Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-04-22

tion as you may make in the few re-
naming days Of your life to meet your
God, and it may be TO meet the spirit
OF that murdered wife, who waits for
you in the other world, where you will
\ be arraigned at the bar OF God. Lay
aside every hope, other than that
founded upon the infinite mercy of our
blessed Saviour, who came into the world
to save even murderers like you, IL
with repentance and faith you will
come unto E:.n. From this hour we
beseech you that you look to Him and
Him only, for you have no other
refuge. $50 x
"Under the stern mandate of the
law, it Is now our painful duty to pro.
Dounce the Judgment of the law upon
you, which is that you, James NJ.
Gordy, the prisoner at the bar, be now
taken from the bar of this court to the
prison of Sussex. county, whence you
came, that you be there safely and
securely detained in custody until
Friday, the 18th day of June next; that
on that day, between the hours OF 10
O'Clock in the forenoon and o'clock
in the afternoon, you be taken to some
convenient place OF execution within
the precincts of the prison enclosure,
and that you be then and there hanged
by the neck until you be dead. And
may God have mercy on your SOUL
Court convened at 0 O'Clock this
morning. with Chief Justice Lore and
Associates Cullen and NAVEL on the
bench. Messrs. Richards, Cullen and
Richardson. counsel for GordN were
present.
Attorney General White soon arose.
and said he had to perform painful
duty. He asked that Gofdy be sep-
fenced. Chief Justice Lore ordered
the prisoner to stand and asked him il
he had anything to say Why the SEN,
tence of the law should not be- passed
upon him. Gordy said: II am not
guilty." The Chief Justice then asked
him if he had anything else to say,
and Gordy replied: "Thh people are
doing this; they may kill my body,
but they cannot kill my SOUL" With
tears in bis eyes the Chief J ustice then
read the death sentence, after which
the prisoner was RENAMED to the
custody Of this sheriff. e.f,4.
Notwithstanding the eatly hour the
court room was filled With people.
and receive the sentence Sf the court
there was scarcely dry eye In the
runm. Nobody doubted the guilt Of
the prisoner, nor the justiue of the
sentence about to be pronounced, but
the awful solemnity connected with the
duty of condemning human being to
that most ignominious heath, that
upon the gallows, caused the sympa-
thies OF all instinctiyely to 20 out
toward the unfortunate wretch. II
there was a man in the court room,
who seemed entirely Indifferent and
unaffected BY the terrible scene which
was about to be enacted itlwas Gordy,
the condemned prisoner. There was
not tear drop in his eyes, not tremor
of his muscles. He stood calm and erect
while his doom was being pronounced.
Tears streamed down the faces of his
counsel, the attorney general wept and
some of the witnesses who lad appeared
for the State and were instrumental In
his conviction shook with aobs OF SYM
patty for fellow being.
After Gordy had returned to the cell
from which he will not again emerge
until he walks to the scafold en- June
18th he began to sing. His voice was
heard distinctly outside the prison
walls, singing the familiar camp
meeting song, 80 the Precious Blood"
and other melodies, The sentence,
although just, has cast gloom upon
the entire town. o IEa
a.i. LA
Baltimore Sun, Monday.
James NJ. Gordy. who on Saturday
kar hx, saf les.
B. Lore, at Georgetown, Dell, to be
his bride, Mrs. Mary Estelle Gordy,
made matrimonial ventures 10 Balti
more before he met his latest victim.
The motive for the. killing OF Mrs.
Gordy was shown by the State in
Gordy's trial at Georgetown TO have
been desire to secure what property
Mira Gordy possessed. Miss Emma
Scates, who livs at No. 2l3 East
Twenty. fourth street, was victim Of
Gordy's insinuating ways, and believes
that only the foresight of brother
in. law, who lives in Virginia, pre-
vented Gordy from obtaining what
money she possessed, and possibly from
serving her as he did the woman for
whose murder he has been sentenced to
die. &
In speaking yesterday of her relations
with Gordy Miss Scates said;
81 met James NJ. Gordy in January
of 1896. l was then boarding at house
on Barre strest, near Hanover. Gordy
came to the house and represented
himself TO BIZ horse dealer. lie seemed
to take fancy to me and soon began
to invite me to go out with him. At
fret declined, shut be was So persistent
that finally permitted him to escort
me to several places.
"Then he began to pay me marked
attention. was not much pleased
with him, and / finally moved to
house on Mulberry street, near Greene
street. Gordy followed ami lived at
the same house. One day @hile talk
ing to him told him that had some
land and furniture in Richmond county,
Va, near Naylor's wharf. Gordy then
told me that he owned a fins farm Il
Delaware. Some weeks after this con-
versation he proposed marriage to me
and | accepted him. We exchanged
rings and We determined to get married
in May.
"Gordy came to see me in day or
SO and said be had gone into the photo
graph business and suggested that &C
down home and sell my property. lie
told me to be sure TO sell it for cash,
and by no means take notes. After the
sale / was to come bacl, to Baltimore
and We were to get married and go to
his farm in Delaware to live Gordy
said he would have to go out of town
for several days, and while be was alb