Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1891-11-05
THE PUBLIC EXECUTION
WAS WITNESSED BY
EIGHT THOUSAND
PEOPLE,
HE MET DEATH FEARLESSLY AMI
FELL OFF THE SCAFFOLD OF
TIME INTO \ BOTTOMLESS
ETERNITY.
Not a Hitch in the Execution and Ap-
parently Less Painful than
EIeCtrOcUtiOn.
\ Sharp Edged Ratchet CIegves tine Rope
That supports the Trap Door Sup
porting Life Beneath Which Grim
Tisage,l Death Awaited His
Victim

HE life OF Lee Hughes ended on
the gallows FRIDAY, and his future
to-day IS unknown. The portals of
his EARTHLY destiny opened and he
went through blindfolded and times
noiseless doors closed after him for
ever shutting him within the gate of
unknown futurity.
A BANNER reporter called at the
jail Friday morning and asked Lee
how he felt, in reply to which he
said, never better thank God" "
He was then asked how he spent the
night and said that he slept from u
to 2 o'clock very we'll, but the re-
mainder OF the night he was praying
with his God.
Elder Dickinson, the colored Bap-
fist minister, who on the evening
previous had administered the ordl-
nance of Baptism was with him,
praying with HIM occasionally, and
urging him if guilty to confess, but
his denial was just as emphatic as
the day before. He conyersed just
as freely and unconcernedly about
the hanging, and with as little emo
ton as could disinterested parties.
Like every man that is hung these
times, he claimed he was going
straight to glory.
The prisoner accepted cigar and
smoked it with as much satisfaction
as if his hours were not numbered,
his destiny sealed, the black despair
the shadows of a starless night
gathering around him, obscuring
hope, and him carelessly Willing
away the moments that for him
would seem to have been gliding
too swiftly, yet he endured all with
out weakening in his assertion that
he was ready and willing to go, to
let out his life through the hang
mans door, as unconcernedly as if
there was nothing terrible in death,
as if it was but to cast aside life
like a robe, and sleep without a
breath to disturb repose, till dawn,
as if he had the golden key that
opens the palace of eternity.
Around the jail, Sandy street was
almost impossible from II o'clock
until the dray left with the coffin,
enough of the crowd following it to
then thin them out some.
At 1 o'clock there were thous-
ands gathered around the gallows,
which is situated just south of the
H. & 7. G. Ry', one mile east of
the city, scrambling for advantage
Gus positions from which to view
the execution, and at o'clock q
careful estimate of the crowd was
made, placing it at 5000, and still
they were coming, The railroad
embankment 50 yards away was
strung with people for 200 yards.
At ten minutes to 3 o'clock the
guards opened the way through the
sea of the people for the two horse
hack which brought Lee Hughes to
the gallows. Physicians and news
paper reporters had preceded them
and taken up a position on the scat
fold The guards after considera-
BILE effort cleared the way for the
hack, which, besides the driver con-
tanned Sheriff league, Deputy Sher-
if Sallus and Constable Boyd, Lee
Hughes and Elder Dickinson.
Sheriff league led the way up the
platform and called for Lee to come
up. He assembled with firm step,
escorted by Deputies Sallus and
Boyd, and took his stand facing
south and listened to Sheriff league
read the judgment, history of the
trial and conviction, concluding
with the death warrant about 3
O'Clock. Lee stood motiouless lis
tening to the reading of the process
through which he had met his fate,
but not a tremor, not movement
/ OF a muscle indicated that he real
lied that it was his death warrant.
At its conclusion he faced towards
the east and addressed the assem-
bled multitude, saying:
Friends 1 want to bid you all
goodbye Here is an innocent man
going to be hanged, and 1 don't
want any one to grieve after me. 1
am not afraid to die. The Lord
wants all his soldiers to be brave.
and I go to meet him in glory, 1
have been fed with the word of
God, and I want to feed you all, for
I want you to go and live with
Jesus"
/ Elder Dickinson. of the Mt. Rose
Colored Baptist church, lead in
PRAYER, while Sheriff league fasten-
ed the rope to the cross beam and
made ready for the execution.
The condemned man walked TO
the other side of the scaffold and
bid the crowd good-by, reiterated
the statement of his iDnOceDSe and