Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-20
FIVE MURDERERS HUNG.
HENRY ETHRTDGE SWINGS IN
JONES COUNTY.

He Ooufesses His Guilt on the soafToIdl
Father and Son on One Gfbbet I'M
LouIsianA-The Son Dies Hard-Ani
Ohioan Executed for Killing His
Mother
MACON, June 10. - Henry Ethridgel
(colored), expiated his crime of murder
ON the gallows to-day at o'clock, in Clin-'
ton, Jones county, twelve miles from Ma
con. Everything passed of very quietly
A great many people were attracted
to the place by the hanging.g
The execution was private. Ethridge
confessed his crime on the scatfold, and
said that he was willing TO die and be-
lieyed that God had pardoned him.
CoLD-BLOODED MURDER.
Henry Ethridge and Thomas Clemens.
now dead, were counting the same Qirl.g
one Susie Williams. All were colored.
aud from the facts on the trial 1t appearsl
that Thomas was more successful in his
wooing than Henry. Thomas and susie4
had arranged to be married at Thomas'
house, 1t being Sunday evening, anda
were on their way to the marriage by IA
path through the plantation Of r..
II. Jenkins. Thomas was feWi
peces in front, talking and walking3
leisnrely along, doubtless in a happy
mood in the bright antioipatiOn$
Of q future filed with all the sweets OF
welded life. Suddenly Henry Ethridgei
appeared upon the scene, having emerged
nom some bushes by the wayside, and.
with pistol in hand, rudely disturbed thes
quiet Of this twilight scene by saying:s
And this Is what you call gone, is It.!
Miss Susie. Wen, then, goodbye" Hei
Immediately stepped In between susiel
and Thomas, whose back was to him, and,
demon like, fired the pistol into the
back of the neck Of Thomas, who's
fell forward and died immediately.
Horny ran OF and was arrested in South
Georgia. He was indicted by the grand,
jury Of Jones county at the October term,
1884. He was arrested and brought back
to Clinton jail and tried and convicted of
the murder. A motion for a new triaE
was refused, and his case was carried tol
the supreme Court and the judgment cons
firmed, and in April. 1885. at Jones supei
riOr Court,he was resentenced to be hRng-i
ed on June 10, 1885. He has been in jaiu
az tlzis.place ever since. Henry was in
appearance an ordinary negro, being stout
built.
FATHER AND SON DIE TOGETHER.
FARMERsVILLE, La, June 10-Perryi
and William Melton. father and son, were
executed in the parish prison here thia
afternoon for the murder of John w i.
Cherry, April 10. 1884. The drop fell at.
] .B O'Clock. Old man MeltOn'a neck was
dislocated, and, with the exception Of aj
slight shrug Of the shoulders. he died i'm
mediately after the fall without n strug-l
gle. His son William died in terrlble4
agony. The loop, having caught over hiss
chin IN descending, il remainedi
so, allowing easy respiration. After
fifteen minutes, his condition being un-l
changed, the rope was readjusted and
death resulted in eleven minutes. At2:O5i
O'Clock the physicians pronounced life ex-
tinct. The bodies were placed in collins
and turned over TO friends. Both men
were remarkably cool and collected. :!
When asked II they had anything TO say,
they replied: "No." They requested
that the reading Of the death warrant andi
papers be dispensed with, as they wanted
to get through. Neither had
anything to say in connecticut
with the crime. Besides a half audibIas
prayer while kneeling on the platform,
and repeated requests TO let them hear
the signal given for the drop, very little
was said by either. Only the legal num-
Der witnessed the execution.
DIES WITHOUT STRUGGLE.
NEW ORLEANS, June 19.-Charlesl
Campbell, cOlOred. was hanged to-day att
Point a la Hache, Plaquemine Parish. iori
the murder Of Theodore Trigscovitch inf
august, 1904. Aue drop Iell NJ iOciock.t
The mans neck was broken, and he diedi
without "A struggle. He made no state-l
ment on the gallOws.
FOR KILLING HIs MOTHER.
HAMILTON, o., June Deco. Schneid-i
er,cOnyicted or having killed his mother I'M
October last. was hanged this mOrningl
There was no noteworthy incident about
the execution. The condemned man had
previously confessed bis crime.