIN the Sweet Bye-and-
Bye" in which she joined, after which
she spoke in substance, and without en-
barrassment, as follows: "I want you
all to be quiet and hear my last
statement on earth. | will tell YOU
all | know, and will tell nothing but the
truth. Let no one teach you wrong. |
az 4 10 ri 4
to be hung. l hope all my family will
hear all ] hace to say. They must give
an account of what they have done on the
last day. My folks caused Inc to be here
on the gallows to-day. Take warning all
OF you, and never stand on the gallows.
All must die. hope to meet YOU all in
heaven. | have been treated better since
Eve been in Jail than | ever was before.
| wish | could have talked to some of my
folks, but know that they hear me now.
| expect to shake hands with Leila Lewis
in heaven. All you ladies and gentlemen
take warning and raise your children
right. There is no excuse, before the liV-
ing God; but by law | must hang. 1t is
awful TO be hung innocent. This will be
my second hanging in this world. | hope
to meet all who brought this trouble on
me i'll heaven. The Judge said Dave
Dukes would suffer in the chain-gang. He
ton / ever saw. | hope to meet them all in
heaven, | hope Dave Dukes will not have
to 20 to the chain gang. He is innocent.
1t Will not be long before / will lay down
in solemn death. | am ready for the
grave. You have all got to die. | will
never see you all again. Sister raise your
babe to meet me in heaven. want to be
buried by my mother. | want you all to
20 to the burying. Nv time draws near.
GFIsl A.1p a my Gfa ant,A Irv, -.
meet Judge Fain in heaven. | want Dave
to be released. Farewell to you all, fare
well to the whole world.7
The cap was placed over her head and
at seven minutes after II the trigger was
ierked out and she was dropped eight
feet. Her neck was broken and she died
without a struggle. Her pulse ceased to
beat in seven minutes and in fourteen DR..
Reeves pronounced her dead. At twenty
minutes from the time she dropped she
was cut down and placed in the coffin
and delivered to her sister. Everything
passed off quietly and the crowd rapidly
dispersed.
Sunday night, September 10, after Mrs.
Nancy Barnwell, a widow, living near
FairmOunt, and her two grandchildren
had eaten supper, all became suddenly ill,
and upon an examination it was found
that the family had been poisoned, from
died. Margaret Harris, an 1S-year-old
negress, who had been bound over to Mrs.
BarnWell when a child, was suspected Of
administering the poison, and was held
Tor trial. In court il was developed that
David Dukes, cOlored, wanted the girl TO
leave Mrs. Barnwell and live with him.
and in order to free her from her inden-
lures proposed to poison the whole fam
lily. The first trial, the poison being put
in fan IV 81 4I,
widow and her children, but failed to kill,
The next attempt was made on the date
already mentioned. Dukes gave her the
poison, and while she was alone in the
kitchen she poured the fatal fluid over
some rice which was boiling for supper
and threw the bottle under the table. 1t
has never been decided what the
poison was, but it is believed to
have been vegetable decoction
After being sentenced to death the
girl, at some ones suggestion as ruse to
gain time, said that she had not told the
truth on the witness stand, and charged
Richard Barnes with being her accom-
plice instead of David Dukes. Seeing
that her effort profited her little she, few
days ago, confessed the falsity of her
charge against Barnes. Dukes was sen
fenced to lifelong seryitude in the chain
gang. A petition was sent to the Gov
ernOr few days ago asking a commuta-
tion of the. girls sentence, but as there
has lately been perfect avalanche of
poisoning cases, and an example was
needed, it proved of no avail. The MUIR
deress, the ugIiness of whose coal black
face was lent a sinister expression by the
loss of one of her eyes, was short and
plump, tipping the scale at 135 pounds.
1t will be noticed that the crime was ex-
plated in just two months to a day from
its preparation. Additional interest at
tached to it on account of the sex of the
victim, she being the first woman to hang
in this State since the execution of the
hideously attrocious Eastman rioters. 1t
was the first hanging in the county since
1853, when a white man named Hawkins
died for numbering a companion.