Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-10-13

he tukTcdLCO ulHl W AldhC q NOhAS-SAOGf -
he was guilty, before being baptised, and
represented to him the awful doom that
awaited him if he died declaring his inno'
cence if he was guilty.
Craft still
Declared HIS Innocence.
and asked to be taken to Little Sandv
River and there TO be baptized. The Sheriff
was notified, and at once a guard was order
ed to accompany them TO the river half
mile from the town. Craft was taken in
buggy By the Jailer. Sheriff Holcomb and
an armed guard of twenty five men wendsd
their way 10 the river at 10 o'clock. Ar
| irving at the river the shsckles were re-
moved from his hands, and Rev. Pinker'
! ton made q statement to the people that 1t
was Mr.. Crafts wish to be immersed,
/ snd that he had been fully informed OF the
| magnitude of the step he was taking. Be
| he guilty or innocent be felt it his duty to
| Administer the Rite OF Baptism
| to him. After a very appropriate and Ell
| fectiye prayer Craft stepped into the water
and was baptized. He did not speak
| word at the moment, but wore a solemn
| cast down cOuntenance. There were four
| hundred people to witness the scene.
] There was no loud talk iRdulged in by the
crowd. All were sorry for the doomed
! man.
Last night Crafts family and friends and
! Rev Mr. PinkertOn all united in pleading
with him to confess if he was guilty, and
not 60 before the bar of God with the added
! crime OF a deliberate lie upon his soul.
| But to all he replied that he was innocent,
and had
Nothing 10 Confess.
Public opinion here is much divided as to
his guilt. At midnight the preacher left
| Craft alone with hls guard and he slept
well until daybleak. When he arose he
washed and ate hearty breakfast During
the whole morning crowd surged to and
| fro in the iail yard anxious 10 get even a
glance at the doomed man, but none were
admitted, and much disappointment was
expressed.
The death warrant was real TO him at 10
A. W. He listened calmly, and at Us con-
clusion said,
with Some Feeling.
that he was innocent Of the crime of which
he was convicted. His brother then bid
him an affecting farewell for the last time,
and left the prison. Craft then quietly
dressed himself, and at 1880 P. NJ. the pro-
cession moved from the Jail to the scattold,
headed oy the sheriff and several armed
men. Craft walked next, supported by his
spiritual adviser, and the rear was brought
up by another squad of resolute men,
armed with shot guns. Craft spoke on the
scatIold, reiterating Il am innocent The
drop fell at I2:4l. All went off quiet and
in order.
Story OF the Crime.
The crime for which Crafts life was taken
was one of the most fearful in its imme
diate and subsequent consequences that
ever occurred in Kentucky. The names Ot
the victims were Robert Gibbons, aged
seventeen years; Fanny Gibbons, aged four
I fNv-r
teen years. The murder took place at Ash
land. On the morning OF Saturday, Decem'
her a. ISL. On the night of December 23c
Craft and one William Neal went to the
| house of George Ellis, awakened him anC
| prevailed upon him 10 accompany them x
the Gibbons house. They entered the house
by a window, aud Neal and Craft attacked
the two girls. Robert, the boy, was about
to give the alarm, when Craft
struck Him on the Head
with an axe, killing him instantly. He
then turned to Fanny, and amid the pite
Gus cries Of the child for mercy, also killed
her instantly By striking her on the heaC
with the axe. Neal tnen killed Emma
Thomas in the same manner. They ther
saturated the girls clothing with oil anC
set ire to the house, burning it to the
: ground. At first there was no clue to the
tered tor their capture. The father OF two
| of the victims, }. W. Gibbons, was frs
suspected OF the crime, he being charged
so by his wife He, however, proved by
reputable witnesses that he had not beer
anywhere near the scene of the murder a
the time the deed was committed.
, Confession aud Arrest.
On January following the murde
: George Ellis, who was employed in a rol
| ling mill near by, confessed TO being par
ticipant and implicated Craft and Neal
On his statement on the same day Neal al,
! Craft were arrested. Neal made full con
fessicn of his guilt On January th
prisoners were taken TO CatlettSburg, tn
county seat Of Boyd county. Early in tn
morning people began to arrive, and befor
noon there were nearly two thousand peO
ple from the outlying districts in town
| including all the male population of Ash
land. Judge Strong feared violence from
the mob, so they engaged steamboat t
take the prisoner away.
with Thirty Deputies
and the Sheriff, Deputy United State
. Marshal Hefin took the prisoners aSolrt
and started down the Ohio toward Ashland
The mob, upon hearing OF the move Of th
authorities, under threats of death, com
pelled the officers of another steamboat t
get up steam and start in chase. Alter al
, e1citir chase as far as AShlsnd the mol
gave mp the pursuit, having heard that tht
Sherif's steamer had tsken aboard seventy
militia at Rivsrton, forty miles below Cat
Iettsburg.
On January 9 the Grand Jury vas EN-
pauelled under special act OF the Ken
tucky Legislature, and returned true bill:
against all three of the 6ends. The tris
commenced on January II, the court hous,
; being
Packed with Spec
There we're fiity-three witnesses sworn il
for the prosecution aud defence, Georgc
Ellis being the first witness. The murder
, ers Neal and Craft, had separate trials
and were convicted at Catlettsburg, beius
sentenced TO be hanged on April IL 1882.
, Craft and Neal. upon being sentenced. each
made statements. Craft said: 81 here
upon this solemn occasion, before my God
and IN the presence of these people, swear
that did not murder either of those dear
little children, and was not present when
il vas done, nor have / knowledge as to
who committed the crime. Would TO God
that had been there on that fatal night
Had been there when the foul deed w4s