The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-24
HANGED FOR RAPE.
Touncy Iyles Meets II Legal Deaf h-Thu
Execution CIeycrly and Neatly Done.

The new journalism believes in givs
| ing long, minute and detailed accounts
Of crime and hangings and any and
| everything that has Il tingc Of tho sen
sational about it. There is Il taste and
Il demand for that sort Of thing but it
comes from Il dcpravcd appetite and
one which We do not believe in pandcr-
| ing to, even though it be popular so to
do.
The Herald and News has made it Il
| rule especially Of recent rars TO pub
liSh just as little Of crime and sensation
us it is possible to do and still perform
our duty Us the true chrouiclcr Of cur
rent events.
The crime for which Tourney Lylcs
paid the death penalty on last Friday
| is familiar to the readers Of The Herald
and News. We might review the
whole case and give Il couple columns
| Of details in regard to it lat We can
sec no good to come from it.
Tho remarkable thing about the
case is that he was given Il trial at all.
We congratulate the people Of Whit
miro and the people of Ncwbcrry that
in this ease they permitted the law to
| take it's course and they have demon
stration Of the fact that there was IA
little delay as it was possible and the
punishment was rs CERTAIN and as sure
and as cifcctual as if the mob had done
the work and then there is no blood
upon the hands of any one. The priSO-
| ncr was given Il fair trial and able
| counsel to defend him. There IS no
doubt of his guilt. lie admitted it 20
| us the other day. He was not II man
Of bad and mean countcnancc. His
! fate should be lesson to those who
would even harbor for Il moment the
| commission of similar crime.
Death is inevitable either at The hands
| Of the mob or from the officers of the
law for all who commit this crime and
| it can be proven on them. There is no
| escape.
The editor was absent last Friday
| and did not witness the execution, but
| OF course WAS represented though We
instru~ jcd that all that We wanted
wcrc the facts. The body was taken
in charge by his relatives and given
burial at Cedar Grove church. Sheriff
| Buford was as kind and considcratc Of
the condemned man rs it was possible
| and il was right for him SO to be. The
| following is the story of the execution
| MI tb, .,.;,,,r l,n;,u,, t,ll.
| HANGING or TOUNEY LYLES.
Tourney Lyles was hanged here last
Friday. Tho march to the scalfold
| was begun at 1903. Prayer was offered
| in the cell for tho condemned man by
Rcvs. Rccdcr and Williams. Upon az
| riving at the scaifold, the moose was
| adjusted about the ncgro's neck and
the death warrant was then road by
| Sheriff Buford. After prayer by his
| pastor, Rev. y. Mcneil, he was asked
| by the Sheriff if there was anything
| he would like to say before being exc
cutcd He then spoke Il few words ask
ing the mercy OF God upon his soul and
said that he was ready and willing to
go. He asked that all would meet him
in the hereafter and prayed that the
Lord would have mercy upon all. He
never once touched upon his crime on
the Scailod. While the rope was be-
ing frightened he asked the Sheriff to fix
it so that he might die easy, and not to
| let him suffer. He w;ts attircd i'm Il
neat suit Of black with black bow and
plain black shoes.
After saying goodbye 80 all, the
| drop fell at r. Is and he WAS pronounced
dead at 1870 by Dr.. u. G.. Ellisor, the
County Phys II and DR.. Van Smith.
The body was cut down at 1898. His
neck was broken by the fall Of about 4
feet. lie was hanged in private, in the
Jail building, the trap being SO arranG-
cd as to throw the body through the
| third story floor down near the floor OF
the second story. There were only Il
| few Witnesses present besides tho news
paper men. y crowd OF perhaps five
hundred people, black and white, stood
in the Jail yard and could sec the body
after having dropped.
The crime for which Tourney Lylcs
paid the p nalty with his life today was
for tho rape Of Miss Jane Willard, Ii
lniddlc aged white woman residing
near The town OF Whitmirc in this
county. The crime was committed on
! March, l5 Of this year and he narrowly
escaped being lynchcH. He was com
mittcd to jail and was tried and con-
victcd and sentenced to death by Judge
buchanan at the July term Of court.
Hc was only about Is years of age and
was considered very peaceful negro
up to the time of his crime.
His step-fathcr and brother witnessed
the execution.