Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-05
HANGING OF LEWIS.
THE rIEND EXECUTED AT FAIR
FAX COURTHOUSE YESTERDAY.
Ate n Light breakfast and Went
TO the Gallows Singing-Death
from StraDguiation-His Trial
speedy Justice.

FAIRFAX COURTHOUSE, VA, June
4-(Specal) Lewis (colored) was
hanged here at 500 o'clock this morning
for criminal assault upon Mrs. Ida
Riedel. A few minutes past he ate
LIGHT breakfast. At 40 Rev. J.. y.
Brewer Ccolorcd) went to his cell and
conducted religious services with him,
and sank hymns. in which he Joined.
In reply to questions Lewis said he
felt frst-rate; that his sins were for
e,ven and he expected his soul to be in
Heaven. At o'clock Sheriff George A.
Gordon, with his deputies. entered his
cell. and read the death-warrant to the
condemned.
CONTINUED SINGING.
Lewis then joined the procession TO the
gallows. singing in loud voice
Saviour More Than Life to Me" His
step was firm. and. without assistance,
he descended the staircase from his cell.
and ascended the stairway 10 the gal
lows, still singing as the moose in the
rope suspended directly overhead dangled
in his face, and while Sheriff Gordon
and his deputies bound his legs and
hands. Rev l.. b. Brewer then read a
chapter from the Bible and prayed.
Sheriff Gordon asked Lewis If he had
anything TO say. He replied:
THANKFUL
Gentlemen, / am so thankful il Is so
written that persons who commit crimes
will be caught. We can't make a lie
true. a lie is black. j am sorry / done
this crime. i have done others. of which
! was not caught. The pitcher don't
so to spring that it don't break. / done
1t so often. / have got careless, and SO
may the Lord please be with US and
meet me on high
He paused, and AZ 500 the trap was
sprung, and he shot down like a log
There was hardly any perceptible move
ment Of the body. Death, which result
ed from strangulatioI, was pronounced
at 5:32. At first IL was supposed that
Lewis's neck was broken by the fall,
but a subsequent examination proved
that this was not the case. The body
was cut down after hanging twenty-five
minutes. and was lowered into the plain,
pine coffin prepared for it.
Later In the day an autopsy was held
in an improvised dissecting-room. At
this ii was revealed that the brain of
the deceased was that Of sane man:
The body was not claimed by the rela
tives of the deceased. and was buried
this afternoon by the county authorities.
Brief services were held at the grave
by a local colored minister. But few
spectators were present.
QUICK JUSTICE.
The crime for which Lewis paid the
death penalty was. as stated above.
criminal assault upon Mrs. Ida Riedel.
Mrs. Riedel is an aged German lady,
who lives at Rose Hills farm, in Fairfax
county, a few miles from Alexandria.
The deed was committed on the morn
ing Of April 18th last. and the brute was
captured five days later near Charlottes-
VILE where he had been in hiding.
Lewis was taken TO Fairfax Courthouse,
and was readily identified there by his
victim. He was first tried on April 9th,
and owing to the failure Of the jurors
to agree. the prisoner was given three
trials before conviction was secured. all
within forty-eight hours. an occurrence
i'm the legal annals of the
State.
The sensational features Of these trials.
and the fact that Governor O'Ferrall
deemed 1t advisable 10 send troops TO
Fairfax Courthouse TO protect the prison.
er against mob violence. were detailed
In the Dispatch at the time.