The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-25
HANGED

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2l-year-old murderer of J. l. Mills expi-
ated his crime on the gallows this morn
ing in this city. The place of execution
WAS in the Jail yard, and was inclosed by a
high board fence. About thirty-five peo-
pie, most of whom were newspaper men
from surrounding towns, witnessed the
hanging The condemned boy slept not a
wink list night He and his widowed
mother of Fort Scott. Kan, spent the
long hours together in his cell He was
resolnte and apparently prepared to meet
his fate, and often attempted to console
his heart-bro6en mother. whose grief was
noticeably demonstrated in the cell.
At 6:30 o'clock Avery ate a light break
fast of beefsteak and toast. A few minutes
later the heart-broken mother bade her
son farewell. Left alone. the doomed boy
paced his cell as If impaIientlv awaiting
some welcome event, until Sheriff Carl
appeared with the death warrant. to which
he listened attentively as he peered
through his cage.
At $50 o'clock the officers took Avery
from his cell and led him to the scaffold
He assembled the steps spright!y, and with
no apparent concern, but weakened some
on the platform. He finally recovered aud
asked the sheriff to give hiI1 half an hour
to speak. IL was allowed, and he spoke
freely for nearly an hour. He protested
MS Innocence and devoted almost the en-
tire time to reviewing the evidence ia the
case and to denouncing Detective Mapes,
who arrested him.
AT 9:2l O'Clock he had been bound, tie
black cap had been placed ever his face,
and the Rev. Mr. Greenlee engaged i'll
prayer. The trap door was then sprung.
Avery's neck was broken by the fall, and
he died without struggle. In five min
utes the body was cut down and delivered
over to Mrs. N. T. Clark of Kansas City.
who had it placed in 4 rough pine box and
sent to Fort Scott, where the interment
place this afternoon.
Amos Avery was born in Brown county,
Illinois, u years ago. His mother three years
later left her husband because OF domestic
troubles, and moved to Fort Scott, Kan,
bringing her son with her. Five years ago
she moved to Columbus, Kan. While
there Amos at the age of Il, was convicted
Of grand larceny and sent 10 the Kansas
penitentiary for two years. A year later
his mother returned 20 Fort Scott, and,
after his release from prison. he also re-
turned there where he lived for Ii little
over year before he committed the crime
which he today eXplated with his life.
The crime was one of premeditated
atrocity, and was accompanied by no
ency or cOmmutation Of sentence, unless
il was the vigorous claim of his mother
and friends that he was mentally ire
sponsi0le for the act.
On Sept. 10, 1890, the victim of his crime,
j. |. Miles, Il book agent of Sedalia. Mo.
whose territory was in Barton, Vernon
ana Bates counties, left Butler, Mo, in
one-horse blackboard for Lamar, follow
ing the state line south on the Kansas
1p dlU
through Fort Scott, and in the afternoon
he overlook Avery, who had left home
that morning, saying that he was going to
Weir City TO get work in the mines On
TIE country highway near Arcadia, Craw-
ford county, Miles asked him to ride, and
they were soon, to all appearances, agree
able companions. Avery had no money,
and at Arcadia Miles bought his supper
They continued the journey, going east
into Barton county. Mo. At nighfaii they
prepared bed of blankets beside the road
and retired. Miles was soon asleep, but
Avery, evidently watching for an oppor-
tunity for his terrible deed, was not. He
took from the pocket of his companion a
32-caliber revolver and shot him through
the head. Then stripping the body of its
clothing he replaced 1t with his own shah
by garments and He'd.
Miles corpse was found Uy farmer the
following day, aud the murder was for a
few days shrouded in IL deep mystery. The
father OF the murdered man employed de-
tectives. and Barton county offered re-
ward for the arreet and conviction of the
murderer. Five days after the crime was
committed Avery was arrested by Detec
tive J. Il. Mapes of Fort Scott. while work
ing in the mines at Webb City, No. At
the time of his arrest he was wearing the
clothes taken from the body of the victim.
The defense ~ the trial was based on
claim of mental incapacity, but was of no
avail. The evidence showed that he had
sold the horse and buck board and squan-
dered the money. He was convicted and
sentenced TO be hanged on March Is, 1898,
but was reprieved to April 49, and again
to May TO- pending an investigation into
his sanity by Governor Stone of Missouri
who finally decided not to interfere,
further than to reprieve him a third lime,
to May 24th Avery has had fits regularly
since being confined, and was once reieas-
ed from II criminal charge at Fort Scott
on the ground that his mind WAS affected