St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-12-20
Hung fer Rape, Died a Liar,
and Saved by Faith.

4 tAO FlCt4m U6luS h1Ts' mCAduSullD1
| white, widow forty to fifty years old.
He was sitting on the railroad track,
when she passed him, returning home
from visit to a neighbOr. He followed
her, struck her on the head, knocking
down and stunning her, when he COM
mitted the rape. She had been blinded
from the blow on her head and he ask
ed her after the rape was accomplished,
il she could see him, to which she re-
piled: II saw the man who was sitting
on the tack as came across" He then
beat her on the head with club, and
left her for dead. She did not die, and
after long illness she recovered. Eos
ter from description published, was ar
rested near Shreveport. From eight or
ten colored prisoners drawn up in row
in the Natchitoches Jail, he was prompt
ly singled out by his victim. After con
victiOn, he persisted he was innocent
and even after the Supreme Court con-
firmed the verdict of the jury, and there
realained no possible legal means for
him to escape hanging, he still persisted
he was innocent. He was said to be
above the average Of his race in intelli-
gence and education. A short time be-
fore his execution on Friday morning,
she still solemnly and steadfastly claim
ed that he was innocent" When 'urg-
ed to make confession and reminded
Of the awful consequences of dying
with lie ON his lips, his answer was al
ways the same: / am innocent, and /
cannot confess that am guilty.'' He
was attended by ministers of the
gospel during his imprisonment and
got religion" He assembled the
scafold with an air of as much uncon-
Germ as if his mission were the most or
binary and trivial one. After his arms
were tied behind him, the sheriff asked
him if lie had anything to say, to which
he replied in the negative. His pastor
asked, have you no confession to
make Y He answered after some hest
tation that he had not but upon being |
asked ii he still maintained his inno-
cence, he said, well reckon might as
we'll confess | did it," and then pro-
ceeded to give the details of the crime |
which were substantially the same as
his victim had given on the witness
stand. He said he thought his punish
ment was just, and that he was going to
heaven. During all this time, and up
to the moment the trap was sprung, he
seemed wholly unimpTessed by any
feeling of fear or dread at his approach
ug fate. The trap was sprung and he
lied without struggle. There was
never martyr who died for his religion
hat met death more fearlessly or with
/ firmer faith in his eternal salvation
han this inhuman fiend. Strange
hing, this thing we call faith.n TheseE
letails and quotations are from the
Iatchitoches Review Up to within a
ew minutes Of his death, this man lied
and yet he already had re-
igion and was certain of going to heaY-
n. The confession was not voluntary,
nut was "wOrmed" out of him after
here was no possibility of his being
aVed. In addition to his great crime,
e was persistent and unrepentant
lar. Here we have, on one side, his as
urance that he was going to heaven by
aith and on the other side, we have +
he statement in the Bible that "all liars +
hall have their part 10 the lake which q
Rrneth with fire and birthstone; which
j the second DEATH" We believe in !
he doctrine that liars will go to hell.
his doctrine of faith has been ssrun il
1to the ground 1t is preposterous
hat a villain, by mere belief, an edu- 7
ated belief that has been drummed in
} him by the preachers, should go to :
eaven; and comparatively good
ian, whose powers of belief are not SO
communicating, should go to hell. It
about time this faith business should !
Q reduced within reasonable bounds, t.
nd that the doctrine of good works o
lould have chance. Villains like the 2
ne under discussion should so to hell :,
nd tho Bible teaches they will go there. S
or tEe; churches or preachers TO teach ;
is to cnce Rrage CRIME, and 0
deceive. the crimiEs ls--tdey would P
1t be 50 apt to coRmitSarime, if they |
d not think they Gsuld Asily and con
get religion before hanging :
ID go to heaven immef ately after