The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-07-19
HANGING OF THE COLEYS.
The Murderers Pay the Penalty
Of Their Crime at Louisburg.

Last Friday at Louisburg Thomas
and Calvin Coley, who had been tried
and convicted OF the murder of Samuel
Tucker, the Jewish peddler, on the night
OF June 30, 1892. were executed. To
the credit OF Franklin county the Board
OF Commissioners had ordered that the
hanging should be private. The usual
crowd, attracted by an event OF this
KIND, began to assemble at an early hour
and continued to increase until it reached
at least =, 800 or 5000, composed mostly
OF cOlOred people. This OF course was
smaller than it would have been had the
hanging been public. Perhaps it would
be well to state here that while u great
many people think it would be better for
all executions to be public, it is .for the
moral effect upon a community that
they are made private.
The local military We're on duty and
guarded the Jail yard and kept the crowd
out, no one being allowed to enter ex-
cept those who held tickets to the execu-
ton. The crowd was orderly.
The condemned men rose at about I
O'Clock. 1t is said that Tom, the older
brother, slept well during the night,
while Cal slept but little. Neither ate
much breakfast.
them at Ills, but they showed little
concern and did not seem to realize the
awful doom they We're so sOOE to meet.
At 12:45 the procession reached the gal
lows. The culprits walked firmly and
briskly to their death seemingly as if
they were going on an occasion of far
less concern. The enclosure reached they
assembled the scaffold and were seated
Revs. Norton and Pernell were present.
Mr.. Morton stated that he had visited
the prisoners frequently during the past
six months; he found that they could
not read, had never attended Sunday
school, and were without religious train
ing. They had prOfessed to believe that
| their sins had been forgiven. At Sheriff
kearney's request Mr.. Morton called on
| them to say any thing they might wish.
| Cal made a few remarks and requested
| that Rev. Mr.. Pernell preach their fu-
neral the next day at their home. Tom
stated that he did not have anything to
! say. Mr.. Morton read passages of scrip
ture and prayed with them, after which
he and Mr.. Pernell bade them goodbye
and left the scene. The men were neatly
| dressed, of fair complexion, and made
a good appearance, the younger being
| rather good looking and of good coun-
tenance. They We're aged % and p
years. The writer could detect no sign
OF emotion exhibited by either.
When the time came they arose from
| their seats and walked to the ropes at
the edge of the platform and stood firm
and erect. At the last moment while the
ropes were being adjusted and their feet
and arms tied both of the poor unfor-
Inmates prayed earnestly, speaking out
| ,,Io
| Lord to ''have mercy upon their souls
and give them a better home after leaving
this sinful world
The drop was made together at LIS,
and both necks were broken. The ply
| sicians pronounced Tom dead in OK min
utes, and Cal in 12H. The bodies were
sent to the neighbOrhood in which they
had lived for burial.
1t was successful hanging in every
particular, and the sheriff performed his
painful duty in a most creditable and
| perfect manner.
! 1t is well to state that none of the par
ties connected with this horrible crime
were natives of Franklin county, but as
| the deed was committed in its borders
the law had to be enforced even at the
expense of blackening its fair record by
taking the lives Of these two men as pre-
scribed by the laws Of the State
| Wagons $500 each at Grow 4 Mars
i