The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-30
THE DEATH PENALTY.
jed PrItchctt Executed at Chatham He
struggles Violently on the scahoid.
lSpeefal to the Tfmea


CHATHAM, VA, March 29-Jed
Priichett (colored), was hanged here to-
dav for an outrage committed on the 2lth
of June last on the person of Jennie Pol
lok, the eight-ycar-old daughter of Mr..
w. G.. Pollok, farmer, whose home IL
on Sandy river, in this county, about
nine miles from Danvile. Pritchetf,
who i'm shape was a man, but by nature
a brute, with all the bascr instincts of a
brute, was employed by Mr.. Pollok as a
farm laborer On Sunday afternoon,
June cath, he was lying under the trees
which surround spring near Pollok's
house. Old Mr. Pollok the father OF "
c. Pollok, asked little Jennie, his eight
vear-old granddaughter, TO run TO the
spring and bring grandpa little bucket
Of fresh water. She attempted TO com
ply with the request, and reached the
spring There she was caught by Pritch.
cit and brutally outraged. Her suiTerings
were intense, and il is believed her in
iuries are 10 some extent permanent
Pritchelt left the country 1t was thought
for a long time he was hiding in the
swamps below Danyile, and several
bands Of determined men secured the
country in search Of him. II is needless
to say had he been caught, he would have
been lynched, but he was not in that sec
tion. Immediately after the commission
Of the crime he left for North Carolina
and went to Durham, where he worked
on a railroad in supposed security until
December last Then he was given
away by a companion, who going to
Danyille told the police where Pritchett
was On the afternoon OF December
cath he was arrested and brought here
that night and lodged in Jail. Fears Of
an attempt al lynching induced the shcr-
if to take the prisoner TO Lynehburg
iail. where he remained until the Janua-
~ term Of the County Court.
Al that time he was brought here,
tried, and found guilty. Judge Coles
sentenced Pritchett to be hanged to-day.
The prisoner had constant fear OF being
lvnched and for while was scared and
uneasy all the time This feeling finally
wore away, and he became insOlent and
obslreperous, in consequence Of which
he was put in irons. Ministers OF the
Gospel frequently visited Priichett and
tried to supply him with religious conso-
lation, but ne paid but little at
tention to them and apparently
made no preparation for hereafter.
His appetite has been good since his
Incarceration, and his physical condition
much improved Yesterday he ste three
hearty meals Judge Coles gave strict
orders that the execution should be a
private one, accordingly a scaiiold
was erected in the woman's
room of the Jail and none admitted
except officers, physicians, and the legal
Witnesses Sheriff overly had every
thing in readiness yesterday, and moth
ing remained to be done to-day but to
carry out the order of the Court.
The execution took place at 1l:5j \.
VI. He bore himself with cOmposure
until on the scaiiold, when at the last
moment he became frantic with fear,
struggling, violently resisting every ef-
fort made to keep him on the trap, but he
soon became exhausted, and Sheriff
overly sprang the trap at the hour men
toned Death seemingly occurred in
stantlv, no motion of the body being ap-
parent at the drop, although the neck
was not broken by the fall.
Under the new statute the body was
shipped TO the University Of Virginia
for dissection.