The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-04-28
A DAY OF EXECUTION.
Three Men Hanged at Once at
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
STORIES OF THEIR CRIMES.
Postponement of Two Other Hang
inEs that were Ekpectcd-Mur-
derers Strung Up in the South.
Criminal Matters.

Fort SMITH, ARK, April 27.-six ex
ecutions were to have taken place her,
to-day, but the hangman was disap
pointed. Two of the condemned mel
were respited, and q third will spent
his life in prison.
George Moss, Jack Grow and Owen D
Hill assembled the scafFold this afternoon
and paid the death penalty, their sen
tences having been passed by Judge
Parker, of the United States District
Court, on February o. JEFF Hildebrandt
Edmund Patterson and Dick souther.
land were to have been executed to-day.
The former two have been given ten
days respite, and southerland's sen.
tence was commuted to imprisonment
for life. Hilderbrandt is dying of con-
sumption, and will not live until the re-
spite is up.
THE CRIMES.
The crime for which George Moss was
hanged was the murder of George Taft,
last fall, in the Red River Valley of the
Chickasaw Nation, and an extraordinary
effort was made TO arrest his murderers.
The last seen OF him alive was on horse
back looking for some live stock, and in
his search met George Moss, a mulatto,
Dick Butler and Factor Jones, Indians,
and Sandy Smith, a white man. They
had Just shot a hog and, fearing that
Taft had noticed it and would report the
matter to the Citizens Committee, they
decided that dead d'men tell no tales"
and following the unsuspecting man, he
was ambushed and dropped from his
saddle. His body was found by friends
several days later and the remarks ofthe
four hog hunters soon resulted in their
arrest. The Federal authorities took
charge OF Smith and Moss and safely
landed them at Fort Smith.
Smith died pending trial. The Indian
police took charge OF their countrymen,
and reported few days later, that ON
their way to the Nations prison a mob
set upon them and lynched Butler and
Jones. Their bodies were found short
time afterward, riddled with bullets.
Moss made the usual desperate fight for
life, and throughout maintained that
Butler did the killing, that he was
powerless to interfere, as he was unarm-
cd. His application for stay proceedings
was denied. He was large mulatto, 80
years old, was born in DeSoto county,
Miss, but lived in Southern Texas most
OF his life, recently moving to the Terri
tory, where his wife and several children
now live.
JEcK crows DARK DEED,
Jack Grow, q half-breed negro, (Choc-
taw) was convicted Of the murder OF
Charles Wilson, a prominent Choctaw
politician, during the last election ex-
citement, two years ago, in the Choctaw
Nation. Wilson insisted on wearing
revolver. The Choctaw police of differ
ent political belief determined to enforce
the law, and four OF them started in
search OF Wilson. On the way they met
Grow and compelled him to accompany
them. On meeting Wilson a fight en-
sued and the politician was killed. All
FIVE men were arrested, but the four In
dian police were sent to the Indian au-
thorities, who dismissed the case against
them. Grow, being part negro, came
under the jurisdiction of the Federal
authorities and in his second trial was
convicted. He protested his innocence
throughout, but was unable to set up
strong defense, as he could not speak
English, and one Of the policemen ap-
peared against him in the trial, swearing
that Grow fired the first and fatal shot,
Many doubt the justice OF the sentence.
He has been very unruly and often asked
why the Others escaped.
WHAT HILL DID.
Owen D. Hill, a negro, was convicted
Of the murder OF his wife in the Creek
Nation, near Muskogee, about one year
ago. He had taken good care of his wife
and mother.in.law, but the latter seemed
to keep up a continual row, and finally
induced the daughter to leave her hus-
band. Unable to induce herto return to
his cabin, he attacked her with a razor,
cutting her throat. He next tried to
kill his mother-in-law and then himself,
but inflicted only slight wounds. AS he
started from the house, he picked up his
infant and carried IL to neighbor's,
leaving it on the doorstep with re-
quest to care for 1t. Hethenlhidin bushes,
until some one returned home and took
charge OF the baby. He was arrested,
and at his trial, last November, his
mother.in.law was the only witness
against him. He maintained his inno-
cence without avail. After lconviction
he became very religious, talking freely
and recently intimated that his mother
in-law committed the crime. He was
born in Chambers county, Ala, in 1860,
and lived in the territory several years,
where he was always looked upon rs
steady reliable man.