The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1895-07-04
BAD TOM" SMITH
PAYS THE ExTREHH DEATH PENALTY
@ At JACKSON, Ky. Ett%"' j.
The Man Who Killed Six Fellow Beings
.> And Was Accused Of staying Az
Many More.

----
JACKSON, KY, June %.
Tom" Smith by his own confession
guilty of six murders and accused
of as many others, is no more. He
mounted the scaffold at / o'clock
sharp, talked, prayed and sang 43
minutes, the trap was sprung, and
II minutes later he was pronounce
ed dead. The verdict of II men
had been fulfilled, and Breathitt
county's first legal hanging was
over.
SMITHS CONFESSION.
| When Smith reached the. SCAT
fold he walked over to the south
side and stood fora few moments
gazing at the crowd below. His
sister, Mile, came up and threw
her arms around the doomed man,
crying aloud: ooh, my dear broth
err, you have but u few minutes to
live; spend all your time praying
to God to save you. You amt q
bad man now and she kissed him
with sisterly affection a dozen
times or more. Smith responded
in scarcely an audible voice, "God
will save me sister; be a good
woman and pray for your poor
brother. Now good by sister; and
may God bless YOU"
He then turned toward the gal
lows and gazed at it a moment,
and at the rope as it swayed to and
fro in the gentle breeze. His rev.
erie was broken by the Enquirer
correspondent, when he asked:
Tom, do yon desire to make a
confession?"
Eyes, want to tell itall if they
will give me time" was the
doomed mans reply.
lyon can have all the time you
want, Tom" said Sheriff Combs.
Then putting his hand to his
forehead, he said as he wiped the
sweat from his brow, Il am guilty
of the crime, / killed Dr.. RAIDER"
He paused for a moment and
cleared his voice. He seemed ia
grow stronger, and his words were
more distinct as he continued: ut
was nobody as paid me to do it.
and I'll tell you how it was.
met DR.. RAIDER in town that day,
and he says to me: II want tc
court a girl, and l want you to
help me do it,"
"Itold him alright, and we went
out to Mrs. McQuinn's house, and
| went and got the girl Louise
Southwood. Then we all got drunk
RAIDER wanted the girl to go tx
bed with him, but she didn't want
to and ran away from him. HI
went out and brought her back.
Just reeollect hearing him persuad'
ing her. / was so drunk, Mrs
McQuinn and Bob Fields pulled
off my shoes and put me to bed
and / went to sleep. After a while
4 Mrs. McQuinn came TO bed ant
d told me that RAIDER had been owe
to my bed twice and said he wa
going to kill me. / knew he hat
d pistol, for he told me about /
being such q good one Then Mrs
lMcQuinn told me that If | woulS
kill him she would say she done i
, and / would come clear, and they
wouldn't do anything to- her.
was SO drunk, and ! just got vi
i. and shot him. / shot twice, but
,lneyer could tell where the othe
bullet went. Me and Katherin,
lIthen looked 1T RAIDER lying deat
!. on the bed and covered him vi
4 again and took his money. That
ali there was To it so far as ] know
i wasn't paid for it, that's certain
: 1t was whisky and bad women tina
brought me here, and ] want I,
! tell YOU boys to let them alone
Oh, God save my poor soul. | wlsl
I had never been born"
He paused here, and Detectiy,
George w. Drake, the terror o
mountain desperadoes, who stood
, facing the condemned man, Gale,
ia Jailer Genters to bring cups
: water, which Smith gilped down