Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-18
SHRINKING AT A GIBBET.
TOBE TURNER TWICE AT
TEMPTS TO TAKE HIS LIFE.

Fears when he Left Atlanta that He
Would Die on the Train Nesting i'm
his Mothers Lap-PoisOn Furnished
Him by his Parents-FruitIess APP
peals to the Governor.
| ATLANTA, April 17.-Tobe Turner, the
Meriwether county murderer, who has
been confined in Fulton county Jail, made
an effort yesterday to end his life by his
own hand Tomorrow is the day set apart
for his hanging, and as the day neared he
became more desperate. When Gov.
Mcdaniel refused TO interfere in his be-
half his last hope seemed to die away, and
he said that he would never hang, and
that he would manage in some way to end
his life by his own hands. Yesterday
his father and mother were allowed to see
him, and while talking to him the father
gave him a small flask which contained
whisky and perhaps something else also.
In the afternoon Turner was noticed to
be in a state of stupe faction, and DR..
Boring, the county physician, examined
him, and found that he was under the in-
fluence of some drug.
SAVED BY A DOCTOR.
Antidotes were given, and Turner soon
YOmited, after which he fell asleep, and
rested quietly during the night. He was
very weak tlAis morning, and had wild
and nervous look. He remarked to one of
the prisoners this morning:
''They think I'll hang, but I'll beat
them to the tank. There are more ways
than one to do it, and you see if don't"
In their grief and sorrow his mother
and father are as anxious as their son
that he should kill himself when the last
hope vanished.
The Governor was engaged during the
greater portion of the morning in giving
audience to Col. Berry and others who
were interceding for a Communication of the
death sentence of Turner, but their efforts
availed nothing, as the plea for executive
clemency was based upon no grounds
sufficient to warrant the Governors in
terferenae.
A SECOND SUICIDAL ATTEMPT.
At l O'Clock j. c. Matthews. Sheriff of
Meriwether county, and J. b. Irwin and
A. j. Miller, guards, went to the Jail to
get the doomed man. AS Turner's cell
door was being unlocked he took from his
pocket a small paper, and breaking it
open showed white powder, and before
the officers could open the door he threw
his head back and swallowed the powder,
together with the paper. He refused to
tell what the powder was, and the physi-
elan who examined him was unable to
detect if it was pOsOn. He was carried
to the train, and after sitting down he
placed his head in his mothers lap and
refused to talk to any one except her.
NEsTLING IN HIS MOTHERS LAP.
1t was indeed a sad sight to see the
aged mother accompany her son to the
gallOws with his head nesting in her
lap. The Sheriff, believed that Turner
had taken poison. There was reason to
believe that Turner would die in his
mothers lap before reaching Newman.
The Sheriff fears trouble after reaching
Granville as they go from they to Green
vile, a distance of sixteen miles in a
wagon. A large guard will meet
them at Granville. 1t is the general
opinion that the miserable man will COM
plete the work of taking his life. Turner
belongs to one of the best families in the
State, and for the past ten days eX-COn-
gresham Harris, Senator w. A. Turner,
Col. Berry, President of the National
Bank of Newman, and other influential
people have been with the Governor al
most constantly interceding in behalf Of
the doomed man.