Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-12-21
Who BrutaIlY Killed Captain Frank
Cooper, an Oyster DredSGr.
COOL AND UNMOVED TO THE END
Eating Heartily and Joking
About Their Crime.
THEY ADMIT THAT THEY ARE GUILTY

Heartie-s and indifferent to tho Last---
Joking About Their Fate and Future--
They Declared That They Had No Fear
of Meeting Their Victim in the Here
after, AS They Were Going to Heaven
| Their Last Meal Eaten with Coarse
Animal Relish---They Make Confession
oFTheir Guilt---Details of Their Fiendish
Crime.
Special Correspondence OF Gazetteand journal
PRINCESS ANNE, Nd, Dec. l5.--Ar-
thur Courtney and Henry Taylor, the
two negroes who brutally murdered
Captain Frank Cooper Of the oyster
dredge James V. Dagger, June 18th last,
were hanged in the Jail yard here to-
/ day.
The drop fell at 1143 o'clock, and
death was almost instantaneous, their
necks having been broken.
cool AND cALLous TO THE LAST.
Princess ANNE, Nd, Dec. 15.-S a.
m.-Everything is now in readiness for
the execution of Arthur Courtney and
Henry Taylor, colored, the murderers of
Captain Cooper. An enclosure 1Sx16x
20 feet inside surrounds double scaffold
of solid oak, The sheriff has posse
of 80 picked men and says he will make
every endeavor to have the execution
strictly private.
coARsELy INDIFFERENT
The prisoners still maintain careless
indifference and eat like gourmands.
When asked last night how they should
feel If they met Captain Cooper in the
next world, they replied, with a coarse
laugh, "We wont meet him. We are
going to heaven. He will not be there"
ENJOYED THEIR LAST BREAKFAsr.
A cold, dreary rain is falling this
morning, but the prisoners are in gay
spirits and ate hearty breakfast with
great gusto.
MADE A FULL CONFESSION.
EVERY EVENINGS correspondent in.
terviewed the prisoners and Courtney
made full confession which fully cor.
roborated the statements mailed yester-
day.
AS the hour of their doom draws neal
! they are both growing somewhat nerv
GUS; but say their fate is just and thai
they die satisfied and in the hope o.
being forgiven by their God.
; VISITED by THE CLERGY.
! At 10 o'clock the prisoners wer,
J visited in their cell by the Bpiscopa
| rector and two colored ministers, wher
] religious services were held the prisoner
joining in the hymns.
THE CROWD TEARS DOWN THE FENCE
I A crowd numbering 500 assembled
: outside and demolished the enclosure
surrounding the scaifold.
THE FINAL. SERVICE.
4 At II o'clock the prisoners wer
bound, and at 1920 the final service
1, was held in the cell.
. ooURTNEY's LAST TALK.
: At l1.30 they were led out ant
' Courtney made short address, sayin
he hoped his fate would be an exampl
= which would prevent others from sue
g a crime.
Taylor followed with very fe,
. words in the same strain.
II DROP FELL AT 11.43 O'CLOCK.
IS AT l1.43 o'clock the drop fell and th
two together swung into eternity.
The bodies soon became still. Their
y were no violent contortions and thel
Z necks were evidently broken by the fal
Il At 1854 o'clock DR.. G. Wainwright
is pronounced them both dead and tn
e bodies We're soon cut down and dellvere
Y to their friends. They will be shippe
4 to their home, in Virginia, for burial
d DEVOID OF INCIDENT,
10 The execution was devoid of inciden
THE FINAL PREPARATIONS.
All preparations for the executio
were completed yesterday, The scaifol
~ was erected on the south side of the ia
y and incl0sed with fence 16 feet higl
{. Sheriff Sterling returned from Baltimol
III yesterday with the ropes TO be useC
at The two men seemed perfectly indiffei
n ent to their fate and during all of YES
~ terday were laughing and joking wit
~ the persons who visited them.
az Rev. Henry b. Martin, rector of S
Andrews T., Z. Church, visited the pri
oners daily, but met with but little ell
couragement. When asked yesterda
II if the preacher was going on the sea
n fold with them, Taylor replied he di
O. not want him If the preacher did ne
ID want to go, as he could do him no goot
|. Both men have had excellent appetitei
ID and yesterday at one meal each ate
ne large chicken, q large quantity of vegt
Or tables, with apples and peatnuts for de-
s. sert. After finishing their meal Courtne
said to his guard thai the people i
Maryland certainly did feed a man goo
when they We're going to kill him.
IS The irons were cut off last night an
le the prisoners allowed to walk about IL
4. cell. A barber cut their hair and Sheri
b; Sterling had pair of scales brought |
y, the cell and both men were weighe,
n; Taylor weighed 1861 pounds an
Courtney al pounds. Taylor SCENE
pleased that he had not fallen off in h
weight, while Courtney said he was nj
as stout as when arrested.
g The Jail was besieged with visitors a
y. day. There was morbid curiosity
~. US see tine two men. Taylor asked sever
w visitors for cigars, while Courtney sati
ne fed himself with receiving apples al
IN cakes. During their continemel
Courtney occupied much of his time
drawing pictures of boats, many
which he sold yesterday. He exhibitt
: large picture of boat which he ha
40 drawn and named the James Daigs