Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-11

The Drop Fell at l:02 O'Clock
and In Fifteen Minutes the
Condemned Man Died OF fStran.
gulatiOn-The' Warrant Of Ex-
ecutiOn-The Trial and the
Jury-A Detailed Description
Of His Last Moments and Of the
ExecutiOn-Ilis Burial and His
Will.
Wednesday shortly before 2 o'clock
Charles Carter, colored, was executed by
Sheriff Stineman in the Jail yard at Ebens-
burg, for the murder of Jonn Matthews
on the 4th of last November.
The murder took place at the house of
John Henry Roberts, in Conemaugh bor-
ough. Roberts is colored, but has a
white wife. Their house was the resort
of some people of bad character, among
whom was one Name Dunn, white. The
trouble is supposed to have resulted from
jealousy. In quarrel Carter shot
Matthews with thirtY-eight calibre,
double action revolver, wounding him so
badly that he died. Carter was arrested
in HARRISBURG and soon landed in Jail in
Ebensburg.
THE JURY AND TRIAL,
The case was tried in December, 1889,
the conviction being on the 9th, and the
sentence was imposed on the 18th. The
men chosen to serve as jurors in the trial
were John L. Singer, Tobias Blough,
Lincoln Roberts, James Benford, ].
Blickenderfer, Nelson Fearl John Kopp,
j. A. Shoemaker, John Sharp, James
Driscoll, Michael Murray, w. A. B.
Little.
The trial consumed only one day, and
two hours served for the jury to arrive at
a verdict of murder in the first degree.
The Court appointed Frank ]. O'Connor
and Frank P, Martin, Esqs., to defend
the accused, he not having any counsel.
John Fenlon, Esq, was district attorney,
assisted by Chal. L. Dick and Ed. T.
McNeelis, Esqrs.
F. A. Shoemaker, Esq, on February
1S, 1890, presented the case to the Board
of Pardons, but it met with no favorable
consideration, and the warrant of execu-
tion issued as follows
Pennsylvania, SIS:
James A. Beaver
tSeaD
In the Name and by the Authority of the Com
monwealth of Pennsylvania.
James A Beaver, Governor Of the said Com
monwealth, to Jacob C. Stineman, Esquire,
High Sheriff of the county of Cambria, or to
your successor In office, Sends Greeting:
Whereas, at a Court of oyer and Terminer and
General Jail Delivery, held at Ebensburg. in and
for the county OF Cambria at December Sessions.
1889, certain Charles Carter was tried upon a
certain indictment charging him with the crime
OF murder, and was on the sixth day of Decem-
ber, A. D 1889, found guilty Of murder in the
first degree, and was thereupon, to wit, on
the thirteenth day OF December, A. D. 1899, SEN
fenced by the said Court, that he, the said
Charles Carter, be taken TO the prison whence
he came, and thence to the jail yard, and that
he there be hanged by the neck until he is dead.
NOW, therefore, this is to authorize and re-
quire you, the said Jacob c. Stineman, High
Sheriff OF the county Of Cambria, as aforesaid
or your successor in ofiice TO cause the sentence
OF the said Court OF oyer and Termner and Gen
eral Jail Delivery, TO be executed upon the said
Charles Carter, between the hours of ten A. NJ.
and three p. NJ, on Wednesday, the ninth day OF
April, Ammo Domini one thousand eight hun
dred and ninety, in the manner directed Dy the
seventy sixth section of the Act OF the.General
Assembly of this Commonwealth approved the
thirty-hrst day OF March, A. D., 1860, entitled
" An Act to consolidate, revise and amend the
laws OF this commonwealth relating TO penal
proceedings and pleadings," and for so doing
this shall be your sufficient warrant.
Given under my hand and the Great Seal OF
the state at Harrisburg, this twentieth day OF
February, in the year OF our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and ninety, and OF the Common
wealth the one hundred and fifteenth.
by the Governor. j. II. LoNGECKER,
Deputy Secretary OF the Commonwealth.
After the reading of the death warrant
on February 221, death watch was kept
over Carter all the time, Fred w. Davis
and Harry George, the latter prisoner,
doing duty in that capacity.
CARRIERS LIFE.
Garter, according to his own statement,
was born in Chesterfield county, Virginia,
ofparents who had formerly been slaves,
in 1869, His father died when he was
seven years old, and his mother soor re.
married. She died when lie was nine
years of age. He lived with his step
father until thirteen years of age, sup
porting himself and the old man. He
lett home and worked in Richmond, Va,
aud Hooking Valley, Ohio. Later he
worked at the Diamond Steel Works and
Solar Iron Works, Pittsburgh. From
Pittsburgh he came to Johnstown three
years ago. First he was employed at G.
A. McAteer's saloon, then at the Ameri-
can House, and at Ben Sulka's saloon.
Lastly he worked for Alex Adair at Hon
ey moon Row, where he carried the hod.
On the evening of Monday the 4th of
November, he in company with John
Matthews, colored, went to the house of
John Roberts in Conemaugh borough,
now Tenth ward, Johnstowh, and there