The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-01
THE PENALTY
Tho clIlovs Claims the Second VIC
finn Of a Gambling Tragedy,

--,,v, de KIDS" Last Morning on
- and How He Spent It-Bright
-,..t,ut His Cell but Dark and
~, Within-The Prisoner I'm
rived by the Death That Awaited
His Neck Broken by the Fall.
-.u,a Thorpe, alias Sammy de Kid, -
ave Charles Brinson his death
I,,5 in Fields gambling house on Lum-
sr,set lust as the clocks chimed out
I'D wear ls92 and the church bells of
.Ie cfrv merrily raug,in the new, paid
w., renaltv of his crime in the gal
w.. room of the Jail yesterday morn
The trap was sprung at 1O:OSH
.,.l,c1 and Thorpo's neck was broken by
.s.au His heart ceased to beat in four
q .,,, minutes, but the body was allowed
& tobanc twenty-three minutes.
with tear-bedimmed eyes and forced
.,,,roga born Of despair the boy murderer
,,,,n4 TO his death quietly, without any
5isnlav of religious fanaticism. While
ris stems did not falter, the convulsive
r,ovaments of his shoulders and the
+,rircbipg of his lips told louder than
y words the terror which possessed Thorpe
II at the awful doom awaiting him.
MoCKED BY THE DAY.
The brightness of the day seemed a
roockerv to his misery The air was
ba,mv and refreshing, the sky bright and
clear and the sun, which found its way
" through the barred windows of the jail,
rrbted up the usually gloomy corridor,
Gliding every object which the boys eyes
rested upon for the last time. The sun
81 shine had no attraction for Thorpe.
Neither did the air brace him. His
thoughts were on the terrible death con-
fronting him, and he was anxious to have
the ordeal over, but the beauty of the
morning aroused pity in the spectators
who saw the legal tragedy swapping away
the life of the youth.
With the fall of the trap door the cur
tain rung down on the last scene of a
gambling drama, begun six months ago to
the day, in Yamacraw, which cost two
lives, one by the hand of murderer. the
other by the decree of an outraged law
It was a hanging with terrible moral for
young men, white and black.
COULD NOT EAT.
Thorpe was up early. He arose shortly
after o'clock and Immediately began to
pray. Sheriff Roman sent a tempting meal
of biscuit, eggs, milk and coffee to the
condemned boy at z o'clock, but
he refused it, saying he did not
care to eat Then the guard gave
Thorpe his grave clothes. The outfit con-
sisted of white collarless shirt, a pair
Of dark trousers, a black alpaca coat and
pair of slippers. He donned them at
once and started on his round of the cells
to bid his fellow prisoners goodbye.
This almost broke the boy down, and
when he returned to his cell to make his
final preparations he was crying.
Rev, Alexander Harris arrived at the
Jail shortly after O'Clock, and entered
into earnest prayer with Thorpe About
9O'clock Rev Durham of the Second Afri-
can Baptist Church, Rev. Bromley of Pc
tersburg, Va, and Deacon Cameron ar
rived and took part in the exercises.
THE EFFECT ON THE PRISONERS.
Absolute stiffness prevailed among the
prisoners in the jail, and the hush of
death seemed to have invaded the big
cage. The clock on the wall could be
heard ticking all over the1main corridor,
and the sounds of the voices of Thorpe
and his spiritual advisers in prayer
reached the Office where the spectators
and physicians were awaiting admission
TO the execution. Deacon Cameron ad-
mlnistered the communion to Thorpe
AT 300 o'clock, and then
ReN Harrison announced ready.
Inc newspaper men, who made up the
spectators outside of the court officers
and physicians, were first admitted to the
cage and as they entered it Thorpe
stepped out of his cell leaning On the arm
of Rev. Harris to take up the death
march The minister led the condemned
boy TO the middle of the corridor within
Two cells of the gallOws room, and halted
MN there to speak his final words Thorpe
gazed around at those in front of him
WIN an appealing look as if seeking hope
IN their faces, and then as his eyes in
Jhelf Wanderings looked into the gallows
room with its ugly moose dangling in the
nreeze as II impatient for a victim, the
BOY lace assumed an expression of de-
spar calculated to arouse sympathy in
the most hardened heart.
AN EFFORT TO SPEAK
Tears sprung into his eyes, his lips
opened and closed, but no sound escaped
Them, Placing his arm on Thorpe's shout
DER Rev Harris said in tender tone:
My son, if you have ANYTHING to
az W. 1ASd4ll IllOipC bIlcO
TO speak, but instead of words
issuing from his lips SILVER ran through
ms frame and for moment it looked as
Il ne would fall. A few more kindly
words from the old minister braced
dhorPe, and in trembling tones he spoke
as follows:
think had pretty fair trial. 1
nave nothing against the Judge, Solicitor
rdser, or the jury which convicted me-
! was greatly at fault in the killing, and
suppose deserve my fate. Since I've
Deeh IN here the officers have treated me
very KINDLY l thank them all now for
before ~ - -o- ''io
- Unlnk the newspaper men did me a
great deal of injury in printing things
ABOUT me which they did not know, but [
a dGdy We Them in the hands of God. This is
all I've got to say. Goodbye"
TEARS ON THE TRAP-DooR.
Inc boy appeared to be in a hurry to
nave The hanging over, and as herfinished
tStPedKlng he stepped quickly forward into
Gle gaIIows-room. While Deputy Sheriff
zoe Symms was binding his arms and
legs thorpe, standing on the trap-door,
iooked out the window at the sunshine
DIS IN deep thought. The subjects
FEnICh IlJted through his mind in these
fearful moments brought tears to his
eyes, and when he tr1,,, Cd bie had IN 20