Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-08-07
MORE NECKS STRETCHED
A MOYB FOR RKsOUE BLUEBRD ny
BARRELa
Tho Murderer OF MRS. Celia Bush
Swung Om-He Tells the Crowd gHe
IN aoimE Home.

Tho MurneFer OF Mrs. Celia Busl
swung OM-He Tells the Crowd III,
IN GotnE Home.
special Correspondence of Gazette and journal.
CAMBRIDGE, Nh, Aug. 1.-"BuR'
Cephas who is to be hanged to-day FOL
the shockingly brutal murder Of Mrs
, Celia Bush, "a yet has betrayed no evi
denoe Of dreading the terrible ordea
awaiting him.
Yesterday he was In the best Of spiriti
and chstted stout the hanging rather
oheerfully with his few callers.
He has partsken Of three meals daily
and Of late has eaten several plates OF ioe
cream in the course OF the day and
smoked occasional cigars. He was visited
yesterday by his colored advisers and
Joined with them in singing and prayer,
but did not show much relish for the
exercises.
A large excursion of oolored people from
Baltimore visited the jail yesterday after
noon and swarmed abent the gallows.
Cephas was given permission to speak
to the party some Of whom he knew.
He oheerfully introduced himself as
as Fred. Cephas, the murderer Of Mrs.
Bush, and told them that he Was ready TO
die. He gave the party some advice and
cautioned his hearers to take warning at
his fate.
Two Of the murderer's brothers visited
him about 10 days ago, and one will be
present to- day at the hanging. His
mother has never been to see him since
the murder.
Cephss slept we'll last night. He arose
| at q O'Clock this morning and smoked a
cigar. Soon after he made hearty
breakfast from chicken, which had bsen
prepared by the sheriff's family.
He is perfectly cool aud sslf-
possessed and told your correspondent
soon after finishing his breakfast that he
was now ready to die, and would not
falter on the soAffold. His spiritual
advisers came TO him early this morning
and will remain until after the execution.
CAMBRIDGE, August -''Bug" Cephas,
the murderer of Mrs. Celia Bush, was
/ hanged at IL IL.
The execution was fixed for between IL
and 2. Precisely at noon the cell door
was opened and Cephas walked to the
soaf0ld, attended by Sheriff Melvin, the
| two jail officials who have been guarding
his cell, knd the Rev. Mr.. Thomas.
Upon mounting the scaifold the clergy
man sang q hymn and offered up an
earnest prayer for the future welfare of
the man about to die.
Cephas then spoke briefly TO those
gathered around. He complained shat
Deputy Sheriff Richardson had not
treated him right during his confinement
in the jail /; bade them all good bye
adm0nishsd all TO take warning by his
fate, and said that he was going home
and was glad the time had come.
The hanging passed off without further
incident. Cephas' neck was broken by
the fall and life was pronounced extinct
in a minutes.
A large crowd surrounded the Jail, hut
comparatively few people Witnessed the
execution
oBPHAs' LAST HYMN.
CAMBRIDGE, Md, August lat IL 10
p. m. Cephss WAS led from his cell TO the
soAtfold passing In view Of 300 people.
He asoended the soatfold singing "Jesus
lover Of my seul' and was accom-
panied by the clergyman through.
ont. He made a few remarks oon-
Tossing the crime and, prayer
being offered the black cap WAS adjusted.
He bade goodbye TO his attendants and
protested his readiness to die. The Gap,
not having been securely fastened on, flew
off, exposing his distorted features. The
soene was siokenirR. Death resulted in
few minutes from strangulation.
LIFE FOR FBw BARS OF SOAP.
The orims for which Frederick alias
Bug Cephas was hanged was the murder
of Mrs. Celia Bush Murphy, an elderly
white woman, whom he killed with q
club last April in the woods near her res-
idence, about mile from williamsburg,
Dorchester county.
The murdered woman WAS married late |
In life to school teacher named Murphy. |
He had many eooea,Yioities, and some |
money. He invested the money In i'm |
proving the farm which Miss Bush owned |
when he married her. Nineteen yeara |
before the tragedy they were divorced,
Judge Charles Goldsborough, then q
young lawyer, being the counsel for |
Murphy. He was ONE OF the judges who
sat on the bench when CephRs was
tried. Murphy was suspected OF the
murder from the fact that he had been
seen near the farm, and his arrest had
been ordered, when olew was obtained
which indicated that the crime had been
committed by some one else. This olsw
led to the arrest of Fred. Cephss and
Samuel MeGlotten, the latter Of whom
was released before theeas came to trial.
Cephas stood two trials, In both Of which
he was convicted. In the frat trial there
was technical error in the verdict Of the
Jury, and In his second trial his counsel
elected to 60 before the court. Cephas
subsequently, confessed his crime and
said that the motive was plunder.
Mrs. Murphy WAS supposed to have
good deal of money boarded, but 1t ia be-
lieved the murderer found none. He
carried off some articles, among which
were several pieces OF soap Of peculiar
make. which were identified ard corre-
spoDded with other soap found op Mrs.
Murphy's premises after her death.
Though the evidence against Cephas was
wholly oiroumstantial, the testimony left
but one impression, and that was the
guilt Of the prisoner. His confession,
which he made after the governor signed
his death warrant, removed all doubt.
Since this event he had devoted his time
to preparation for death, and had pro.
fessed conversion.