Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-02-03
FORBES SENTENCED 10 DEATH
To Pay the Penalty of His Crime on
the GaiIows.
HIS EXECUTION TO Be At ANNAPOLIS.


this county, was yesterday sentenced BY
Judge Wright to be hanged at such time
as the Governor ofMaryland may appoint.
Forbes was brought into court yesterday
at half-pasi one o'clock by Deputy War
den John T. Barber, of the city jail, who
walked Forbes over from the Jail TO the
court, handcuffed. Dir. E. j Waring,
Forbes counsel appoint, by the court
TO defend him. was present, and when
asked by Judge Wright if he had any
thing to offer in Forbes behalf, said that
having done all that lay in his power,
conscientiously, tor his client, he felt
obliged to submit the case to the discre-
ton and mercy of the court as ii stood
Forbes, have you anything to say
why sentence should not be pronounced
upon your now asked Judge Wright.
looking at the prisoner.
Slowly ard distinctly came the answer:
NO, sir only that can say / did not
do it.
is that all you've got to sayy inquir-
ed the court.
Yes. sir; didn't do 1t. That's all"
Judge Wright has been noted for his
mild manner and the gentle tone of his
voice, but be now seemed to grow stern.
In tones that could be heard throughout
the entire court room he pronounced
the sentence which shall finally be exc
cuted behind the walls of the Jail in the
ancient town OF Annapolis. lie spoke
rapidly, saying:
Ernest Forbes. after fair trial
wherein you were intelligently and ear
nestly defended by your counsel, you
have been found guilty of one of the
grayest end most heinons crimes known
to the law. The jury that convicted you
faithfully performed its duty, and hay
ing due regard for the obligation, i'm
posed upon its members, by their oaths,
could not have rendered different yer
dict. The evidence was overwhelming
ly against you, and after careful con-
sideration of that evidence / can find no
sxtenuating circumstances that would
justify me in imposing upon you any
other than the extreme penalty OF the
law. Should it have appeared to me that
there was any reasonable doubt as to your
guilt should not now hesitate, notwith-
standing the verdict of the jury. to i'm
pose the lighter punishment authorized
by law, but have no doubt, reasonable
or otherwise, on the subject. and the re-
voting character OF the crime, the fear
full brutality of the manner in which it
was accomplished, the evidence of pre-
meditation shown, not only by direct
evidence but also by the lonely locality
selected by you, where your victim would
be beyond human help, all compel me,
in accordance with my views of duty,
to impose upon you the extreme penalty
of the law
"lt is the duty, the highest duty, of
our court, to protect the women of this
state against such assaults as yours, and
especially is that duty obligatory in re-
gard to those sparsely inhabited sections
of the state where there can be no organ
lied bodies of officers of the law to watch
over the peace of the community and
protect innocence from the assaults of
brutal lust. In the certainty of punish
ment is almost the only protection
against the commission of crimes such as
yours. shall aid in giving that pro
lection SO far as the power to do so is
with me, and in the performance of my
duty now pronounce upon you the sem
tence of the court, which is that you be
taken hence to the Jail of Baltimore City
whence you came, and that you be thence
transferred as soon as conveniently can
be to the jail of Anne Arundel county,
and there, at such time as the Gov
ernor of this State by his warrant shall
appoint. to be hinged by the neck until
you shall be dead"
Forbes showed no emotion when he
received his death sentence, while on the
contrary. Judge Wright was yisibly af-
fected in delivering it.
The crime was an exceedingly brutal
one. Forbes lived on an adjoining farm,
and laid in wait for Miss Phipps. whose
habit 1t was to milk cows in a pasture
nearby her house He crept behind the
young girl, who is only seventeen years
of age. and, throwing her to the ground
and sitting her cries. accomplished his
vile design. The evidence was conclu-
sive against him: He did not testify at
the trial. The jury rendered a verdict
OF guilty in FIVE. minutes after the case
was given to them.
When Forbes got back to the Jail. he
was placed In his old cell, but did not
seem to be in any way excited While
eating piece of bread he remarked that he
expected something from the Judge, bus
did not think the Judge would say he
had to hang. ''Ofcourse the Judge knew
what to do. said he, but told him, I
know didn't do it, Forbes said further
that he did feel little queer when the
Judge said he must hang. but if it must
be so he would prepare to die. All he
wished was TO be kept in Baltimore, be-
cause he dreaded going back to Annapo-
lis. because he was really afraid that they
might lynch him down there.
Forbes makes the fifth man in the CITY