The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-09-16
HANGED AT GEoRGETowN
Special Telegram to the Statesmen ~

, ut th,l .i, September l0.-Early this 49,,
M the people began to gather in, and nv '1 morn
ses TO start with the prisoner for the %
which time the sheriff, Jno r. Oliver ord at
Oner, irwin hurry, with another auard S , sle prs
tue place OF execution one mile east Of to, TO
an open pia5rie on the San Gabriel with AN IN
the ground the little prairie and the s~tr reu on
WOODS were full OF people. A great msnllng
even IN the tee tops to see the criminaiy were
hurry, hung. "4ual, irwin
The readers of THE STATESMAN will
that hurry was convicted here in the dst r;ieoer
OF last january, for numbering his wife AZ court
deXas IN December, 1855. His case saS ws,
n MORE time NC the appellate court to give him
it would undoubtedly be stllrmed known ,nS!I
was the case, and he was sentenced st Tho "llCn
term OF the district court Murray was con ouiy
heavy built, and blind in one eve. mules;
The facts, as near as we remember wero q, 3,
lows: III seems that his wife was BATHING 90 III VI
came into the house, from the testimony Of hsT ~
Tie boy VINO was already in he'd Murray told her
ne was gong TO Kill her, at which she fell nm b
knees and prayed begged and pleaded with hn e 81
spare her life. lie knocked her in the basd in 70
an axe, and cut her throat with his razor H t Hisn
went TO church The minister stated that the SER.
vice was about over, and insisted that he shonld 90
home with him and that his wife had reonasteI
him to come down, and when he went into ~
room he stumbled over her diving cnrn cue
Blood was found on his clothes, With
other corroborating facts, which proved hs
guilt beyond a doubt to every rational being, ''
lie was hard character. His wife lived with
him In dread, fearing he would kill her and ,rss
afraid to leave him because he would kill her 40
Murray assembled the scafod without tremor
lie turned and spoke to some one, saving thara
were few men that ever assembled the scafold with
as clear conscience as he had, and laughed. He
called for Rev. Williams, (colored) who oficatad
in the religious ceremonies. Murray sang with
the rest. The hymn selected was: sam / horn
| to die = He choked up little at the end of the
stanza, and while pra! ing, he wiped that good eve
of his. He called Lockhart, of Round rock 10
shake with him, and be a better nran He
hoped to see MIR. Lockhart, Is he looked around
Murray also called on his colOred friends to come
and shake hands with him that felt like it, There
was such crowd started the sheriff had to stop all
but few He stammered and choked little when
he requested to shake with his colored friends
You might say he was grit to the last. g. G. Pal
mer, OF Austin, went up with Oliver on the plat
form. The drop was cut at II minutes to O'clock
The drop was eight feet He was pronounced dead
by Drs. w. II. Jones and L. w. Watern and after
hanging 1871 minutes was cut down at , p. m. His
neck was not broken. He made no confession, but
held out to the last he was innocent and died
with a free conscience. You would have to ran.
sack the cesspools of hellto find harder character
This was the first legal hanging in the history OF
our cOulty.
The crowd was estimated at 5000.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
GEORGETOWN, September 10. The negro Irvine
Murray was hanged at :l3 to-day, at point one
mile from town. six thousand people were pres
ent. Murray died without a struggle. After the
body had been suspended twelve and half min
utes, life was pronounced extinct. Murray up to
the last preserved a cool demeanor. Every one
present remarked that he died game. He made no
confession. Murray murdered his wife in cold
blood, at Taylor, in December last.