The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-05-18
CARLISLE AND LUTTRELL
HANGED IN THE SHERMAN JAIL YES
.TERDAY AFTERNOON.
With Their Death the Murderous Jim Brown
Gang Of Assassins Loses Its Prestige
and Those Who Remain Are
skulking in Terror.
Special to The Statesman.


rants were being read, both men wer
smoking. At pos the men wer
brought to the scaffold. Both of then
had a bunch of flowers in their hands
Carlisle had white rose pinned t.
his coat. Luttrell wore a red rose ant
had cigarette in his moIth
When asked if he had any
thing to say Luttrell said; =.
have been well treateC
by the officers and have no i'll feeling
toward any one. [ have received for
giveness for all my sins, and hope It
meet you all in heaven Carlisle
said: ~ have only to say that [ have
been we'll treated"
At 2:10 the doomed mems hands
aud feet were bound. Both were cool
and collected and shook hands with
the officers. While being bound the
two men talked to each other in low
tone. At 2:15 the blacs caps were put
on. AT PIG the nooses were placed
OF their necks and one minute
later the trap was sprung. Their
necks were broken. The bodies
swayed for q few moments and be-
came still. There was no CONFUSION
or muscular movements of the limbs
AT 2:24 o'clock life was pronounced
extinct in both men. In few minutes
after they were cut down and turned
over to an undertaken. If nothing is
heard from the relatives of the dead
men the bodies will be burr d at the
county farm. A reporter saw the
bodies in their collins this evening
at 5 o'clock. The faces of both men
were composed and not distorted.
Luttrell had dark blue ring round
his neck, showing marks OF the rope.
Carlisle's neck was terrible to look at.
The rope had cut deep into the flesh,
the cut extending from under one ear
to the other. Both men met death
with smile on their faces and were
cool and calm to the last.
The crime for which John I. Car
lyle and Charles Luttrell were exc
cuted today, vas as foul as any re-
corded in history.
1t was the murder of w. 7. Shar-
man in Denison, Tex, on the night of
y
asleep in his bed, aud beside him lay
his wife and only child. The murder.
ers placed ladder against the house,
climbed to the top OF the window
pushed the barrels of shOt2 un over
the top of the sash and fired, filing
Sharman's breast with buckshot,
and killing him instantly.
Luttrell's part in the crime was
played for money, and Carlisle's to
prevent an honest man from testify
ing against him for an old murder
case. The story of the conspiracy
which closed today with the death Of
the two men, It ads like romance,
and dates its beginning many years
back.
In the early part of the '7O's, the
population of Giddings, Il small town
in Lee county, Texas, was increased
by the advent of sport and race
horse man named Jim Brown, the
same man, grown ealthier and more
influential, who was shot and killed
by Chicago policeman while resist
ing arrest, at Garfield park few
months ago.
When Brown came to Giddings he
brought two race horses; be at once
began TO work up races over Lee and
adjoining counties and was always
successful; his enemies said that ii he
could not win one way he would
another. At race near Giddings in
1876, dated the trouble which brought
Carlisle and Luttrell to the scaffOld,
Jim Brown to his death in Chicago,
which sent the soul of Tom Sharman
into eternity and took the lives OF
many others. Brown, as usual, had
horse entered in the race; Sam Sparks,
jovial farmer, also had horse en-
tered. Before the race Brown and
Sparks quarrelled over trivial mat
ter; Brown jun ped for shotgun lying
near, Sparks grabbed the gun at the
same time and took it away from
Brown and would have shot him had
not friends interfered. Brown then
wanted to make up the quarrel, but
Sparks refused, in the following
words:
81 know your game. Jim Brown.
You make up your quarrels, disarm
suspicion and your victim is soon
made way with by some OF your des-
rerate gang. I've got you for an
enemy and l want the people to know
it " From that time forward Sparks
always went armed. Brown was
elected sheriff of Lee county about
this tina, which fact did not lessen
Sparks fears. II is said that Ed
Myers, desperate man, and who
was under obligations to Brown, was
chosen to put Sparks out of the way.
An opportunity did not come for two
years, but it came az last. Sparks had
an intimate friend in Giddings, a
blacksmith by trade, and whose name
was John Il. Carlisle. Sparks visited
his shop frequently. One day he took
work to the shop and came for
it about o'clock in the after
noon. The work was ready aud
when Sparks was about to start home
Carlisle said to him: "Sam, you
and l haven't had any fun for long
time; suppose we go to to town and
have some fun" Sparks demurred,
but finally consented. They went to
saloon and played pool and drank,
and soop night came on. Sparks re-
allied that he had been trapped and
said to Carlisle: "John, you have
done me wrong; ought to have gone
home. Browns men have been wait.
ing for a chance to kill me and now
thew have it. / am afraid to on tO nv