Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-08-13

Stan Correspondence OF Gazette and Journal
DOVER, Aug. flames Thorough
good was executed here this afternoon.
The drop fell at 1.30 O'Clock.
HOW HE SPENT HIS LAST NIGHT.
Thoroughbred, the condemned man,
passed an uneasy and restless night.
The voracious appetite that has been
generally heartily INDUCED left him this
morning and he refused to partake of
sumptuous breakfast served from the
kitchen of Sheriff Cole. Nothing could
tempt his appetite and he could not be
induced to take even small particle of
| food.
All last night he shouted and prayed.
He invoked heaven most piteously to
enable him to walk like man to his
death. At sunset he bade prayerful
farewell to the orb of day, as the hour
of execution would not give it time to
| traverse its circuit and shed its eifulgent
light through the bars of his cell win
dow. The moon last night was the sub
| ject of his attention, and he invoked its
| prayerful intercessions to aid in his
transimigration to the life beyond.
"I will never see the bright moon
again." shouted the frenzied man in
despair and wept bitterly at his fate.
His religious fever has taken such a
boisterous form of finding expression
that the people living about the Green
have been greatly disturbed and many
have closed their houses and gone away
to remain until after the execution.
Thoroughgood's victim, the puny
little colored girl, still suffering from
the atrocious assault she sustained at
the doomed mans hands, came into
town this morning. She would not be
reconciled to the belief that the fiend
was beyond the power of carrying out
his threat of killing her, as she had
broken his covenant and told the story
of her outrage.
She came in from Viola with her
mother and effort was made to get the
child to go into the Jail and further con
Efront him with the charge of having as.
saulted her. She had partly consented
and walked to close proximity to the
Jail when she heard the culprits voice
in boistcrous supplication. She recog-
nized it at once and was
terror-stricken. Nothing could induce
her to take another step IN the direction
of the cell and it was necessary to re-
move her out Of the reach of the fiend's
voice and beyond the excitement atten.
dant upon the execution.
DIES PROTESTING HIS Innocence.
James Thoroughbred died protesting
his innocence. The trap was sprung
at precisely 1.30 o'clock in the presence
of the legal number Of witnesses, jury
men and representatives of the press
The culprit was led or fairly dragged
from bis cell moaning and shouting
piteously. On one side he was sup
ported by the Rev. DR.. Gibson and on
the other by the Rev. James jackson
He was scarcely able to walk to the
scaffold and bore heavily upon the arms
of his spiritual advisers.
Rector Gibson read the service for the
dead but his voice was drowned in
Thoroughgood's piteous and loud ap
peals to heaven.
He was attired in new suit of black
and wore slippers. As he walked he
kept his eyes straight above him, shout
ing as he went, am going to the scaf
fold for the last time. Glory to God :
He assembled, or was stoutly assisted
in mounting the steps to the instrumen
of death and kept his eyes from the
hangman's moose dangling above hi
head.
INNOCENT TO THE LAST.
f Just before the black cap was ad
; iusted and as Thoroughbred stepped
upon the trap he shouted fervently ..
,, am not guilty, thank God, and as
, stand here on the scailold l de
: clare to God l have never don't
: injury to any man or woman living
J God have mercy on my soul u The
culprit was then securely pinioned ant
, the moose adjusted. As the rope wa,
put over his head he exclaimed, "Drav
) 1t tight"
] After every preparation had beer
made for the drop to be sprung, th'
, Rev. James jackson, who had beel
i. much with the doomed man, spoke t.
him, inquiring, "Do you know me I"
|, Tboroughgood replied, Eyes, Mr.. Jack
i SON"
! "Do you make full surrender" asket
) the clergyman, adding: "Did you do
5 you know what l mean?"
| The nergo on the verge of eternity
detiantly replied 81 am not guilty."
Scarcely had the words died ava,
when the hatchet fell and the prisone
shot through the trap. There wer
!, terrible muscular contortions but tn
neck was broken and death ensued il
!, 81 minutes and he was cut down in i
, minutes.
. The body will be buried by tn
i, county, as neither father, wife, no
brother, cared to give the remains
!. burial. The black brute was repudiatet
I and cast off by all his friends.
! Dover. Aug. s.-With the hangman'
awful moose closely knotted about hi
: black cap drawn closely over his face
!. standing on the brink of eternity, Jane
A Thoroughbred proclaimed his innocenc
4 of the shocking crime for which his lif
( was exacted by the law yesterday after
, noon. 1t was moment of tragic sus
pense, more shocking than the death o
the stalwart negro itself The executione
had prepared his victim for the revoltinl
finale, and had turned aside while TIL
doomed mans spiritual adviser stepped t,
the front of the death dealing scaffold-a
I the prisoners side. Thoroughgood's visioi
| cut out the ministering friend spok
!, softly and IpIIeadingly DO you know m
: grateful tone, "Yes; Mr. Jackson" ID
you now surrender everything" added tn
=, minister and the hooded culprit. alread,
Q in the clutch of death. not comprehcndin
i the query the former added, "Did you d
j. it--you know what | mean?" Instant
. came back the reply, mo. did not iu tn
7 sight of God" These were the last word
!, uttered and he died with the name of Hin
to whom he had prayerfully petitioned 70
!, mercy on his lips.
Every one In that little party of wit
t nesses to the execution was wrought up t
: high nervous tension. Had the negro
helpless in the laws strong arms, have bu