The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17
ONLY FIVE DAYS TO LIVE.
WILLIAMS WILL SWING FRIDAY
FOR AUG. MEYERS MURDER.

The Doomed Negro Resigned to His
Fate-He Isn't Paying Much Atten-
ton to Religion Because He Claims
TO Be Innocent-Re Says Gay and
Bacon Lied About Him-williams'
Father to Take his Body and Nobody
Can Buy His Head.
Gus Williams will never see the dawn Of
another Sunday. This is his last Sabbath
on earth.
Friday, between 10 o'clock in the
morning and O'clock in the afternoon he
will die by the rope in the gallows room Of
the jail for the part he played in the cruel
murder of August W. Meyer last January.
Williams will be the fourth victim OF the
death cell. Sheriff Roman has everything
ready for the execution, and nothing re-
mains to be done except attach the fatal
rope to the ring above the trap door. The
hanging will be private, and only about q
dozen persons will witness the death OF the
murderer. Those will be the officers, ply
sicians and new spsper men.
Williams is perfectly resigned to his fate,
and he viii probably go to the gaIlows with
a nerve equal TO that displayed by Kitchen,
the wifemurderer, last September. Il will
not be a nerve worked up by religious en-
thusiasm, however, because Williams is not
paying very much attention to his spiritual
welfare. He listens attentively 70 tho re-
Iigious teachings of the ladies who visit the
jail and also accepts the consultations Of
several colored ministers, but he says he
doesn't feel much like praying for a crime
he never committed. He hasn't yet decided
what faith be will accept.
STILL PRocLAINs INNOCENCE.
The condemned man steadily proclaims
his innocence, and says he is not afraid to
die. He believes he won't have any trouble
about getting to heaven, and intends to
pray for those who swors away his life
after he gets among the angels
He spends most of his time sitting
on his hammock with his face buried In his
banda, apparently in deep thought. When
he tires OF this he places his face against
the barred door of his cell and
chats with the other prisoners
wandering around through the corridor.
His sole topic OF conversation ia his ap-
preaching hanging, and he is bitter against
Jim Gay and Charley Bacon for the con-
fession they made. Williams claims that
both lied about him in the hope Of saving
themselves from the consequences OF crime
which they committed and with which ne
hadn't the remotesk connection. When
Williams wearies of talk he turns his at
tention to gazing out through the window
of his cell, and sometimes stands for an hour
with his elbow resting on the sill and his
chin supported by his hands.
HE WON'T SELL HIS HEAD.
Williams is an intelligent negro and con-
verses well He wants 1t distinctly under
stood that he has not and does not intend to
sell his head. He cannot see anything re-
markable about his Uranium to attract a
phrenologist, and says that the only way
anybody will get his head after death will
be by robbing his grave. Although he has
to suffer an ignominious death, the con-
demned man has little pride about himself
and wants to be buried as a whole.
His father will come from Brinkleyville.
n. c., this week to see him. He will re-
main till after the execution and will prob
ably take the body Of his son back to North
Carolina for burial
Williams derives one consolation from
his approaching death. 1t is that Jim Gay,
who was sentenced TO die with him, but has
secured a stay Of proceedings, occupies the
cell next the hanging room aud will have
TO undergo the torture Of hearing the drop
OF the trap doors. which will be a warning
to him of a similar fate for himself with
in a short time. This thought gives
Williams pleasure, because he blames Gay
for landing him on the gallowA