The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-07
JENNINGS MAKES A COhFEsSIoh
The Man Executed at PhiIadeI-
phia Was Not Vim. Moore.
His Right Name Was Scott Jennings, and
He Had Changed 1t After Numbering
His First Mattress at Richmond, Va.
. BE Threw Lighted Lamp In Her Face
and Fled.

PHILADELPHIA, April G.-The man
who was executed here at 1U o clock this
morning was Scott jennings. and not
william Moore" the name under
which he was tried, convicted and sem
fenced to dealt for the murder of Charles
Madden in September last, on Buckley
street. He changed his name six years
ago, after he had fed from Richmond,
Va, where he had caused the death of
a woman because he believed her faith
less to him, and he has since led life
that has been haunted, he says, wher-
ever he has gone, by memory Of that
tragedy.
jennings was born, according to his
statement to his spiritual adviser in
Orangeberg, S. c., where he has two
sisters and half brother. Bis father
died when he was bat babe and his
mother followed when he was quite
young. He was scarcely moro than Is
years Of age-he is only a little past 90
now-when no left home and went to
Richmond. There he got employment
with an ice company and year later
fell in with the woman whom he subse-
quently killed.
He gave her most of his earnings;
gave her watch that he himself had
worn. The latter, she in turn pre-
scented to former lover, and whilo he
wore it the companions Of Scott were
wont to ridicule him. He stood it for
time, until of Sunday afternoon, &C.
companied by the girl, he passed his
rival and the crowd, who were with the
latter made comment upon the transfer
OF the watch. He was goaded to anger,
he says, and ho determined that his op-
ponent and he must fight it out.
They met the following morning and
arranged for the struggle to take place
the same night. The woman who was
the cause Of all the trouble was resolved
that il there WAS to be fight sho would
see it, and she followed him to the ap.
pointed place. Her former fivorite did
not appear and she aud Scott returned
home. There she twitte Il him as q fool
and he told her he would leave hor. AS
he started away she caught him by the
collar and they jostled out into an alley-
way He slapped her in the face, he
says, and her sisters and others came
and begged him not to hurt her further
He broke away from them and sent a
man to the house fo- his trunk. This
the street and there the girl soon came.
She tried to force an entrance and was
finally admitted. She badgered him
again, and. according to his statement,
said to him: 81 will mako you send me
to hi to night" He tried to pass her
as she stood near table upon which
rested lighted lamp. With one hand
she caught up the latter ani with the
Other she seized him by the neck. He
wrested the lamp from her and saws he
thought he was dashing it away from
him.
II struck her in the face, exploded,
and the blazing oil ran over her. The
woman, in flames, ran into tho street,
sought succor in q neighboring house,
and when the fire was eXtiI puished
was terribly burned. She fingered be-.
tween life and death for four DAYS, and
when the end came she told her rela.
tives, he says, that if he were caught
not to punish him becase she was moro
in fault than he was. There was
little effort by tho authorities to cap
ture him and he fed the city before she
died
He changed his name then to William
Moore and went to Baltimore. But his
conscience bothered him and he made
up his mind to leave the country. He
sought the West Indies and endeavored
to still his thoughts of the fatal &C that
had made him an outcast. working from
plantation to plantation. Thus he
spent two years when he longed for the
States again. He got to Wilmington,
N. e., and then to Baltimo ore, from
whence he came to Philadelphia about
two years ago. Here he also worked
for an ice company, leaving the woman
in until .
each morning for the place of his en-
ployment.
The man whom he was to murder ha
lived with her before, he says, and had
lett some clothing at her house. he
used this as pretext to como 10 see
her more frequently than Jennings,
who was giving her his earnings. liked.
'Nhere were upbraidings and quarrels,
and at last he got note from the man
that he would be around to see him on
the night of the fatal occurrence. In
turn Jennings sent answer that he
would be prepared for him. They met,
there was an alteration, and, as the
condemned man declares, his victim
started from the lamp post as il to.
ward him.
Jennings had his revolver ready and
he raised it and fred. 1t meant death
and his own quick arrest. The note
from the murdered man he says he gave
to the woman, but he did not tell his
lawyers of it when he was brought to
trial. He does not plead rum as til o
cause OF his act. He had been drinking
heavily Of whiskey and beer, but he
says he was not drunk; that he never
got so. This is the confession which he
made to his spiritual advisor.
The Clergyman has been constant in
his attendance upon the doomed man
from the day OF his sentence. Jennings.
ne says, did not belong to any church
until after his incarceration, when
memories of his ID OF her led him 10 70.