San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-07-09
FROM OLD VIRGINIA.
SALEM, Va, July 4th, 1885.

execution of Joe Barber and Horace
Terrell, both negroes. 1t was nm
awful sight that ] don't care to sec
repeated soon.
Like most persons I went to graft
fly my curiosity. Both men were
hanged for murder but for separate
crimes.
The laws of this state require exc,
cutions to be private, But / gained
admittance as representative OF the
press. Fortified with credentials
from the Galveston News, 1 repaired
to the city Jail which was surrounded
by a curious throng Of about thous-
and people, mostly negroes. Barber
made full confession of his crime,
said he was drunk and did not re-
member its commission, but was will.
ing to be hanged as a warning to
others.
Terrell, who up to this time had
stoutly maintained his innocence,
was expected to make confession
just before ascending the gallows, 80
the reporters were on the qui rire to
get it, but in this they were disap-
pointed.
When the singing began. the re-
frain was taken up by tho other pris-
ones and the moaning shouting re-
minded one more of q church than
of a Jail. The religious exercises
concluded the prisoners were hand
cuffed and marched to the gallows in
the rear of the jail. Terrell being a
helpless cripple he was carried up the
steps. The drop was five feet and
the rope used was very small one Of
italian flax" Both men looked
very penitent and when asked if they
had anything to say Barber replied +;
Nothing" Terrell, who was con-
victed solely on circumstancial evil
dence, made a short speech and said
he felt certain that he was going to
Heaven or He'll one, he didn't know
which, but that he was innocent of
the murder and his life was sworn
away by his enemies.
Their legs where then pinioned, the
nooses adjusted and the black caps
drawn over their faces. The men
stood facing each other on trap doors,
which were held up by three props OF
posts that rested on the ground
When the signal was given, the props
on account of the weight on them,
stuck in the ground, and required
several efforts to pull them down ;
in the meantime the trap doors shook
so that the prisoners could hardly
stand. It was moment of awful
suspense, and every one expected the
"swing into eternity" would be fail
ure. But presently there came q
crash winch sent the bodies whirling
in the air. Means and yells went up
from the occupants of the jail, who
could witness the scene from the
windows. After hanging about five
minutes, Barber, the larger man
drew himself up and shivered like
dying chicken, which was evidence
that his neck was not broken anc
that he was strangling to death
After hanging for twenty minutes
their bodies were cut down and I
crowd of medical students began al
autopsy. While this was going on
cut the moose from one of the necks
which 1 sent to Hays county as a re
lie of the first hanging that ha'
taken place in Albemarle county il
half a century
From Charlottesville we went tx
Lynchburg where we stayed allnight
This is one of the most thriving cities
| in the state and rivals Richmond an(
Danville as q tobacco market, every
thing in the place smells of tobacco
you can even smell it as you approach
the town, from the train.
From Lyrchburg we take tn,
Richmond and Allegany railroad Il
the natural bridge. This railroad il
a curiosity from the fact that it runs
the entire length of the state and IL
no place does it leave the banks Of
the James river lone of the crookedest
rivers in the U. S., more than two
hundred yards. 1t crosses severa
mountain ranges but so close does it
run to the river, don't think there is
a tunnel on the whole road. The
state squandered millions of dollars
in building the James river canal and
then gave the railroad millions TO
traverse the entire length of the ca
nal. which Of course, killed it and the
canal now exists only in name. Nat
ural Bridge is situated some two