Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-06
TO A HIGHER COURT.
j. w. Davis Lies in His Cell
a Corpse.
TO The GREAT WHITE THRONE
He Has Appealed for Final Judgment on
His Case.
lie Breathcd His Last in the Arms of
Ills Mother at 7:I5 - The Cause,
Congestion of the Grain.
o THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
From Thursdays Daily.


At 7:15 last evening j. ". Davis. under
sentence of death for the murder of Is. G..
Evans, died in his cci, il the hospital ward
of The county Jail OF congestion Of the brain.
lie had been in his usual good health and
spirits up 10 the time the Scafold. upon
which he WAS to die was erected. and when
he WIS told II was necessary he should be
removed 10 his old cell in the hospital ward,
he simply remarked: 1t is not necessary.
The hammcring would not annoy me" but
nevertheless, change WIS perceptibe
10 the keen eyes of the attendants. and
though he apparently kept up his nerve, II
was manifest that he was doing so with Il
great effort. Al this point he seems to have
suddenly lost a. hope, and when the scat
fold was finished ard teSted ne seemed to
relapse into 4 meditative, thoughtful mood,
AMI declined To see any one except the min
listers, his mother and attorney
The intense mental strain under which he
had been lahoring proved too much and the
overwrOught nervous system gave way. re
sulting in an epileptic lit, the severe
muscular contraction Of which resulted
in wrenchine his leg, which had been
broken last winter. causing The most eEcru-
ciutiug agony, the only way in which it
could De checked sufficiently to
afford him any reasonable amount
OF ease. WIS by the admin
istration Of opiates, ard it was necessary
that the attendants assist him whenever 1t
was necessary or he desired TO turn or move
OF his bed. Tuesday he was quite low, the
services of . physician being necessary
during the greater portion OF the day Yes
terday he was thought IL De a little better,
though the feveriSh condition seemed TO be
unchanged and the Improvement was so
SLIGHT as o he scarcely noticeable.
On Tuesday night the death-watch, who
has kept him under constant surveillance
..
an inCeSSaut picking at the bed clothes, and
remarked to a GAZETTE reporter yesterday
afternoon that he thought Davis was worse
than il was thought.
Since the attack he has taken very little
nourishment until yesterday morning. when
he ate couple Of eggs. but with little APP
parent relish. He spoke very little even to
his mother. the few remarks ne did make
being iucuhcront. He acted rs man dazed,
half unconscious. The whole appearance
of the man was that Of one whose nervous
system had collapsed.
As he lay upon his narrow cot last night,
cold and stiff i'll death. his thin undershirt
open At the throat, exposing his magniti-
cent torso, a splendid specimen of
physical manhood, one could not
but feel conscious Of i thrill
of qualification Al the thought that the rope
had not yet been received that was TO hang
him Angel AZrael had stepped IN and
served perpetual Injunction upon the exc
cution. and the soul of J. ". Davis, crime
stained though II may have been.
had gone TO plead its cause before the ON
nipotent Judge upon the great white throne,
where exact and impartial justice Will be
done. ana the final decision be rendered by
that tribunal from which there is no appeal.
Tie time of the funeral has not yet been
fixed. though the body will be turned over
10 friends for interment.