Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1895-05-04


sermon of about ten minutes length,
concluding his remarks with q suppli-
cation in behalf OF the condemned.
Hopkins. with his shackled hands rest
ing upon the guard rail, faced the
crowd. There was no emotion upon
his expressionless face and the cool,
deliberate manner that he had preserv-
ed during the death march never for
sock him for moment; nevertheless
the morning light that fell upon his
features communicated to his livid face
an appearance which was certainly
CHASTITY.
When the colored ministers were
through and had descended from the
platform leaving only Deputy Voegler
and his assistant with the prisoner, the
latter was asked If he had anything to
say and Immediately stepped forward
In strong voice, mistaken by the
least tremor, he said:
TERRIBLE INDICTMENT OF A WITNESS.
'Well, gentlemen, have nothing
else Co say but this. I've got nothing
in my heart against nobody. My soul
is as pure as the angels in Heaven
You've all of you heard of Dick Mosby.
reckon some of you know him. Well,
Dick Mosby lied on me. He didn't
meet me that day like he said. Me
and Mr.. Parsons had fight, that was
all of it. I've nothing more to say,
and Pm going on home to glory
Here he paused and Deputy John
VOegler drew him over to the trap and
while Hopkins stood there in his stock
ing feet, pinioned his arms, knees and
ankles together with straps. While
the moose was being placed upon his
neck Hopkins looked down at the col
ored preacher and cried out Good
bye"
Good bye, Norris" said the chorus
OF coiOred men returning his farewell
salute.
Deputy Sheriff Voegler stepped aside
while his brother adjusted the moose,
drawing the knot around under the
doomed mans left ear.
DICK MosBY REMEMBERED.
Just before the black cap was drawn
down over his head and face Hopkins
called out Tell Dick Mosby, whatever
you all do, to meet me in Heaven"
Those were the last words he spoke
aloud But turning to the deputy
sheriff, the latter was about TO put
on the sableface covering, he. whispered:
A PRAYER on HIS LIPS.
"Wait little while Mr.. Voegler till
/ say solemn prayer. The next mo-
ment he added, "Now Pm ready"
The deputy stepped TO the side of the
platform, released the signal cord and
| Immediately the trap. was sprung by
some one in the basement room oppo-
site the gallows. The drop fell at S:lI
O'Clock The death was probably pain
less, although there were momentary
muscular twitches of the pendent
body, about dozen in all, during the
intervening twelve minutes before life
became extinct. The form was mo-
tionless at the expiration of five min
utes' time.
WHEN DEATH GAME.
DIR. Q. V. Croxton. the prison physi-
elan, however, upon applying the steth-
oscope to the breast found that the
| pulsatiOn of the heart had not yet
| ceased. After several more applica-
tiOns of the test DIR. Charles II. Chalk
ley, who with County Coroner A. L.
Leftwich and DIR. Station, was also a
witness to the execution, pronounced
the body lifeless. and at 8 :27 A. NJ
| Deputy Voegler cut the strands of the
rope above the knot, and the corpse fell
into the arms of two sturdy colored
men who stood coatless and with
sleeves rolled up to the elbow in wait
ing.
They deposited the remains in the
plain pine wood coffin that reposed on
the ground beside the scaffold and put
on the cover. There were none of the
disagreeable evidences in the face OF
the dead man that sometimes attend
death by strangulation.
FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD.
When the enclosure had been cleared
of the crowd that witnessed the exc
cution the two lady representatives oi
the colOred Y M. G. A. brought a flor
al design and two punches of flower.
and placed them on the coffin lid. AS
is required by law a post mortem ex-
animation was made and an inquest
held. The former function was per
formed by DIR. Chalkley with the as
sistance of DIR. Croxton. 1t disclosed
the fact that death had resulted from
strangulation, the neck not haVin,
been broken in the fall afforded by thu
five foot drop that had been though
sufficient for the purpose. justice
James I. Lewis presided at the inques
I following.
AN HEARTLEss OUTRAGE.
. About IL o'clock the father of Hop
, kins appeared on the scene. He cam
! with a,wagon to carry the remains to hi
: farm in the country for interment
. Then ensued some confusion respect
ing the disposition of the body. Sherii
o Solomon had arranged to turn the re
+ mains over to the family, but repre-
r sentative of the Medical College {
Virginia claimed that by law that inst
\ tuition having made the first applies
n tion for the corpse was entitled to il
! The father insisted upon his right (
q have the body of his son and objecte
n to giving it to the medical college.
JUDGE wIoKHAM's OPINION.
Judge Wickham was consulted b
q the sheriff in regard to the matter. II
'e looked into the law bearing on the cas-
+ and advised the sheriff that, as he col
ss strued the statute, the claim of I'll
IL medical men was perfectly valid. Ac
Is ing upon this advice sheriff SOlOmC
q informed the distressed parent tn,
le there was no help for it, the remair
l. would have to be surrendered to tn
De college. He was unwilling that sue
n should be the case, but he could n,
a take the responsibility of refusing
~ give the remains to the State Medic
u institution. A wagon which had bee
sent down by the college officials a
sr rived and the corpse was borne ava
IN to the morgue to be employed as
v subject for the dissecting table, whi
40 the father had to content himself Wi
al the bunch of flowers and his empty W