Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-26
rOBEHANGED TO-DAY
Toe rurEs EXISTENCE TO END At
a O'Clock THIS MORNING.
las BORNE UP REMARKABLY WELL
m. Condemned Man Declares Tint
He Ma. Made Peace With God ana
=. xot Afraid 10 Dic-Arrangements
for the Execution.

loo Fife. the negro fiend who was, on
h,iy goth convicted OF attempted assaults
mon Indies here. will expiate his crimes
non the gallows at 6 O'Clock this morn
NO All preparations for the execution
ave been completed. The scaffoid was
lnished yesterday. IT stands gaunt
peetre In the western end OF the north
ard of the city jail. Just In the spot
where the gallows upon which Cluverius
vas hanged stood.
The death warrant was prepared by
oeputy-clerk Lawton Crutchheld. OF the
5ustings Court. yesterday, and turned
,ver 10 Deputy Sergeant Weisiger. who,
inder the direction of City-sergeant IL.
Claiborne Epps. will read the instrument
Fife at A. NJ.
Fife spent very quiet day yesterday
,ut did not sleep much last night. lie
lad been baptized I'm a bath-tub In the
an-yard on Tuesday and proclaimed TO
ali who conversed with him that his
ans had been forgiven. and that he was
eady 20 die The condemned man arose
arly Yesterday morning, and. after
lftctlIK himself anu nAitt w no N'N~'''
re took up his Bible and commenced 10
cad. HIS breakfast was brought 10
aim and ne ate II like he WAS very
hungry. His father called and spent the
lay with his son. The father is deacon,
and the two prayed and sang together
It intervals during the morning.
WARNS ALL COLORED PEOPLE.
Fife was very penitent. and in con-
5ersation with a newspaper man, said:
"Pleasc say for me that / have no.
hing against anybody on earth. i nave
confessed my sins and made my peace
With God ! am ready TO die. j am
sorry for what 1 have done and beg for
yiycness
SAY 10 the colored people that / say
10 them let me be an example. Tel
them TO keep in their class and to
commit no such Gin nor wrong as 1
attempted
Fife was measured for a black su.s
81 clothes yesterday morning, and 1t VIII
Be his death robe Many people went TO
the Jail to see the prisoner yesterday,
put few were allowed to go TO the CELL
Flies father does not seem TO mind
he situation bit more than the re-
pentant son does. The old man has done
all IN his power 10 prepare the boy TO
lie
TESTING THE SCAFFOLD.
Deputy Ralston and Weisiger
tested the rope about noon yesterday.
The rope was tied to the cross beam
and a 2)0-pound bag of sand tied to it,
The trap was sprung. The rope stretch
ed eighteen inches. 1t was taken up,
and again it stretched by just half the
length The third attempt fixed 1t about
right. when Fife drops he will swing
about two feet from the ground.
The scaffold is made of common pine,
but is strongly constructed. Sixteen
steps have to be assembled before the
platform is reached
When Fife is brought from his cell this
morning he will have to march quite a
distance to the death-trap. The latter
has been so arranged that no man will
know positively who sprung it. Two cords
will extend from the gallows into cell.
One Of them viii loosen pin. which will
cause Flies body to drop into space.
The other will be mere dummy. These
cords or ropes will, IL is understood, be
pulled when the signal is given by
Deputy Sergeants Hill and Ralston. ard
no one can know which will pull the
trap. This unique method has been de-
vised TO keep either of the deputies from
positive knowledge that he sprung the
trap which meant the death of a man.
The family of Fife made n vigorous
effort yesterday and last night 10 get the
mans body after the execution. Under
the laws of Virginia. the corpse would so
to the Anatomical Board, but IL was
learned early this morning that there was
strong probability that the body would
be turned over to the relatives Of the
condemned man.