Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-09-24
Gus Thomas Must

Gus Thomas Must
Hang
For the Murder of Joe Kennedy
Probably not in the history Of
Hardin county, did o trial for any
offense, elicit so much interest az
that of Gus and Dick Thomas, for
the murder of Joe Kennedy, on
Dec, 18th 1895. The case was
taken up Monday, Sept, IL. After
all the witnesses were examined
and the lawyers on each side had
presented the case to the jury, II
was Saturday morning before the
jury agreed upon a verdict. When
the verdict of murder in the first
degree was rendered by the jury,
Gus seemed to take it coolly, but
Dick was considerably effected
by the sen. ance. Judge Patterson
complimented t..,.a jury for the pa
thence manifested by Ia. lem through.
out the trial, after. which &c reau
the following sentence to 'uo
doomed men.
"Gus and Dick Thomas, you
have had what the law and the
Constitution of this State guaran.
tee to ever person charged with
crime-a fair and impartial public
trial, by a jury of your county.
That jury after careful and patti.
ent investigation-passing upon
the law and the facts-has found
you both guilty of murder in the
first degree, as charged in the in.
dictment. And it becomes the du.
ty of the court to pronounce the
law, upon the verdict of the jury.
The jury has found, and said in
the verdict that there are some
mitigating circumstances in the
case as to the defendant Gus
Thomas, and more mitigating as to
the defendant Dick Thomas. This
finding, throws upon the court,
the solemn responsibility of de.
terming from all the facts and
circumstances developed by the
proof, whether the dread penalty
of death afixed by law to the
commission of this offence should
be enforced, or whether the court
should commute tho punishment
to Imprisonment in the peniten.
tiary for life. Without rehearsing
the details of the awful crime, it
is sufficient to say that the crime
was carefully and deliberately
planned, and after ample time for
election was cruelty executed,
and afterwards gloated over by
the defendant Gus Thomas. I'm.
der these circumstances / should
be untrue to the solemn Obliga.
ton | have taken to faithfully ex-
ecute the law, if / should inter.
pose to prevent tho execution of
the full penalty which the law in
fiji cts, on The defendant Gus Tho
mas. AS 10 the defendant Dick
Thomas, he being a younger
brother, making his home with
the defendant Gus Thomas, aud
as it appears being under his do.
minion and control. 1t appears to
me that justice in his case does
not demand the penalty of death.
1t is therefore the judgment of
the court on the verdict of the ju.
ry that you Gus Thomas BIZ re-
manded to the custody of the
Sheriff Of Hardin County, and be
by him securely kept until Friday
the Goth day of October next, on
which day between the hours of
10 o'clock in the morning and 4
o'clock in the afternoon, on a gal.
lows to be erected for that pur.
pose at the place, and in the man.
ner prescribed by law, aud in the
presence of such persons only as
the law allows to be present, as
choose to attend, you be hanged
by the neck by the Sheriff afore.
said, until you are dead, and may
God have mercy OH your soul.
And you, Dick Thomas, will un.
dergo confinement at hard labor
in the States prison for and du.
ring the term of your natural life.
And the defendants will pay the
costs of this prosecution"