The Home advocate. (Farmerville, La.) 1885-1???, 1885-06-19
BLACK FRIDAY.
EXECUTION OF PERRY AND
WILLIAM MELTON.

mervillc. To-day the VenGean@
of the law will visit with condi.
and ignominious punishment tw
men, who now are vigorous i
health and endowed with the Coo
given faculties of human beings
These men will this day look to
last time upon this bright worl
and will be ushercd into the pres
encc Of their Maker with the darI
and horrible accusation Of murde
on their souls. The Mosaic law o
san eye for an eye, a tooth for ;
tooth, and a life for a life' Will b.
impressively iIlustrat ted TO day
when the condemned elm mails
Perry Melton and his son William
will De compelled to walk to THEN
death for the murder OF John W
Cherry, on the 18th Of April 1884
Their unhappy fate should serve
as IA terrible warning to would be
law-brcakers and permanently
impress their minds With the truth
of the adage that ''the way of the
tranSgrcsSor is hard"
The majority OF our readers are
no doubt familiar Will, all the
particulars Of the crime for which
the two Meltons are required to
suffer the extreme penalty Of the
law. AS above stated the crime
was committed On the 10Th April
1884. The Meltons fled to Texas,
and in July last Sheriff Pleasant,
learning of their whereabouts,
visited Texas, arrested, and
brought them back to this parish
for trial. They were convicted at
the Nov. term of our Dist. court
and sentenced to be hanged. The
Governor ordered their execution
to take place on the 10th of April,
but, Oh the Sth of April, Il respite
was granted in order to permit
an investigation OLA petition for
communication of sentence to life
imprisonment. The Board Of par
dOnS refused to recommend a com.
of sentence and the
Governor ordered the execution
to take place to day.
PERRY MELTON
was born in Trigg Co., Ga, on It'll
Sept. 1926. His father moved t. |
Crawford county and from thence
10 Bibh county Ala. In Feby.
lS41 MIR. Melton was married, in
Bibb county, to Miss Olave Muse.
His CONDEMNED son William is his
eldest child and there are three
)tller children issue of this MARI
lge. In 1854 Mr.. NJ. moved to
Union parish. His wife died in
1868 and in 1865 he was again
married., to a widow A'phin. Nine
children are yet living born of this
WILLIAM MELTON
vas born III Bibb county Ala. OH
he 1lth April 1913, and is there,
ore 81 years Of age. He has no
amily.
Through the courtesy of Mr.. VIM
'urnagc we were, yesterday per
,itted to inspect the gallows and
lsO to converse with the condemn
d men. They appeared to he re
igncd to their fate, and emphatic-
lily affirmed the truthfnlnesS of
ne statement made and published 5
the ADVOCATE in April last.
LATER,
(F.iday EVENING"
TO day at 1870 p. NJ. sheriff
leasant, accompanied by fifteen |
illnesses repaired to the parish !;
Ill for the purpose Of executing
lie death sentence upon Perry t
nd William Melton-father and g
N for the murder of John w. Ii
berry. Being interviewed before "
icy were taken from the dungeon, -
icy said; s'Whilc we do not e
ink the execution upon us is just s
e are prepared to meet our death a
It'll christian hope and are per O
city recOnciled to our fate, vet :,
e would be much preferable.
e do not think we have been
,alt with properly by the courts.
It we submit with perfect viii
lgness and feel resigned to any
ing which the Lord permits sent
,Om u.s."
What are your feelings toward i.
G jury who sat upon your case /? "A
eve do not care to express our 10
.l!ngs toward the jury and the
rites who appeared against us N
our trial, but We can say that n
are clear of all malice. The d.
Elements which we have previ- u
sly made and had published i'm NJ
gard to tho facts in our case are r.
rect It's now a late hour fer NJ.
to talk anl we prefer TO say 1
thing further They then ask
that they be left in private for In
9 minutes that they might en-.