The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-02-14
Saved by the Crowd.
atlanta Constitution.


neck instead Of being broken was only
slightly abrazed by the rope.
He fell on his back and remained per-
fectly still for few moments. The
Constitutions correspondent was tho first
to reach him, and leaning over to dis
cover if be had been frightened to death,
called to Purvis, care you hurt?"
From beneath his black cap Purvis re-
piled:
s'For Gods sake get me out of this"
Others came up and Sheriff Magee
| made ready to conduct Purvis back to
! the scaffold for second attempt. There
were four of the board of supervisors
present and they called the sheriff into
| the court house for conference. They
| advised that in the face of PurTis having
| his having made partial confession of
| what he had known of the Buckley MUIR
| der, that all these facts be laid before the
governor and that further proceedings be
! postponed to await orders from the Gov
| ernor.
Sheriff Magee said that he would will
ingly accede to such proposition, but
| his orders were Imperative. He recOg-
| nized the authority of the supervisors
but they had no jurisdiction over mat
ter of this nature. Purviss statement
contained the admission Of his belong
ing to the white cap organization and the
| iron-clad oaths that each member was
compelled to take and the severe punish
ment by death if the orders of the organi-
zation were not observed.
Tt also contained the names of large
! number of the active members who have
terrorized this county for some time past.
These parties will be arrested and brought
fo fr;ol thn i'm that
would be attached to such q statement
that the sheriff would be excusable for
disobeying the mandate of the Supreme
Court that Purvis must hang. Promi-
nent citizens and clergymen crowded
around the sheriff and sought to interfere
with or blind his merciful promptings.
It was most awful moment for Mr..
Magee Finally he agreed to PROPOSE
ton made by one of the pleaders-Rev.
Mr.. Sibley, of the Columbia Methodist
church. Gathered around the scene of
the expected execution were over 1000
spectators from every section Of Marion
county. They made up the community
that had been outraged by the murder of
before them everything in connection
with the unfortunate mans last mo-
ments from the time that the party left
| Lum berton on Tuesday morning, where
| all telegrapbic communication had been
cut off: told the people Of the confession
that Purvis had made and informed them
| of his persistence in denying that he took
Buckley's life and his maintenance of the
same in his last moments.
The minister then called out for a popu-
lar verdict to decide whether further pro-
ceedings be delayed until Governor Stone
could be heard from. The party again
repaired to the gallows and in most
pathetic and soul-stirring address, Rev.
Mr.. Sibley laid the above case before the
populace. In the immense assem- blage,
black and white, not one disse nting voice
was raised. There was lusty cheering
| for the miraculous interposition that had
saved the life Of the boy whom every one
in that great gathering now evidently
believed to be guiltless.
A most unheard-of and unprecedented
proceeding had become a matter Of
record.
DR.. Sibley then informed the crowd
| that for his action Sheriff Magee had rem
dered himself liable to indictment and
Impeachment. He would, therefore, ask
if the people would stand by him should
action be taken against him.
I'VE will, we will, to our last dollar.
He has saved the life of an innocent
boy" were the answers shouted back to
him.
The guards and those on the platform
crowded around Purvis to embrace and
congratulate him. The lad sat in stupe-
fed amazement as If trying to make out
all that was going on. When he was
finally made to realize what had been
| done, he sobbed convulsively and said;
Il asked merciful God to spare me,
an innocent boy, and He did. May He
be praised"
His cousins, who had remained in the
background, came forward and with
him wept for Joy. Sheriff Magee said
that he would keep Purvis under a guard
at the court house tonight and would
set out for Lum berton with the prisoner
in the morning. He would then wire
| Thence he will take Purvis back to Meri-
subject to the Governors orders. He
felt confident that when the matter was
| placed before Governor Stone fully and
properly, that he would approve Of the
course that he had pursued.
Purvis was taken from his cell at
Meridian on Tuesday morning. He was
placed aboard New Orleans and North
eastern train and taken over one hun
dred miles south to LuNhertown. There
the sheriff and party, among whom was
the Con stitut,on's correspondent, disem-
barked and were met by an armed body
of about sixty deputies. This guard was
deemed necessary for there had been
whisperings about some probable attempt
to rescue Purvis by the white caps on
the road to Columbia, the point of desti-
miles of pine forest road had to be travel
Q1 aithnr ctp0a hnrcphQnk and
the journey was made without incident
or accident. Purvis was placed in the
court house under guard. He passed
sleepless night, praying and singing with
the clergymen who came to visit him.
But be steadfastly professed his inno-
cence Of the Buckley murder. He &C.
knowledged, however, being a white cap,
and gave the names Of parties promi-
nently connected with them. He was
shaved and furnished new suit of
clothes, and after being hidden farewell
by few of his COUSINS who had come to
visit him, be was led to the gallows.
There he maintained his innocence up to
the very last. The drop fell at l2;37
o'clock,
New ORLEANS, Feb. s.-A special to
the Iimes-D Demo crat from Jackson, Miss,
says: Governor Stone has not as yet re-
C6lN6u duy uOCllhCaLlUIl VI luo ullSCdIIldBo
of justice In the case of Will Purvis at
Columbia, yesterday, which is situated
thirty-four miles from the railroad.
Until privately informed otherwise this
morning, he, as every one else, believed
the sentence had been carried out. This
is the first time in the history of this
State, so far as known, where criminal
sentenced to death escaped the same by
interference of outsiders. Your CORES
pondent called on the Governor and
asked him what he intended doing in the
premises. After stating he had received
no information from the sheriff, be said
there was nothing he could do, that Pur-
Wis would have to be arraigned at the
next term OF court and resentenced with
out, of course, any further trial.
Section 1,451 Of the code covers the
case, which provides In effect that on
failure to infliot the death penalty from
any cause, the Circuit Court shall, on the
application of the State, issue a writ of
habeas corpus to bring the convict before
the Court. If at large, a warrant for his
apprehension will be issued and when
brought into court the same shall SEN
tence the convict to be executed On a day
to be named.
A Good Woman Dead.
SPARTANBURG, Feb. 9.-Yester day af