Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-01-25
Excited Negroes.

The execution in Danville on Friday o
Jsmes Ly,es nEd Margaret Lashley. The
man end women convicted Of the murder o.
George Lash!ey. has proved to be wonder
| fui ssnsat;ou. The nerve and coo lness die.
payed By tho woman when faci3g desth
has bCeo the talk Of the town, and now
there Gre hundreds Of people who declare
their beIiefin her innocence. The theory
is that guilty person cou!d Dos heve acted
thus, sad TIE supersttious negroes In ell
tht t section have suspended work almoi
sltogel her snd stlnd about in knots dis
cussiDg the e7ent5 Of Friday.
The negroes have heen in s'sse OF e1'
element es 20 tie disposition to te made
CT the bldies OF The executed csimins'Pr
which excitement vas increased by WILD
| rGroor that somehow gained currency Fri
day shst Dan7lle doctors would take pog.
sehfi1n Of the bodies for dissectirg. which
rumor OF course was false. There il law
on the ststuta-hooks which Gays tht t the
bodies OF executed criminals. when not claim
ei by relatives, may be olsimed by the mad.
ical deps, tment OF The University for dis.
secticg purposes. Two weeks or more ago
t1at department fled with Sergeant Bols'
| aeau ita claim for the tody of Jim Lyiee.
spd int t,ucied bim to ship it by freight,
packed In whiskey or pork barrel, to Char
/. .esvi!le. This request wss promptly
turned down by Mr.. Boisseau, snd he noti.
fed The University authorities that he would
deliver In Dauville, to their srtlorized
agent, the body of James Lyles properly
is.d nat in decent coffin, and not crsmGed
into bsrre.
a telesrephic correspondence F,iday be-
tween ,be University people and Mr. Bols'
seau 7gas not completed at night aud left the
question Of the final disposition of lhe body
oi Lyles in doubt. None cf the relatives CT
IIvles cr Of Margaret Lsshley came near the
place OF execution, ard none of them claim
sd the privilege of burging them. The bod.
iss remained Friday night In charge OF Ser
geant BoIsseau's deputies, ard no agent OF
he Uniyereity applying Tor either, they were
turned over TO the undertaken, and he bur-
led them In the public squRIe Of The colo.ed
cemetery.
Ths incident ct Ice execution he's added
Q the auperstiiiopg 1--WE Of the colored peo-
ole, and they discuse the event with hated
breath The coincidence wRe this: When
the prisoners sscsuded the scafold Rev.
Henry Barksdale, Q sort Of ;ree licensed COL
ored preacher, Who she derkies sey is spoci-
ally gifted in prayer, standing 5stween the
man and woman cfsTed an earnest prayer.
He prayed for :he souls of the pyisoners snd
,hRs heir fate shouId De warning to evil
aoeis and Oeier them froG crime. 10 the
oougse cf iha prayer be esid: 90 Lord,
maize ths scene So 10 a locking gass Ii
which .he wicked may behold the aGfnl sin
fuluess Of sln." Just then several prisoners
io jail, who had crowded at IL upper vim
5ot7 TO try TO see the execution, reached G
small iooking-glass through the bs.a snd
held 1t in such position as to reflect the
scene thst they might see it In the g!ess
Tom Randolph, 6 noted colored despersdo,
was holding the glags. The darkles regard
this coincidence as q wonderful thing, fore
hoGipg some grest calamity.