The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-06
TALTOA HALL IN ROANOKE.
He Passes Through, en- Route
to Lynchburg.
Interviewed by a Times Reporter He Has
no Love For Newspaper Men and Denies
Much That Has Been Said About Him.
Sentenced to be Hanged March Il.
Said to Have Abandoned all Hope.

Said to Have Abandoned all Hope.
BRIsToL, Tenn, Feb. s. -TSpeciall-
Talton Hall has been sentenced to hang
March Ia. Halls counsel will apply to
the circuit court for q stay of execution.
Excitement runs high in the neighbor
hood of gainesville and an outbreak
was expected at any time. Hall has
given up all hope and says he does not
think new trial would do any good;
that the next jury will do just like
this one.
So he has asked that his wife and
children be sent for that he may bid
them goodbye.
Hall was taken from the courthouse
about IL o'clock yesterday morning,
and boarded the train for Lynchburg at
2 o'clock in the afternoon, guarded by
Sheriff Wilson Holbrook and two depu-
ties.
Word had reached Roanoke that Hall
would pass through here on the night
train, and quite q crowd of people
gathered at the depot to see the man
who had the reputation of having killed
nineteen men.
When the train pulled in 1t was
boarded by TIMES reporter and several
Roanoke policemen. Hall was sitting
in the front seat of tho forward coach
and his guards were sitting by him
armed with Winchester rifles and re-
volvers. Hall was heavily ironed, having
manacles on his hands and feet. He
did not seem at all disturbed over his
fate and was smoking cigar as though
he enjoyed it. When the train stopped
to one in the middle of the coach, where
he held an impromtn reception.
To the reporter he stated that all the
sensational stories in regard to his kill
ing nineteen men were absolutely false.
He said that all these stories were sent
out by Doc Taylor.
When asked how many men he had
killed he replied in the most Indifferent
tone imaginable:
'Oh, three or four or five, bat / have
been tried and acquitted for all of,,them
except this last one."
Speaking of his latest murder, Hall
said that he did not know the man was
O policeman. The officer had arrested
friend of his, and a negro who was
with him said that he was not the man.
Hall then said: "If this is not the man,
what are you botheriug him for2' at
this the officer turned on him with a
pistol, and he was compelled to shoot
him.
Hail was very anxious to impress
upon the reporters mind the fact tina {
he had killed no man except in self
defense. He also ridiculed the story
that his friends ever had any intention of
rescuing him. He said this was another
newspaper story without particle of
truth in it. In fact he seemed to think
that the papers had done him great
injustice, and the only way he could ex-
plain it was that he supposed they were
anxious for sensations.
He said that he was in Roanoke last
October and stopped at some house on
Railroad avenue. where he registered as
j. E. Thomas Policeman Early, who
was standing by, said that he reInem-
bered seeing Hall when he was here.
Yes" replied the prisoner. land 1
saw you, too, but 1 kept out of your
way. for knew that if you got me you
would lock me up"
Notwithstanding the fact that Hall
says his friends had no intention of res
cuing him, Sheriff Holbrook said that
fifteen of them, we'll armed, were pres
ent yesterday morning when they
oeoA ocu ioI oJDOuDurS, uuJ LMdQ6 40
hostile demonstration.
Hall does not look like the desperate
criminal he is credited with being. He
is rather tall, with light mustaehe,
and his face is slightly pox marked. He
was perfectly willing to talk, and spoke
of his different shooting affairs as though
they were every day occurrences.
A very amusing incident occurred on
the depot platform. A negro was look
ing in the window at Hall when some
one told him that he had killed nine
teen men. The darkey threw up his
hands in horror and exclaimed: "Good
God Almighty. Is there any danger out
here?"
Just as the train pulled out Hall called
to the reporter to be very careful in
writing up tho interview with him, and
said he would like to have paper sent
him. lie seemed very much pleased
upon being informed that one would be
sent to him.