Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-02
HANGINGS MADE HIDEOUS
BLACK GAPS SLIP OFF IN TWO
INSTANCES.

Spectators Sickened by the Horrible
Agony Depicted in the Faces of the
Dying MalefactOrs - One of Them
struggles Desperately While Swing
ing-Three White Men Hanged for
Arson In Alabama.
NEW YORK, Aug. alexander Jeffer-
son, negro, who in jealous rage killed
by Hids and Emma Jackson, all colored,
and nearly killed Anna jackson and
slightly wounded his brother, Celestial
Jefferson, at Mrs. Jackson's residence on
Buffalo avenue, Brooklyn, was hanged
this morning in the presence of about 400
spectators. Jefferson has claimed all
| along that at the time of the commission
OF the crime he was insane, and was there
fore quite willing that surgeons should
examine his brain. Should they find that
he was insane, he said, it would not
benefit him any. but it would vindicate
his lawyer in the fight he had made for
him. Shortly after the rope was cut
and Jefferson's body shot into
the air. The knot slipped round his chin
and his neck was not broken. For
moment he was mOtionless, and then he
kicked, struggled and groaned as he
slowly strangled. By a desperate effort
he got his right hand up to the rope and
tore the black cap from his face, expos
ing its contortiOns and his staring eyes.
After he tore the black cap away his
hand fell down by his side. The contor-
tions and commissions of his BODY con-
tlnued for about five minutes. Life was
pronounced extinct in eight minutes after.
The body was sent to the morgue.
THREE STRUNG UP FOR ARSON.
SCoTTsBORO, ALA, Aug. 1.-George
Smith, Ashberry and George Hughes, all
white, and under % years old, were
hanged here at l o'clock to-day. They
were convicted of burning the house OF
Henry Porter. 1t was the first instance
OF the death penalty being enforced for
arson in this State. They were all bap-
tized before they left the Jail. George
Hughes tried to inflame the crowd by a
speech from the Jail window, and sue
ceeded i'll creating considerable feeling.
Smith and Ashberry made addresses
IRON Jail window, both denying their
guilt, but the former cOnfessing other
crimes. They mounted the scaffold with
firm step. At II O'Clock the drop fell,
and they died with but few struggles.
ALSO HUNG WITH HIS FACE UNCOVERED.
CAMBRIDGE, Md, Aug. 1.-Fredic, alias
bug" Cephas (cOlored) was hanged in
private at noon to-day for the murder of
Mrs. Celia Bush Murphy on April last.
ne SpeuI q quiet Hlg0I, sleeping SOunQlV
from O'Clock to 5 O'Clock this morning.
He made few remarks, cOnfessing the
crime. Prayer being offered, the black
cap was adjusted. He bade goodbye to
his attendants, and professed his readi-
ness to die. When the Sheriff cut the
rope, the cap, not having been securely
fastened on, flew off, exposing his dis
torted features. The scene was sIckening.
Death resulted in a few minutes from
strangulation.
WIFE MURDER EXPIATED.
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 1.-Frank Williams,
colored, who shot and killed his wife in
cotton field last October, and seriously
wounded her daughter, was hanged to-
day at Pine Bluff, Ark, in the presence of
a great crowd. The drop fell at 1915
O'Clock. Death ensued in about fifteen
minutes.
A MULATTO BOY IN THE MOOSE.
TRENTON, S. c., Aug. 1.-Wilson
Stephens, a mulatto boy, was hung to-
day shortly after noon at Edgefield Court
House for the murder Of w, II. Stiefer,
an old German peddler, near here last
December. Stephens behaved cody.
lie recognized the sentence as a Just one.
and said that God had forgiven him.
Stephens fell five feet and his neck was
broken. He died in eleven minutes, and
was cut down after hanging eighteen
minutes.