The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-06-05

would not be drop in the bucket It takes
"n2t would be considered here wealthy man
10 DO anything farming in California. The
lahds are very high, and range in price all the
way nom 30 up to 81 900 per acre AS have
stated l refer to men OF limited means when
say thatth south could induce he farming
class TO come here. OF course. if q person has
wealth, and lots of it, and desires perfect eli
mate, and willing to pay a high price for it,
California is the state above all others, he is
heading for.'
Mr.. George W. Benton, committed suicide
at his home in Milton county by hanging HIM
self with q pillow line. He rose early in the
morning, as usual, made fire, drew a bncket
OF water and carried it into the house, and
called his wife to get breakfast, and went to
the lot to feed his mule. He then went to the
gear house and got one of his plow lines, ran it
IN running moose around his neck and tied
the other end over the end plate of the crib
shelter, and died from strangulation. His
wife got breakfast ready, called him and he
tailed to answer, she looked out and saw him
hanging dead. She ran to him and called his
brother, Mr.. Jack Benton, who spent the
carried him into the house, and sent for Coro-
ner Broadwell, who came and empaneled
jury, which, after being out only few min
utes, returned with the following verdict:
The deceased came to his death by his own
hands"
Long ere the sun rose Friday morn
ing, immense crowds began pouring into
Blakely to witness the execution of Henry
Weaver, coored, sentenced at the April term
of court for the murder of Miles West, colored,
on the 29th of December last. BY noon the
crowd was variously estimated from three to
four thousand, the largest, doubtless, ever as
Sembed in the town. AT IL 10 o clock, Sheriff
Black, under escort of strong guard, re-
paired to the jail and informed the doomed
man that his hour of execution had arrived.
Imagine the alert sheriffs surprise when,
upon entering the prisoners CELL evidences of
an attempt to bore from Jail were noticed and
an augur found in the room. AT II rs Weaver
was placed in an open carriage, in which seats
were occupied by two colored ministers Sher-
ifs Black, of Early, and Coleman, of Clay,
physician and others, and the solemn process
sion moved slowly through the public square
to the place of execution, which had been To-
Gated in grove few hundred yards east of
the town.
Arriving at the gallows, the prisoner alight-
ed from the carriage, and, accompanied by the
attending ministers, assembled the platform
calmly and with a firm step, when religious
exercises were held for several minutes,
Weaver joining in the singing, and Offering
himself fervent prayer. Beyond this no
statement was made by him.
On Friday last he confessed conversion and
was baptized. Though mentioning nothing of
this on the gallows, he had repeatedly SAID in
his cell that he had become perfectly resigned
to his fate, and that he had hope of blissful
hereafter.
AL IL ~ tne moose ana DlaCK cap were ID
juSted, his arms and feet pinioned, and in one
minute thereafter his soul was launched into
eternity, and his body hung dangling between
earth and heaven. In fourteen minutes life
was pronounced extinct and his body was
taken down and decently buried.
This leaves our jail now without an occu-
pant. Everything passed off quietly, consider
ing the immense crowd.
Colonel John II. Broome, of LaGrange, tells
the story OF the only duel ever fought in that
place. SIT was during the war, / think in the
winter of 64," says Colonel Broome, "when
party, or dance. was given in that part of the
Masonic hall now used by the Light Guards as
an armory and there were present at that
time in LaGrange Lieutenant Webb, a Mis-
sisSippian, and q Captain Barret, Ken
tucl1ian, both fiery yo ung confederate officers
Lieutenant Webb escorted the far Jewess,
then belle Of Mobile, Ala, who was also here
on visit, to this party. He was assiduous in
his attentions to her, and seemed deeply smit-
ten. When supper was announced, Captain
Barrel in some way secured Miss j and
escorted her to the table, but how or in what
manner this was done TO cause offense, I do
not now remember. Anyway, the lieutenant
thought he had been injured, and forthwith
demanded satisfaction Of the captain under
the code then ruling such disputes. The chal-
| lenge was sent and readily accepted. Fifteen
PAGES and the regulation duelling pistols was
the arrangement, and one cold afternoon the
combatants, accompanied by their seconds and
a surgeon, repaired TO q spot about one mile
south of the courthouse, near the home now
occupied by Beverly Goodwin, colored. The
day was cold and the wind biting, and Webb
who was little, nervous blonde fellow, kept
walking to and fro over the ground trying to
keep warm. Barret was just his counterpart
small, brunette, but perfectly cool and col
lected. While the preliminaries were being
arranged he sat on stump, legs crossed and
as unconcerned as possible. Two shots were
fred both missing tho first time. At the
second shot Barrets aim was little better
and he sent bullet through the side of Webb,
making d painful though not dangerous flesh
wound. That ended the fight, the principals
Webb Webb and Barrel made Themselves scare scarce for for
some time.