Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-13
WARREN PRICE HANGED.
DEATH ALMOST PAINLESS AND
MET WITH GLADNESS.

DEATH ALMOST PAINLESS AND
MET WITH GLADNESS.
No Attempt at Rescue-Hundreds of
Spectators Present-The Story of the
Crime-One of the Most Remarkable
ROmances in Criminal Annals
TENNILLE, GA, Dec. l2.-ThIs afternoon at
3 O'Clock Warren Price was executed at
| Wrightsville in the presence of several thou
sand people, whites and blacks, who com
menced early in the morning assembling from
many miles around, coming on horseback and
in every conceivable conveyance. In the
| large multitude were many women and chill
dren, who patiently waited several hours in a
| hard ram for the arrival of the hour appoint
ed for the execution. Warren had been
confined in SGndersville iail for safe
| keeping. Yesterday afternoon Sheriff
Burns, of johnson county, with
eleven guards, armed with shotguns. left
| Wrightsville for Sandersville to take charge
of Price, as it was feared that an attempt to
release him would be made by friends, such a
| plan having been concocted by his friends
when ne was sentenced to be hanged last
| month before the Governors respite. Sheriff
| Burns, the guard and Price reached
| Wrlghtsvllle to-day noon, having encountered
| no opposition en- route Price came peaceablv
| and calmly conversed with the SherIfr the
| entire way from Sandersvllle, with whom he
| rode in buggy.
RESIGNED TO HIS FATE.
Last night Pr &c slept well IN Sandersyille
jan ana ate a n sr-y breakfast this morning
| When he reacA WrightsUlle he was placed
| IN jail, where he was visited By several
| friends, his two brothers, and the NEWS
| reporter, to whom he freely conversed. He
| said that he was satisfied as to his future
| haVlng rested his soul with God. Price
| would not directly admit that he killed
Perry but virtually confessed it, say
| ing that what he did he felt that
| his conscience and heart approved, and
| that the deed was prompted by self defense to
| protect his family from death at Perfy's
nanus ana MS house from destruction bV fire
| Prlce SAID that the only dread he had of diving
| was the leaving of his helpless wife and five
chlluren, VINO are poverty stricken. Price
| has two aged brothers, who Hept sorelv over
| him in jail to-day, the three gray heads max
| ing truly affecting picture. He begged his
| brothers to have his body decently buried in
| the old family burial ground, ten miles dis
tant from Wrlghtsville and three miles from
| his late hOme the scene of the recent tragedy
| Price s wife visited him constantly in San
| GersVllle jail, but he had not seen her since
| Wednesday last.
WIFE AND DAUGHTER ABSENT.
Neither she nor his daughter. about whom
| the killing of Price originated were in
| WrghtsvIlle at the hanging. Powell, the
| paramour Of Prices daughter, and the for
| mer wife OF Perry, whom Powell married et
| the last September term of johnson SUPERIOR
| Court to escape prosecution for fornication
ana Wnlch ceremony was performed in open
| court IN The presence of Warren Price
few moments before he received his
| death sentence, was not at Wrightsville
to-day, although he was present last month
when 1t was expected that Price wOuld han0
Two 9inerent preachers prayed with Price in
his cell shortly before going to the gallOws
Whefeat ne became very much affected Price
ave ave ulnnef INNER IN jan, and then announced him
sen ready 1or execution. His general manner
was calm and his movements steady He had
Deen suffering several weeks from neuralgia.
He SAID that he would rather die than be con-
nneu IN JAN any longer. He did not desire the
| deaIh sentence cOmmuted to life lmprison-
| ment.
LED TO THE GIBBET.
AT o'clock Price was escorted to buggy
| by the Sheriff and driven to the gallows stu
ated on hui. near the school house, a mile
from the court house. He steadily mounted
| the steps to the scaffold. where he bade good
bye to his brothers and friends. The hymn,
There Is Fountain Filled with Blood" was
! sung by the crowd. Rev. Norris a Primitive
| Baptlst preacher, of which faith Price himself
had been confessed believer for % years, Of
| fered feeling prayer on the gallOWs which
| received responsive "amens" from the spec-
| tators. Price then made rambling talk. an
nounced faith In the redemption Of his soul
ana counseed his hearers to refrain from
Wlckedness ana meet him beyond the skies
lie made no confession whatever of the muir
der.
LAUNCHED INTO ETERNITY.
At O'Clock Sheriff Burns cut the rope, and
| Prices soul was launched into eternity. He
| had 1iVe-feet drop, and his neck was broken
lie dled instantly and without a struggle, no
muscle being seen to move. His body was
taken down. placed IN wagon. and carried
| 10 MS late home. He will be buried
| tomorrow. The weather to-day was
cloudy, ana constant drizzing
rain fell. Much sympathy has been exnressed
1or Price, and as he stood the galows,
with his white locks and long, gray beard
foatlng IN the wind, many thought that Man
dial Powell, the man who debauched Prices
| daughter and drove Romanus f. Perry to his
doom, should be standing IN Prices place, and
made to suffer this fate. 1t Is the opinion of
many that Powell and Prices daughter insti-
| gated Price to slay his sOn-in-laW Perry
Mrs. Powell nee Mrs. Perry, appears very
uncOncerned over the entire tragedy. She
has a little education, but her father was en-
| tirely llllterate, and could neither read nor
| write. All his conversation to day was ram
| bling. He was tried at the March term of
court IN 1888, before Judge Carswell. Judge
IWlggs, of Augusta, and J. X. Hines, of San
| dersvllle, represented the defense. Aleck
DAILY, OF Wrightsville, and John Stubbs,
of Dublin, prosecuted the case, which
| was appealed to the Supreme Court
| and the judgment of the lower court
| affirmed last September. Price was sentenced
| to be hanged Nov. Il. The Governor re-
| prleved him for one month, in order to eX-
| anime petition from citizens of johnson and
| other counties asking a communication of the
| sentence. Price was the first man ever
| hanged in johnson county. Sheriff Burns
| performed the execution perfectly. Perry's
father, very old man, sat very
near the gallows, intently watching
| every moment of the man who Killed his son.
| After the drop fell and Price had hanged ten
| minutes Perry got up and walked off, appar-
| entity satisfied that his sons murder had been
| avenged. Price had his life written while in
| Sandersville Jail, and sold it for ten dollars
| for publication in the Sandersville NercuYy
| after his death.
ROMANCE OF CRIME.
The story Of the tragedy of which Warren
Price was the hero Is more than ordinarily
romantic. Price lived in johnson county,
| near Wrightsville, and was one of the most
prominent gentlemen OF that section of the
| state, having been hOnOred with political
places of trust several times. The object of
| his greatest pride was a pretty daughter Of
| fourteen, named Jennie. Her fathers COM
Portable competency and her own beauty
| drew host of sultOrs to her shrine. Mandal
| Powell and ROmanus f. Perry eventually
| Outdistahced all others. Both were well-to-
| do young farmers, and more than ordi-
| ideas. A bitter rivalry, of course, eX-
| listed between them. Early in 1882 Perry
captured the prize and led his bride to
| home which he had prepared for her five
miles from her fathers. Mandal PowelPs
| presence at the ceremony was the only cup of
bitterness to Perry on his wedding day. For
| six months all passed well with the newly
welded couple. About the expiration of that
| time, however, Pcrry's jealousy was aroused
| by the information that Nandal Powell, his
hated rival, had been seen entering his house
| in his absence. When he reached his home
his wife met him with kiss, and all thought
of infdelitY vanished. A reference to Powell
during the evening threw her into passion,
but reconciliation soon followed.
DISCRETION AND MURDER.
The next day Perry was called to Wrights-
vile on business When he reached home at
o'clock IN the afternoon he found the house
deserted. note left by his wife was found
and read as follows:
| ROMANUs-I have gone hons. You watch
me too closely will never live with you
again. Goodbye forever. JENNIE.
At loss to understand it he rushed to his
father in laws. He was ordered awav on
pain of death. A few hours later he was told
that Mandal Powell was living with his run
away wife, with all the privileges of a hus-
| band, and with the knowledge and consent of
her parents. 1t was Aug. Il. 1882
The night was clear and bright, 1t
was nearly 10 O'Clock when he again an
preached his father-in- laws residence. Asif
| shotgun in his hands. As Perry approached
| he ordered him to stop. Perry continued to
| advance, when Price raised the gun and
| fired. Perry fell with a groan, and by the
| time the inmates of the house reached his
| side he was dead Standing in a loving atti-
| tude, looking at the dead man, were the guilty
| wife and her paramOur.
| satiOn; the alleged cOnnivance of the father
! and mother with their daughters shame. the
! high position of the families. and the age and
venerable appearance OF the murderer ali
| combined to give interest to the tragedy,
| THE TRIAL.
| Price was arrested, tried and convicted
! The proceedings were tragic in the extreme.
| Some of the ablest lawyers in the State de-
| Tended him. His four brothers sat with him