The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-04-24
BEN ELY
LEAVES BEHIND A CHASTITY TALE
OF MURDER, ROBBERY
AND ARSON.

The written confession of Ben Ely, the
negro, murderer, hanged in Birmingham,
Ala, on last last Friday, has been made
public. 1t is the worst appalling chapter
of crimes. iftrue, ever heard Of. In brief
Elzy says he belonged to an organized
band Of robbers and murderers, which had
q prominent white man of Memphis as it's
leader. They operated through the
Southern States principally in Georgia.
Tennessee and. Alabama, for six years muir
dering, robbing, and burning houses. In
that time they killed twenty>one persons,
|, burned more than fifty houses, robbed one
hundred or more safes, and got thousands
OF dollars from robberies. He positively
declined to divulge the names of the gang
except the four already in the clutches of
the law. Three white members OF the
gang live in Birmingham, and move in
good society. There is no suspicion as to
their identity.
Mr.. f. A. Hargrove was in town last
Tuesday. He informed us that he vert
to Birmingham on Wednesday night Of last
week, and interviewed Ben Ely, on
Thursday.
Mr.. Hargrove says after arriving in
Birmingham on Thursday morning at 81
o'clock, he went to Elzy's cell at o'clock
Ely seemed rather disposed to not talk,
fully recognized him and called him by
name. Finding that he could get nothing
from Elzyin the way of information or
confession, he retired from the jail and re-
turned again at o clock in the afternoon,
then Ely seemed perfectly free to talk,
and confessed to the murder and robbing
of Mrs Hargrove. Mr.. Hargrove asked
him to begin and tell him everything as it
happened from the time he LETT Birming-
ham until he returned. Ely said: Il left
Birmingham at 4 o'clock, p. m, on 18th
OF February, 1889, and come to Aableton
on freight train, arriving at the latter
, place about day light of the morning Of
: the 18th then went in the direction, Of the
, Hargrove place, passing near Smyrna
S0tASGAhetAF
, sight of the house that he saw Mr.. Har,
|. grove come to the house, hitch his mothers
horse to buggy and go over to his (Har>
groves) house; that he saw Mr.. Wood and
Mr.. Murrow come to the house and gel
, some plows and briar hook, and went of
in the direction of Mr.. Hargrove's; that
Woods fingers were tied up in cloth
and that later in the day, about ii o'clock,
Mrs. Hargrove returned home, unharness>
J ed her horse and went in the house"
Then" said Ely, II went in at the back
door; she was sitting near the window !;
one stroke of the blade OF the aka felled
her to the floor, then another lick with the
poll or back of the axe was struck on the
forehead. She knew nothiag of my being
in the house, nor did she know what killed
her, she being hard Of hearing Ten dol>
lars we're taken of her person and the re
mainder out of trunk or chest, amount
ing in all to $500. l came out at the front
door, passed through gate near the pota>
to house, and went through the orchard
and back to Middleton, and returned to
Birmingham on the afternoon train"
Mr.. Hargroves remained over Friday
and witnessed the hanging and says at
about 1920 P. M, Sherifs Smith and Love
brought Ely out to the gallows, they pass
ing near where Mr.. Hargrove was sitting,
and Ely said good bye" to him. After
going up on the scaffold the Sheriff said:
Now, Ben, you can say what you have to
say before you die" Ely quickly re.
sponded and said, II want to say / have
acknowledged all my crimes gentlemen.
The people of this land may not forgive
me but God has, and | am going home sat
is6ed. | have not lied about anybody,
and If the people won't forgive me, God
has
After singing and prayer Ely then said
to the crowd once more, Farewell gentle
men. Goodbye Mr.. Wood and everybody
III meet you all in Heaven God bless you
ALL"
1t was then 1926 and all was ready
Halt minute later Sheriffs Smith and Love
adjusted the black cap and lett the scat
fold-at 1896 Sheriff Smith said, Are you
] ready Ben?--Erom under the black cap
came the husky answer, Yes sir.'-One,
two, three called out the sheriff, and the
drop fell with dull thud-he was dead in
twelve minutes
Sheriff and deputy Sheriffs Smith and
Love and Jailor Haigler deserve much
credit for their admirable management,
and Mr.. H. desires to tender his thanks to
Messrs. Smith, Love and Haigler together
with all the officers for their attentions and
kindnesses to him. They rendered him
seat inside the line near the scaffold during
the execution Mr.. II. wishes to have the
report corrected as it appeared in the Con.
stitution OF Saturday morning, that he
slapped his hands tor joy While he felt
satisfied as to the disposition that was be-
ing made oil so vile wretch, he did not
feel like rejoicing at his fate.
The following is .Elzys confession in
killing Mrs. Hargrove as published in the
Birmingham News:
In September, went up in Cobb coun-
ty, Ca, and worked on Mrs. Hargroves
farm near Smyrna until about the first Of
December where j got mad with my wife
and came to Birmingham In February,
1889, went back over there and with
three other parties went to Mrs. Har-