The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-03-06
FOURTH EDITION
THE FINAL SCENE.
SHAKESPEAR REEVES Exc
CUTED AT NEW CASTLE
At IL O'Clock This Morning--He Main
tains His Innocence to the Last
and Goes to the Scaffold Firm
in Every Respect-He Dies
without Struggle,
But Before Being
Struck or Bids
All Goodbye.

The few persons privileged to wit
ness the execution of Shakespear
Reeves, the colored man sentenced to
death for having outraged little Oracle
Clark, commenced to assemble ut New
Castle jail by 9 O'Clock this morning.
The condemned man slept well last
night, and said this morning when he
arose that he never felt better In his
life. He ate hearty breakfast and
seemed in excellent spirits. He was
confined in cell No. 49, on the lower
corridor, and no one was in his cell
except the death watch until 1905
O'Clock, when three colored preachers
were admitted,
After devotion, that lasted half an
hour, and in which the prisoner fer
yently Joined, the preachers babe him
farewell, and came out in the corridor.
One Of the preachers stated TO re-
porter of the REPUBLICAN that Reeves
still maintained his innocence OF tho
crime, and said us he stated at first,
that she injured herself by climbing a
fence.
While the preachers were in the coll,
the jury summoned by the sheriff, and
some OF the others admitted, stood
around the corridor and discussed the
matter while some wandered out, and
inspected the galiows, which stood in
the same place. which it has occupied
on similar occasions.
At 1913 o'clock Sheriff Simmons and
Warden Tucker entered the cell and
read the death warrant to the doomed
man, who seemed perfectly resigned
to his fate. Three minutes later War
den Tucker again entered the cell with
a pair OF handouts. with which the
prisoners hands were fastened behind
him. He WAS then brought out and
| the procession started for the gallows.
| Reeves wore neat black suit with
coat buttoned in front and his usual
| cap. He walked with a firm step and
never faltered, even when he assembled
the twelve steps leading to the scat
fold. Sheriff Simmons was already on
the platform and Warden Tucker
walked with the prisoner.
The three colored preachers were
also on the scatfold, and one OF them
| sang safe In the Arms of Jesus, in
which the prisoner joined.
When the singing ceased he asked
for DR.. Black, who was summoned
from inside the Jail, He held wills
pered conversation with him, the pur-
port Of which could not be learned.
Sheriff Simmons then asked him IL
he had anything to say, when he adj
| dressed the few assembled as follows:
You are going TO hang me to-day
but am ready and prepared to cross
the river of Jordan" =.
! The final preparations were then
made, and after the black cap was
drawn over his face and the moose adj
| justed he said 'GoOd-bye, kind
friends, goodbye" when Sheriff Sim
mons let the new Ratchet, provided
for the occasion, fall ON the rope
which held the trap at 1886 O'Clock
and Reeves fell distance OF nearly
seven feet. In four minutes after tbs
fall his pulse was II TO the quarter
minute, but in seven minutes the
pulse and heart commenced to fail,
In II minutes no was pronounced
dead, but In accordance with an old
law, the body was allowed TO hang so
minutes.
There was not the slightest move.
ment OF his body after the trap was
dropped. The knot on the moose slip,
ped from under his left ear TO the back
of his neck, aud it was the opinion oil
DIR. Black and the other physicians
that while the neck was not broken,
the spinal cord was ruptured, and that
death was instantaneous. This was
borne out by tho fact that although
the heart and pulse continued to beat
there was no respiration.
When at the end of so minutes the
body was taken down. il was placed ii
a box and delivered to New Castle
undertaken.
| Notwithstanding the statement made
by the morning paper that tho re-
mains Were to be handed over to Il
man residing ut Delaware City named
| 10 In hni
the sheriff or undertaken hid any or
ders in regard TO their disposition
Tho latter told a reporter of the RE-
PUBLICAN this morning that he woult
put the body on ice and keep 1t fol
two or three days, and TINT ii no de
mand was made for IL by the relatives
it would be buried in POtters field.
Sheriff Summons strictly compiled
= with the law and only allowed thirty
persons present,
There was large crowd on the out
side of the jail and about twenty wit
messed the execution from The roof o
the old Court House,
Inc phyti ;ians present were Drs
Black and Tybout of New Castle am
l ! +. Shaw of Trenton, n. j. The latte
kept the record Of the pulsation an,
heart beating until they ceased.
lhE bIola OF THE CRIME.
5 Sunday, September Is, 1890 was
beautiful day, with the sun shnln.
/ brightly and the birds that had not yo
A left for Southern clmes singing In tn
trees. On that morning little Graci
Clark, not yet 10 years of ago, Gale,
her little brother Casper TO go with he
to hunt eggs. The farm of her fathe
! was situated about one mile from Ney
p Castle, and Shakcspear Reeves, ala
, Jacob SlIakey. n lght-cuored man
was employed as d general hand o.
the place. Oracle and her brothe
hunted around the ouIbuildings, an,
: finally went to the barn or stable
/ where Reeves was lying OH the stray
+ on tho second floor.
He called the children to him, an,
. after Casper went down stairs and on
of the place the outrage was commit
ted. The child said nothing about i
until the next Wednesday. when, IA
/. she was very SEX, she revealed he
condition 10 her mother On Ihursda,
she was taken TO DR. Black, when, afte
y an examination, he declared that tn
+ child Ind been outraged. The fathe
: WAS away at the time, and when he ne
!. turned lie took gun and tried to xii
the accused. From some cause il failet
to explode, and at the solicitation U
Clmks wife d warrant was issued, ant
ho was arrested When the consta5l
:, came for him he prOfessed ignurunc
: Of The charge, but made no Resistance
: to going with lin.
j lie had u herring before SOUR
; and was committed for trial by tn
/; court.