Evening star., 1895-07-12
WILL PAY THE PENALTY
James L. Travers to Be Hanged Next Friday
at Noon.
The Crime for Which He Was Sem
fenced to Dcath-Cut His Mis-
trcSs' Throat.

Between the hours of 10 am. and 1 p m
Friday next James L. Travers, a young
colored man, will be hanged at the District
Jail for the murder of Lena Gross, young
colored woman, with whom he lived, the
10th of last November.
Travers and the woman resided near
Brightwood, and on the morning of the
murder her body was found in the woods
just off 1th street road near Brightwood.
The woman's throat was cut from ear to
ear, and there was great bruise on her
face. The body was discovered by some
boys, who found it nearly covered with
leaves and brush. Travers was at once sus-
pected, but he was not arrested until that
evening. For a time he denied any knowl-
edge of the crime, stating that he last saw
the woman at their home, when he left
her early in the morning. Nevertheless, he
was locked up in the eighth precinct sta
ton house. and late that night he made a
full confession to the officers. His confess
sion he repeated to Star reporter the next
day at police headquarters.
While at work in the woods about Z
o'clock on the morning Of the murder,
Travers stated. the woman came up to him
and asked him for money. He told her he
had already well supplied her with funds,
and then quarrel followed. After some
words, the woman appeared to be penitent,
and threw her arms around his neck She
during the first part of the quarrel. and
when she had her arms about him, he de-
clared, he discovered that she again had
the razor Believing that she intended to
cut him, he struck her down with a blow
in the face with his fist. The blow was
more powerful than he intended, he ex-
planned. and believing that he had killed
her. he covered the woman up with leaves
and brush. Travers then, according to his
statement. walked off; but he had gone but
a few steps when, he said, he heard the
woman groan. Going back to her, he found
that she was not dead.
II loved the woman too much to see her
suffer" explained Travers to The Star re-
porter, land wishing to put her out of her
misery I stopped down and picked up the
razor, which fell from her hand when 1 hit
and 1 drew the razor across her throat
easy like, to end her suffering. Then I
threw the razor away in the bushes and
covered her again with leaves and brush.
Her hat had fallen off. and that I buried in
a manure pile near by While 1 was cover
ing the woman up boy came along looking
for his dog. Fearing that the boy would
see what had done. told him that saw
his dog going in another way; and the boy
went Off"
Travers admitted that # the boy had
come any nearer he would probably have
killed him, too, In order to prevent him
from telling on him. The murderer verified
his confession by taking the officers to the
place where the murder was committed
and showing where he had buried the wo-
mans hat. He was tried before Judge cole
last March and was promptly convicted of
murder In his defense. his .ounsel, eX-
Gov. Alphonso Hart Of Ohio and Mr. Alex
ander Wolf, urged that Travers was in
sane, and that he had killed the woman in
the belief that she was endeavoring to take
his life. They also contended that the
mans confession was improperly obtained
from him. The Court Of Appeals, however,
affirmed the judgment of the trial court.
An appeal to the President for clemeDcy
followed, but the President refused to in
terfere, holding that the law should take its
course.
Travers' reputation. as disclosed at the
trial, was that of an inoffensive man, of a
rather low intelligence. he having been
known in Charles county, Md. where he
was born ard reared, as Cray Travers."
His conviction has had little effect upon
him, although he has since given himself
up to religious thoughts. He has, it is said,
embraced the Catholic faith, and expresses
himself as being prepared to die. He will
be executed upon the scafold which has
been used here for the last ten or fifteen
years. and upon which Guiteau was hang
ed. He will probably be. hanged about
noon, and Warden Leonard will use in the
execution a rope which has been specially
prepared, and one which will be used for
the first time. The law limits the number
of spectators, and the warden will issue
only such a number of invitations as the
law authorizes, although a tremendous
pressure is being brought to bear upon him
for them