The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-14
TWO HANGED AT PERRY.
JOHNSON CONFESSED THAT HE
KILLED MR.. MILLER.

He Said Butts Killed Mrs. Miller with
Chair-A Claim That Two Other
Men Ought to Have Suffered the
Death Penalty-Ihe Scene on the
Gibbet-
PERRY, GA, Feb. 13-Jim Butts and Ed
johnson. both negroes, were hanged here
to-day for the murder of Capt. Miller, a
wealthy farmer of this county, on the night
of Oct. %. 1887. At 1:1O O'clock this after
noon, Sheriff Cooper approached the cages
and announced ''all right" He was at
tended by BaiIiff Tuttle and at the word
the other prisoners in the corridor got back
and Johnson and Butts came to the front.
Ropes were handed to the sheriff, who i'm
mediately proceeded to tie the hands of the
prisoners. johnson was tied first and then
Butts. Come outside boys" said Sheriff
Cooper, and they filed out side by side into
the open enclosure.
a MILITARY GUARD.
As precaution detachment of twenty
Of the Perry Rifles, ten in and ten outside
the inclosure, under the command of Capt.
w. &. DAVIS, had been stationed as a guard
These were REINFORCED by special guard of
fifty citizens. The prisoners, on emerging
from the jail. were wheeled to the right and
marched into the portion of the yard that
had besn boarded off.
MOUNTING THE GIBBEr.
The gibbet had been erected in the middle
Of the square, and with firm step both
mounted the scaffold. A hush fell on the
crowd. johnson took his position on the
south end of the trap and Butts on the
north end. The sheriff and Bailiff Tu.tle
were the only Others on the platform.
After painful pause of few minutes
Sheriff Cooper asked them if they had any
thing to say. Butts shook his head.
JOHNSON CoNFEssEs.
johnson was silent a moment, and then
said, IN a scarcely audible voice: "Weu.
I've not got nothing to say. I'm a guilty
man. Mr.. Cooper is a good man. Nobody
treated me any kinder than he has. l have
been in prison several times. There ought
to be two other men bearing this punish
mcmillan Hall and Nose Gibson"
Sheriff Cooper then asked: SIS there any
special preacher you want to come up and
pray for your
ATTENDED BY TWO PREACHERS.
They said they wanted Revs. Gullins
Burgess and Glass, and these ministers, all
colored, mounted the platform. Sheriff
Cooper limited them to two verses of a
song and the Lords prayer. The hymn
sung was No. S37 The Lords prayer was
| then offered, johnson and Butts repeating
it. Butts Joined in the song, but johnson
| scarcely moved his lips. lie stood all the
while with his left hand on the dangling
| moose.
GETTING READY FOR THE END.
Sheriff Cooper and Bailff futile babe
the prisoners good-by at 1920 O'clock.
Their hands were then pinioned to their
sides and their limbs tied. Butts eyes grew
| moist at this and he trembled visibly. Both
had hurried conversation with the minis
tiers in regard to tue disposition of their
bodies. They made only one request,
and that was that they should not
be turned over to the doctors ''Go be cut
up" 1t was agreed that Preacher Glass
should take Johuson's body and Burgess
the body of Butts, and both be given decent
| burial The moose was adjusted at 30
o'clock. Neither flinched. When it was
placed around Johnson's neck he exclaimed,
| "You'll choke me to death before you cut
| me down.
| LAUNCHED INTO ETERNITY.
The black caps were then pulled over
| their faces aud at 1.35 o'clock Sheriff
Cooper cut the string and pulled the lever
which supported the trap. The drop was
six and half feet.
Both necks we're broken by the fall.
Butts swung around two or three times
and hung motionless
| Johnson's body twisted several times be-
fore it settled, and then it was seen to draw
up. He made two or three convulsive
efforts, and then was still. Four minutes
later the attending physicians, Drs. A.
B. Davis and L. A. Fielder. pro-
nounced Johnson dead, and five minutes
later they pronounced Butts life extinct.
Both bodies were then cut down and placed
in the collins that had been brought in the
yard.
The execution was private, and was wit
messed by only few newspaper correspond
| ents besides the officers of the law.
| THE CRIME.
The story of the crime for which johnson
and Butts paid the death penalty is too
fresh in the minds of the public to need mar
| ration here. 1t is well remembered that the
house of Capt Miller was entered by the
negroes at night while he and his wife were
reading by the fire, and before they could
turn to see who was coming, the captain
and his wife were dealt the murderous
blows that caused their death. The hunt
for the murderers was exciting, but finally
successful, and the clog wheels of the law
revolved until the fall of the death trap to-
day closed the last chapter in the horrible
tragedy.
CATHOLICS AND THE ALLIANCE.