Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-24
RUDD'S MURDERERS HUNG
BOTH OF THE MEN PESTTENT
AND PRAYERFUL.

How They Passed Their Last Hours on
Earth - Cunningham's Sad Parting
with His Family-Six Thousand SDec-
tators Present-Other Deaths on, the
Ga11Ows.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, March 23.-The
most intense interest was manifested
throughout this section to-day. in the ex-
ecution of the Rudd murderers. which
occurred this noon at LAFAYETTE. Ga.
Their crime was without parallel. and
their voluntary confessions left not the
shadow of a doubt of their guilt. At an
early hour crowds of spectators began
surglng to the place of execution, and
before noon there were fully 5000
persons present. The doomed men
spent their last night in PRAYER.
Ihey appeared to be very calm and col
lected, and said that they were prepared
10 ole. Ihey slept sOundly for several
hours, and when they arose they ate a
hearty breakfast, and then retired
ana renamed in bed until half-past
~ O'Clock this morning. They were
conducted TO the scaffold at IL 30 O,clock
and mounted the platform. precisely at
noon. They We're given permission to adj
dress the crowd, and did so, warning their
auditors against their fate. They then
engaged In prayer, and at a signal the
drop was cut and they were launched into
eternity. Bucks died in eight minutes
and cunningham in nine. The formers
parents were with him to the last, and
their parting was very sad and affecting
The crime for which Barks and Cun-
ningham suffered the death penalty was
one of the most atrOcious on record
IheY murdered an aged man. far i'm the
seventies. The victim, II. III. RUdd. lived
IN sequestered nook at the foot of Mis-
sionary ride, about eight miles from this
city. He had been an hOnOred resident of
Chattanooga for thirty years, but a few
years since lost his wife, and in his deep
grleI a lett the pleasures of the
world, and buying small farm,
secluded himself in his little
home. On the night of the 23d of Janu-
airy the old man was awakened by loud
knocks at his door; he arose quickly and
inquired who wanted admissions: the
knocking continued, and fearing some
thlng wrong he picked up his gun, but at
thls instant the door was burst open and
two negroes, armed with axes, rushed i'm.
before he could fire he was felled by a
DlOW from an axe, followed quickly bv
another, and then consciousness left him.
The negroes rained terrific blows. and
hacked his head and body i'm the most hOr-
nble manner. They then rifled his clothes
and fled.
The murder was discovered the next
morning and created great excitement.
The country was secured for the murder
ers, but to no avail. That afternoon
Deputy Sheriff Phillips met two suspicious
looking negroes about fifteen miles above
the city and arrested them. They were
ldentlhed as soon as they reached here as
having been seen lurking in the vicinity
OF Rudd's house, but they stOutly
denied all knowledge of the crime.
The next day, however, they
made full confession, relating all
the horrible details. There was great ex-
citement in Walker county, and threats of
lynching were freely indulged in. 1t was
thought best to keep them confined here
until the excitement was allayed They
remained here four weeks, and were then
secretly conducted to Atlanta by order of
Governor Stephens, and were taken to
Walker county about three weeks since.
Although there was fear of lynching,
better counsel prevailed and they were
permitted to remain undisturbed in the
jail until the day Of their execution.
FRANKLIN, Ten, March 23.-Fred +.
Waite was hanged to-day for killing Jailer
ADD Wiser in May, 1882. Waite and
two other priSOners-Daniel Compton and
Wyatt Banks-the last named cOlored-
plotted the murder, and Waite carried it
out by cOncealing himself i'm the prison
corridor while allowed to use it for eXer-
else, and when the jailer brought the pris-
Oners their breakfast Waite beat him with
bar of iron. Daniel Compton is serving
a life sentence for completely in the muir
der, and Wyatt Banks is to be hanged
April %. There We're two thousand spec
tatOrs present at Waite's execution to-
day. Everything was orderly. The
doomed man died without flinching. He
confessed the crime and refused to tOler-
ate the mOckery of religion by allowing
the presence of a preacher or any religious
exercises. He spent the early part of last
night and the morning hours in smoking
with friends and drank several bottles of
champagne. He ate heartily at dinner
and was perfectly cool and collected on
the gallOws. His neck was broken and
he died without a struggle.
GRAHAM, n. c., March 23.-Jerome
Holt, a negro, was hanged here to-day for
enter the house of William Terrell, in the
suburbs of GibsOnville, a small town in
Alamance county, and felOniously as
saulting the inmates. The execution took
place in the Jail yard, and was strictly
private. Sheriff HOldOn acted as eXecu-
toner. Holt was resigned to his fate. He
prOfessed religion, and said that if he had
not been under the influence of liquor he
would not have committed the crime.
The drop fell at l O'Clock.
LITTLE Rock, March 23.-NichOlas
Walker, cOlored, who last August muir
dered Tom Jenkins, also cOlored. in Ar
genta, was hanged to-day in the Pulaski
county Jail yard. He protested his innO-
cence until a short time before his eXecu-
ton, when he confessed.