The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-20
HANGING A WOMAN.
The First White Female Hanged in
Georgia.

The First White Female Hanged in
Georgia.
The statement that Miss Susan Eber-
hardt was the first white woman hanged in
Georgia has called out reply from Miss
Eliza A. Bowen of Washington, Wilkes
county.
During the past few years" Miss Bowen
says, Il have every now and then seen the
statement made that Susan Ebarhardt was
the first white woman ever hanged in Geor-
ga always knew that it was not SO, as
did some others, but | never got up steam
before 70 make a correction. l thought,
| too, when poor wretches we're hanged that
was enough they were entitled to oblivion,
without being dragged back 20 point morals.
| SO | let the ghastly subject pass
until | again saw the misstatenent
| in Saturdays paper. | mad heard the
story If the tragedy which caused a white
woman to be hanged in Wilkes county, long
before any of its present inhabitants were
BORN, except PERHAPS, four or five. So am
going to make the correction. But am not
going to tell about the hanging itself. |
did not ask for those details, would not listen
to them, would not tell them if | knew
them, certainly would not print them; and
finally f | had my way, would not permit
enterprisng newspaper editors to print
Il mad heard old folks, now dead. say
that a Mrs. Bartlett was once hanged in
Wilkes county for killing her husband. |
imagined she was an old bag who probably
poisoned him. | was surprised to find she
was n woman in her early prime, and as
every rill of tradition ulites to say she was
a beautiful woman. The crime occurred in
the autumn Of 1906, and she suffer d the
penalty III 1906. Her husband and she were
Ainrnfr1vatiI,la to +f,a madam nj
it was known that they lived unharpiiy
She had lover whose name |
did not learn, and they engaged her
half brother, a man named Nowlin,
to murder the husband. He was to receive
800. They wanted also to secure Mr..
Bartletts money, and so they planned to
have him killed just after he mad returned
from selling his cotton in Augusta. Some
time in the fall the brother went TO see his
sister, and they talked it over. The brother
said he did not believe the lover would pay
the $500. She said she would see it paid
and urged him to the deed. A half grown
boy, either not known to be present, or
supposed to be asleep, sat by the 10, or lay
there, and heard every word
The plan was that the brother should, at
night, go to the cotton house on the roaI
and make some uoise. Mr.. Bartlett had
been troubled with depreiators, aud it as
supposed he would go out, when he was TO
be shot. An old blacksmith, who lived ia
the unity long, told how Nowlin had come
to him to get two bullets moulded for his
shotgun. When he gave them TO Nowlin
he said: They will do mischief Wien they
are fred
"There was some company at the Bartlett
house that night. When the noise was heard
at the cotton house lit was before the day
Of cotton gins Mr. Bartlett hesitated and
did not care to go. But the woman was as
determined and hard-hearted as Lady Mac
beth, for all her beautiful face, and she
urged him to 60 where he was to meet his
death. Not long after the people at the
house heard the gun fired, and Mrs. Bart eft
exclaimed: on my husband is kille1r
mot very far away some children were
out playing in the yard of housa, for it
was a beautiful moonlight night, Saturday
night, tradition says. distinctly. Suddenly
the sharp report of a gun, once, Thea aga n,
rang out on tho crisp evening air and star
tied them. Next day the cause was learned.
One of the children, then boy of 10 years
old, died in 1886 at the age Of 81. | learned
many of these particulars from his son, who
had often heard him toll them.
Mr.. Bartlett was not killed at once, but
the ball went into his mouth and cut off his
tongue. He died next day, giving no evil
dence. At first there was no suspicion
aroused. Something she herself said about
his money, first excited 1t. Then people
began to whisper, and put things together,
and finally she was arrested, and the boy
referred to was the principal witness
against her. The lawyers tried hard to
| impeach the credibility of his testimony,
but he always told his tale quite straight
| without essential variation, aud the jury
believed him and brought in verdict of
| guilty in spite of her beautiful face
| Public opinion was strongly against her.
Wilkes was settled by number of God
| fearing people of SEQ ch-Irish blood. They
| had been reared to believe In the eternal
decrees, and the punishment Of the wicked,
etc, and they did not believe in letting off
sinners with beautiful faces. So she suf-
fered the extreme penalty. One thing |
will tell about the execution. she wore a
| fine silk dress.
"They buried Mr.. Bartlett exactly where
he fell The cotton house has long since
gone, and the grave Is almost in the road.
| The neighbors dragged heavy, dark rock
upon it. passed this road not long ago,
and saw the rock exactly on the line of the
| fence. Ii is said that when the people work
the roads, they always pile up dirt on the
grave. Eighty-three years ago that rock,
without inscription, was placed there. 1t
shows the profound impression made by the
| tragedy, that people remember who lies
buried under it. 1t is on the old road from
| Elberton to Augusta, now not much trav-
eled. On Callaway's map of Wilkes county,
| the spot is marked as Murdered Bartlett's
Grave 1t is rather disgusting TO know that
| the lover and Nowlin succeeded in running
away. Worse still. Many years after,
when he knew the witnesses were all dead
Nowlin came back, was tried and acquitted,
hired assassin as he was. She had no