The morning news., 1892-02-20

l ana Ja ackSon eacn TOOK nod OF an arm OF
the condemned man.
TIE MARCH TO THE GALLows.
The other ministers took positions behind
and the doleful hymn "HArk from the
4 tomb" was struck. The men walked to the
I tune of the hymn. Cummings was crest,
with bis head thrown back aud be sang the
/ loudest. As the party walked into the death
/ cell Cummings almost shouted 'Hsrk from
I the tomb. am walking TO my grave The
hymn was finished with the
negro standing on the fatal trap
door. The party knelt and Rev. Black
offered the last prayer. Cummings crossed
bis hands on BIS breast. closed his eyes and
turned his face beevenward, himself pray
ing silently. The minister's prayer lasted
nearly ten minutes, being loud and fervent.
Write salvation on bis bssrt," said be.
Let him have tbet overcoming faith which
viii let him triumph in bis dying hour.
Purge his guilty conscience. Remember
him as one you died for. Be merciful TO
him, repentsnt sinner"
Rev. Black also prayed for Sheriff Roman
and the lailers. asking God 20 bless them for
the kindness they had shown Cummings
during his confinement At the conclusion
the ministers arose and each kissed the con-
demned man and shook his hand as they
passed out of the cell
TIED FOR THE DROP.
Deputy Sheriff Simmons stepped 10 at
once and began tying Cummings' hands.
While this was being done the negro turned
his face to the group outside and smilinRlv
called out: ''Good-by; God bless you all :
Meet me. brothers. in heaven"
While his legs were being tied Cummings
began to show signs of nervousness, his
body swaying to and fro, while perspiration
began to show on his forehead. He turned
to Deputy Sheriff Natbans snd asked that
his face be wiped, afeer which be began a
silent PRAYER
When Deputy Sheriff Dunno stepped in
and placed the moose around Cummings
neck, the negro tried to smile. but he had to
change it into q gritting of his teeth to keep
up his courage As the black cap was
drawn over bis face Cummings closed his
eyes and whispered: Lord have mercy on
my soul.n
READING THE DEATH WARRANT.
Sheriff Roman then stepped to the cellaud
read the death sentence. As he finished
reading the warrant he said: May the
Lord have mercy on your soul,n
swapping bis fingers at the last
word as q signal for the hapgman. The
lever was pressed. the doors flew apart
with a bang and Cummings shot down
through space ike a fash. The swapping
of the neck could be heard by those on the
lower floor and not even a gurgle was heard
nor did q muscle move. David Williams
had been avenged, an outraged law ap-
peased.
Drs. Chi sholm, Aiken, White and Smell
son, the latter colored, constituted the
board OF examining physicians. They pro-
nounced life extinct in fifteen and a half
minutes.
TAKEN IN CHARGE BY THE CORONER.
Nine and half minutes later Coroner
Dixon cut down the body and placed it in
the coffin, which was in the corridor. Cum
mings' face looked calm aud peaceful, and
but for the dislocation Of the neck, which
turned the head to one side, no one who had
not known Of the execution would suspect
that the negro had died any other than
natural death.
The body was turned over to Cummings
uncle and by him was taken TO Potter's
plantation, eight miles out on the Augusta
road. where the funeral will take place to-
morrow morning.
There we're several hundred negroes out
side the jail, on Habersham street, during
the execution. They were mostly from
Monteith and the surrounding country, and
came to the city In wagons in tho hope Of
getting a view Of the execution, but they
were disappointed. A squad Of police kept
the sidewalks clear and the crowd had to
be content to stand in the roadway. The
body was followed to the Potter's plantation
by all those who had come in from the
country.
HIS LAST LETTER.
Cummings handed the MORNING NEWS
reporter closely written, double sheet Of
foolscap, which he asked to be published. 1t
was entitled Memorial Letter of Charley
G. Cummings. Ny Departure from Earth
to Heaven The letter, outside of his his
tory, is a rambling lot of stuff about his
hoped-for salvation, with numerous script
ural quotations. He speaks Of his baptism,
which took place Jan. % in the jail, as the
greatest day of his life. The letter closes
as follows:
'Angels are waiting for to carry my soul
away. My relatives will mourn the loss Of
my life, but angels will rejoice for the gain
OF my soul in heaven. My body will be re-
moved from the execution place to the
Clifton Baptist church and will be depos-
tied on Sunday by Rev. p. Black in Pot
ters cemetery, but my soul will be sitting
in heaven"
Cummings was 10 SD year, having been
born at Potter's plantation in 1860 He was
a man about 8 feet ii inches in hight and
weighed IN the neighborhood Of 100
pounds.
CUMMINGS CRIME.
The crime for which Cummings suffered
the death penalty was a cowardly and un-
provoked one Saturday night, Nov. 20.
1890. while a.crowd OF South Bound labor,
ers we're sitting around a camp fire near the
Five-Mile bend Of tho Augusta
road Cummings appeared IN their
midst with a stick and pistol He began
striking out right aud left and the negroes
scattered. Cummings followed them for a
short distance, firing his pistol Then he
returned to the camp and found David
Williams, a crippled colored boy, sitting by
the fire warming himself. Cummings
rushed upon the boy aud began belaboring
him with his stick. Williams ran around
a house to escape from mis- assailant, but
Cummings headed him off The boy ap-
pealed to the man not to Deat him, as he
bad done nothing, but the reply that he re-
ceived was shot through the heart from
Cummings pistol. The murder was wit
messed by several parties, but no attempt
was made to arrest the murderer. He es-
capped from the city, and for over o year
nothing was heard of his whereabouts.
THE MURDERRR's CAPTURE.
Detective Hanley took charge OF the case
In December, and succeeded in tracing
Cummings TO several places, finally locating
him in Columbus The officers were noti-
fed TO look out for the murderer, and while
they were engaged in so doing negro bar
Der in whose shop Cummings was sitting,
sent out for an officer and had him arrested
The barber had been fellow convict with
Cummings, when the latter was sent 70 the
mines from this city in 1880 for attempting
to kill a man with O knife. He had an old
grudge against Cummings from those times.
and that was what caused him to inform oD