The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
HANGED BEFORE 5000.
Ripley Took a Holiday to See
John F. Morgan Die.
FOUR COUNTIES HELPED 1T.
Fakirs' Cries Drown Songs and
Prayers of the Condemned.


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0 S""' y" ="
wagons ana on foot TO seo tue sho"-S'm"
Travelled sixty Hours to get Thcre-A Ceie-
bration tho Might Fcrore-Punch and Judy
r,,v ana rU,pr,rr r,,,o, NJ tho I,n
$50
~ """
O"t on tho WAY TO the sH'e"s q m''o out
sf Town-Farners with Their Families aud
wouen with Their babies Entoyed the Spec
t,c,o-ut WIN, Ems r.r All but ruorr,p.
We'll. w.c-i-i, the world ID snet OF Johh f.
Morgan, l reckon.
That's the way they say IL In jackson county.
W.! va IHE Sun TOTO brieny on FRIDAY now
the Woriu pecame shet OF MT. horsan oS
legal execution In tho presence OF 5000 OF the
good people OF the surrounding country gath
ered In a ten'acro iol-o'ooo people, on ioots on
horseback, IN wagons up trees' ana on FENCES
Some OF them hed starteo from tner MONIES
whole DAYS peforo' FROM as tar away as
Calhoun, Two counties distant; from the upper
cage OF mclRe county IN onio' from MASON ana
kanawha ana WOOD couhtes, from Sixty mics
In oVcry aireetlon, tncse people had como 10 the
"shettin out OF John =. MORGAN.
jackson county, IN west Virginia. IL MOI u
county where great eVents nappen frequently.
her people arc ordinarily law aoiaihg' save
perhaps IN the matter OF assuming moonshlno'
and as ANYBODY down there VIII ADMIT us no
harm 10 oeat inc government outh u oit ot
revenue now ana then. once a year In the
town OF Ripley, or jackson court House. tnero
10 O county fair. Ihis tair Is the only event
tnat aver dra"s a croWa 10 the county scat
nence the event OF Ahursuay' "heh 'ohh \.
Morgan was "shet out. was compared IN
every mans mino with the tnir' ana every man
eaid:
.. " NfAIl now Il TACkOn. InHY AMI IN fw0
county iairs mas eVer ora"eo iiRo this ere
hangin.'
Ripley, or jackson Court House. as 1t used to
DO called ana IS now known TO the fost once
authorities. Is a little town OF about 900 inhaoi-
tants. 1t Is about thirteen miles back from tho
Ohio River. Is mat Tar or from the regular line
OF travel, and the nearest town OF any size Is
Parkersourg. somo sixty.hve miles away. Ills
reached by a branch OF the ohio liver lsaiirond
known as the Mill Greek and Ripley branch.
which railroad is referred to out there as rescm'
Ding a plug OF doe-Ie9 tooacco' dogiee oeins
tho crookedest kind OF plug known. While tho
road Ia only thirteen mics long, IL taxes any
where from an hour to three hours for the sin
gle PASSENGER train to 60 the distance. In west
virginia oil haneinSs are pubic ana they arc
not infreaucnt. But jackson county has oeena
pretty law.aoid1ng county and up 10 thursday
whon John Il. Morgan was shet out, there
had been but one hanging IN the whoie history
OF tho county, ana that one was iorty'scVen
years ago. Naturally lhursdays event was
extraordinary.
Morgan was a shiftless sort OF character who
mad oeen born IN the county ana was known 10
everybody. His father was n murderer before
him. and escaped hapglng only because he TOOK
refuge In a tree and the only way to get at him
was 70 shoot MIN. Morgan was nhrmiess' orot
least hau Always ooen harmless as Wen as Shie'
less. for hVe years ne hao oecn "i'ha tamhS
inc neao OF "hich was mrs ohioe "feehe' Two
daughters ana q son made up the rest OF the
famiiy' on the. night OF NOV. . last Morgan.
VINO IL was known "asih heeo Oh money, wch'
W ~ ss y !. ~ e'upS u. ,.i.h ~ tnu
IN feed the hogs. At the nen he nicked I'M a
hatohet. and with IT killed tho boy. Then he
won't info the house holding tho Ratchet behind
him waited around the kitchen until tho Young
est dauuhter's hack was turned. when he struck
her down. and proceeding to the dining room he
crept upon the other sister, killed her with q
eouple of blows of tho Ratchet. and finally
battarad in the door of the bedroom where the
mother was dressing and struck her dead.
II happened that the blow he had struck the
vounpcst daughter was not fatal. and after she
had fallen and while ho was killing her mother
and aistor this other Girl aot I'm. fed from the
houae Tn "A neiphbor's. and eaye the alarm, Nor.
gan escaped. but was captured about 8 o'clock
that afternoon and was aiken to Jail In Ripley.
He was indicted the following ay. He was tried
and oonyicted the day after that. His defence
was insanity. He alleged that he had been
driven TO do the deed by an irresistible impulse,
and bia wife and other people told of his queer
~actions for years mast. His defence did not avail
him. II IA we'll that e. did not. because the peo.
7 nle Of Rinlev were Nh I'm arms. and &c he had not
been convicted he would have been lynched
vitbout anv ouestion. because the mob gath.
srad in the courtroom were in no mood for
trf8inr and thew were all neighbors and friends
oY m. Greene family especially the girls. who
were pood.lookipp Young women and popula,
with ali who knew them.
~
The day after his conviction Morgan wal
sentenced to be hanged on thursday OF las
week. That Is q little moro IMAM a mohth IRON
the day he committed his crime. Further ant