The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-06-26
Special Dlrpatoh TO Tho rntoillreneor.

ouL " lalleu 70 COME uHu lne WuFueTeE
Is now in eternity. He met his fate
calmly and bravely, with only a slight
show OF nervousness. He claimed TO
be perfectly prepared for his fate, and
was certainly nerved up to the or
deal. The procession left the jail at
liI0 O'Clock. There were two hacks,
one containing the victim and officers.
and the other was provided by the
sheriff for the newspaper representa-
tlVes. When leaving the Jail, Lewis
was given a cigar, which he lighted.
and smoked on route 10 the Bcaffold.
The scaffold was reached at i:20. Lewis
walked from the hack 10 the scafold,
putting in the time talking to his
guards. When he arrived at the top OF
the steps. he shook hands with friends.
and asked the sheriff to hurry proceed.
lngS, that he was ready.
SPEECH oNTHE EscAFFoLD-Lew-
Is was introduced to the spectators by
the sheriff, and he made five minutes
speech. in which he said that he was
guilty ot the crime, and was being just
by punished. that he was ready TO
meet his God, and was not scared. He
spoke very feelingly OF the guards who
had been with him IN jail, and referred
in a friendly way TO his treatment
while in jail. lie said that he held no
malice toward anybody. He was ready
to le. and requested what was to be
done. be done quickly He then step
ped back upon the trap, placed his
hands behind him, the moose, straps and
cap were adjusted, the trap was sprung
and tn twelve minutes -he was pro-
nounced dead.
About four thousand people Witness
ed the execution il Is the general un-
dcrEtanding that another hanging will
occur in sixty days. The governor Will
IN oil probability, arrange that the OK
ecution OF Wars and Brown win occur
ut the same time, providing that Brown
is not granted a new trial.
STORY or THE CRIME,--Thcrs was
10 have been a triple hanging at Fay
etievllle. but Wars ana Brown were
respited by the governor.
Last week Wars made confession
to Judge Hall. OF tho Knnawha criminal
court, foSeher with Harrison Ash, in
which he told thht he had stood guard
while Wiley Lewis and Slaughter kill
ed Cochran. His story Is not believed
by the detective who has been working
on the case, and II iB thought to be only
n subterfuge In order to escape hang
Ing for the murder OF Gibson.
The crime OF which Wars and Lewis
were convicted was the murder OF
Charles Gibson, a white man. at Mont
gomery, on the night OF April q, 1896.
WILDER Slaughter, the other member OF
the trio that committed the murder,
was used by the state as n witness In
the case, and was given n lifetime
sentence In the penItentiary. Mrs. Vir-
gic Gibson, wife OF the murdered man,
Joined with the men In the execution OF
the crime, and has begun term OF
eighteen years in the penitentlnrY.
There was double object TO the
crime. Wars and Slaughter wanted
what money Gibson had. while Clark
LAWla was IN lovO with Mrs. Gibson,
and wanted to live with her. on the
niuht mentioned. the three men met at
a school house near Gibson'B home, and
there planned the details OF the murder.
In order that no blood might be left 20
tell the tale they decided that they
would choke Gibson to death.
They waited until Gibson was asleep.
when they entered the house. The
door had been left open by Wars, who
lived at the Gibson house. Without
warning the three men grabbed GLIB
son. Lewis held one hand. and SlauEh-
tor held the feet Of their victim Gibson
struggled heroically for his life. Ho
was largo and muscular, but 10 were
Mis- assAilantS. Clark choked until his
hand was almost exhausted, when
Wars finished the Job. They then took
the body Of the murdered man TO nm
abandoned mine on the side OF the hill
and thcre buried It, His clothes they
also buried on the opposite s!dn OF the
entry.
rho murder was perfectly performed.
No trace was left Of tho murdered man;
nothing to account to the world for his
nbsence, unless they themselves should
give Il nwRy. While the murder was
being committed. Mrs Gibson lay by
the side OF her husband, felgning sleep.
A SECRET WELL HEPT.--1t was
nearly year before tho crlme was
known to the world Wiley Lewis.
halr-brothor OF Clark's, who had been
lot into tho secret, was arrested one
day last March. in Montgomery, for
burglary. before going to trial hn was
interviewed by Mayor Dunbar ana De-
tectiyo Harrison Ash, In the course ol
mo conversatlon Lewis told these oili-
Cera that there was regular gang OF
robbers In and about montgomery ana
thnt they hnd been stealing and robhing
FOR more than year. Asked what had
become OF the goods that they had Ia
ken. for much " It was OF no value go
thcn-he said thnt they had hid It In
tbc old Conl Valley mine. That's not
oII YOU VIII md there" said he. Press
cd for an explanation Of his remarks.
no told, little by little, Of the murder OF
Gibson. II was n revelation 90 the Of
tIcnrs and indeed to the whole com.
munity. Gibson had not been missed
bv mnnv OF the people For those who
Incurred OF his whereabouts, Mrs GID
son mad two letters, pnrporting. 10 De
from relatives IN Columbus. ONO, one
nf thc serious Illness OF hcr husband,
and the other of hIa death, With these
shc sought TO dcludc the officers when
thoy went to arrest her. after Wiley
Lewis had told Ot the murder. Tho
"gnkr" was too plain not to bo seen At
once. The letters both bore The post.
mNrk "Montgomcry" and II nftcrward
J"velopcd, had been written ni the IN
s,rnse Of Mrs. Gibson by man nam.
eJ Hudson, who hnd been Identified
with tho gang In many OF thelr rop-
The trial occurred on the 2!nd day OF