Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-21

Amite City. La, January 20.-Threc
negro urderers are dead.
They are Arch Joiner and John john
son, who at the last moment confessed
their guilt of the killing of the Cotton
family, and Gus Williams, alias Nor
rissey, who shot and killed his young
wife.
The bodies of the two former hang
to q limb of a stout oak in the woods
about half a mile from the house in
which they butchered their victims.
/ The last negro's body was cut down a
| little while ago, and an inquest held
! over it.
Three hundred men approached the
I court house. the greater part on horse
! back and some on foot, and Immediate
| ly began securing about for the depu-
| ties. so they could get the keys. AZ
| ter delay of about ten minutes, q COM
mittee of the enraged men found depu-
1 ty Wainwright in one of the rooms OF
7 the hotel and forced him to deliver up
/ the keys before he had time to make
an attempt to hide them.
The work of getting into the prison
was simple with the keys, though one
/ lock was smashed because the men did
not care to wait much longer to hunt
the key. Johnson saw his execution
ers coming and slipped on his shirt,
so that when they opened his cell door,
he would be ready.
| Joiner was told that he would be
| taken too and Immediately set up a
| wall that could be heard from outside.
. L hnF 1,o
. the men who were to take charge OF all
three, threw him down and tied his
| hands behind his back
Johnson asked one Of the men who
was tying his hands if they meant to
I burn him or not. He was told that
| the crowd meant to do SO.
/ As for Williams, he claimed that he
/ shot his wife accidentally while en-
/ deavoring at 1 o'clock IN the morning
/ to kill a rat with q Winchester. He
was jeered at and told that rat-kllilg
was a bad practice and people should
! be hung for it, Knowing that his fate
/ was sealed, Williams said nothing
more. going with his captOrs quietly.
The three negroes were led out into
the court green, where the hOrsemeu
surrounded them and waited a little
while until the captain thanked the
people and said that they were there
for business only. and that if any one
wanted to join in and take hand in
T the execution they were welcome. The
/ three captives, with long ropes al
tached to their necks were led by horse
men to the Little Zion Church, on Oak
street. and there it was decided to hang
/ Williams to a tree that did duty before
/ as a gOllOws.
/ One of the men climbed up the oak
and fastened the rope. while another
slipped the moose over the unfortunate
head. While this was going on Johnson
said to the men about him that if they
hung Arch Joiner. whom he had impi-
Gated in previous statements, they
would be killing an innocent man, as
the men who helped him were not in
I the country. For his pains ne was
given rap over the head with a heavy
piece of rope, which Quieted him, for
the time.
Williams was told to pray, and he did
so. after which he was ordered to set
upOn a horse. He became contrary,
and it was necessary for some of The
men to lift him upon the back OF the
animal.
Johnson seemed sullen and said moth
ing. nor did he endeavor to escape.
/ Joiner set up q piteous moan, and beg
ged his captOrs to shoot him, as he
preferred death by being shot to any
other mode.
He then requested 10 be permitted to
fight Johnson. saying that Johnson had
cot him into all the trouble. johnson
sienifed his desire to fight, and they
were given an opportunity to crafty
their passion for a fsticuff Johnson,
though much smaller than Joiner put
MD ? good fight and dealt Joiner some
telling blows. The spectacle OF the two
men. who. as it were, were on the very
brink of the great hereafter. fighting,
has probably never been witnessed be-
fore.
The citizens here deplore the resort
to Ivnch law. but not one in thousand
would have raised a finger to protect
Johnson. rs he showed no merry when
killing the woman.
All is quiet now.