Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1883-12-20
THE TWO LISTS SENTENCED
THE yO ING ER LEsf TO BE HANG ED
MARCH II.
The Father 10 End His Days in Jail
The chief Justice PrOnOunces
Their Doom-The Condemned Men
with Their wives.

Their Doom-The Condemned Men
with Their wives.
| -
Lewis List and Lewis List, son and
father convicted at the present term o
superior court for the murder in the & rst
aud second degree respectively of George
B. Taylor, were sentenced by Chief
Justics Comegys Friday afternoon.
The court room was literally packed
with curious spectators, and when the
chief justice directed the sheriff, at 4.35
O'Clock, TO bring the prisoners before the
bar, painful silence spread over the
crowd.
At a 40 o'clock the sheriff entered
the north door of the ,hamber, followed
ny tipstsve, Lewis :. List and Lewis
List, and another officer bringing up the
| rear.
Both prisoners were neatly clad in
black suits, with clean lineu and dark
neokerchisis The younger List walked
upright and took his seat in the dock fol-
lowed by the elder List who walked with
totterinR footsteps and seemed scarcely
able to reach the seat by his sons side.
The scene was sad, and most i'm
pressive. Not whisper was heard from
tbe large crowd, and the judges sat with
down-oast eyes, and sorrowful ex-
preston was plainly shown on their
fao's. The prisoners tried vainly to con-
cesl their emotion, but the tesrs streamed
down their cheeks. When the younger
List WAS directed TO stand up, every eye
vas riveted upon him, and hespeotators in
| the rear of the room rose in their places
aud craned their neoks to get view Of
his face. His grief seemed uncomfortable
| and he swayed to and fro while the court
pronounced the fatal sentence. After the
court had concluded and the young man
had replied he took his seat and buried
his face in his hands and wept pitifully.
The elder List sat moti3nless and was
scarcely able to rjae from his seat when
directed 10 do so by the conrt His eyes
filed mp aud it was with difficulty that
lie could reply to the court's question "if
he had anything to say why the sentence
sh uld not bs pronounced"
When the convicted men had been
placed IN the docR, the chief justioe
inquired of their counsel il they wished
to argue the reasons assigned in their
motion for q retrisl of the young List.
Anstin Harrington, Esq, replied {:
III Your Horors please We Will state this !:
The 10 al objection has been argued and
has been psssed upon by Your Honors
sgainst the prisoners. That is also
il uvOlved in the reasons we assigned for a
new trial. That matter having been
| disposed OF, ali the reasons set out in that
paper address themselves to the discretion
Ut the court, aud II is matter of
discretion we cannot argue, but we
submit the paper to the court for what
ever action you may ba pleased to take
upon it,"
Chief Justice Comegys replied az will
say TO you this: That the court, having
in view their responsibility and also the
great importance OF this case, especially
80 far as the interests involved to the
| prisoners are concerned, that they have
considered these reasons and are without
auy difference OF opinion that they are
insufficient for granting new trial, and,
consequently, the application tor a new
trial in the case of Lewis f. List in whose
behalf it was made alone, is refused"
Attorney General Gray then rose and in
falteriDg voice said It became his pain
ful duty to ask the court to pass the
| judgment of the law upon the unfor-
tunate young man.
Lewis +. List" said Chief Justice
| Comegys: "StAnd upl'
Young List arose amt stood, pale and
shrinking, through the painful ordeal.
The chief justice then said:
"You wers indicted before the Court
Of General Sessions, at the September
term, tor the wilful and deliberate muir
der, with malice sforethought, OF one
Gsorge B Taylor
| In order to give you an opportunity for
q fall defense before Jury, the court
appointed counsel for you, you bslpg un-
able to employ any Of your own. They
not only did this, but they postponed the
tiial Of yOnr case uutil the present term,
in order that you might have oppor' unity
to procure tbs attendance OF witnesses
and for consultation with your council,
in order that they might take such
course as they thought proper to DriDg
your defense wholly before the jury.
You have had fair trial. Out of a
pauel of 81 men, you selected your own
jury, your frierda presumably or men
whom you knew or had reason to believe
woule be Influenced by no prejudice, pas
sion or hostility against you, in any way,
and who would try your case fairly,
deliberately, honestly and, after
a trial Lasting a considerable
time ID displaying great
deal of ability oD the part of your
counsel, rendering q certain that the
court had made no mistake in selecting
for you gentlemen OF the bar uell able 10
detsud you end, after all that was
| hronPht forward in the way If testim mopy
aud al that could be urged in the way
nt hrKuneht and solicitation, the Jury
found you were guilty in manner and
form IS Indicted that you were guilty of
mnr Ter in The first degree.
Aud, IL Justice to the jury aud in sup.
| port ct Their action, we think it proper to
say that the ocurt are entirely satisfied
that that verdict WAS right.
1t is very painful thing to say, but,
| uotwitL tLstanGing, we feel constrained by
q sense of duty We owe TO The jury,
who must have d.lihersted with great
fear aud trembling, 20 say that we think in
yolr case they did right.
1 would admonish you, as | am about
| u prnrouncs the sentence Of the law,
thst you will give your attention during
the residue OF your life, TO making pre-.
pGratlon for the life to come.
| Yours is very sad case. A yonng
msa, in the first flush of human life,
taken cut Of il bv hia own misconduct.
We think that it was owing in part to
the tact, that has been proven during the
progress of the trial, that you were in
the hsbit of carrying about you deadly
ar'ns a practice which no language can
fetuke too strongly.
But for that pernicious habit, you
would, in all probability have escaped
tl4is doom. You bad the means at hand
to gratify the mslice on your part at the
time, aud the consequences was that you
took the life Of your fellow man and must
now pay for it by having your own life
taken away.
OF course we deeply oommiserats your
situation, bnt can do nothing to relieve
you
Have ylu anything to say why the
sentence Of the law should not be passed
upon you'
The condemned man answered in one
sentence, speaking ieebly ard slowly:
"o5ly one thing, Your Honor.
didn't make prsctice Of carrying this
revolFer."
"rhe sentence of the court" continued
the chief justice, sis that you be taken
hence to the place OF your confinement In
the public jail OF this county and there
be sE;sly aud securely kept until Friday
the l4'h day of March next
and that, on that day, between tht
hours of 10 O'Clock in the forenoon and
O'Clock in the afternoon, you bt
hanged by the neck until you are dead
and may God have mercy on your soul =
Attorney General Gray, in due form
aid as few words as possible, then called
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