Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-31
HANCOCK HANGED.
AN EXECUTION YESTERDAY IN
LYNCHDURG.
DEATH ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS
The Penalty Paid for the tsuni
Crimc-TIc Trial, and the Faithful
satiOn.
satiOi

LYNCHBURG. VA, December 30
! (Special)-In the midst Of a jairs ma
turally gloomy surroundings and in the
presence Of about forty witnesses the
negro youth. John Hancock, the history
OF whose crime has been printed i'm the
Dispatch. was taken from his cell this
morning and hanged The details Of the
execution were carried out TO perfec-
ton by Sergeant Johnson AID his as
sistants. There was not a hitch; the
! fall of four feet caused almost instant
! death, the neck being broken Hancock
assembled the steps OF the gallows with a
! firm tread. and met his fate without the
! slightest indication Of fear or emotion.
At half-past o'clock, after all the
! prisoners on the chain-gang had been
marched out to their work. members OF
/ the police force and those invited to at
! tend the execution as witnesses began
10 arrive. Several citizens were also ad-
! mitted TO see the gallOws. and having IN
! spocted the grim instrument OF death'
! took their departure. Everything was
| conducted quietly, and In an orderly
| manner.
! Among the first TO arrive was VI. Il.
Davis a coored local preacher. who haa
! conducted a Sunday school at the water
| ing Branch where the prisoner had IN
! times gone by received probably MS ohly
| religious instruction. Davis stayed near
| the cell. urging Hancock 10 believe IN anu
! trust God, TO bear resentment against no
man. and 10 hope for salvation. As ne
was speaking 10 the prisoner IN low tunes
Hancock's sister entered, and was al
lowed To see her brother, being seated
in a chair i'm front Of the cell door. De
hind which sat the prisoner his head
bent. and his handcuffed hands clasp
ing the iron bars. Their conversation
was carried on slowly, and consisted OK
somewhat commonplace remarks the b"I
showing but little emotion. Inc prisoner
asked If she had heard from theIr
mother who lives in Washington, ana
had been acquainted by letter Oh hel
sons fate. but has never replied.
At a quarter to o'clock Rev. II. a.
Carroll (colored) entered the Jail and sang
and prayed with the prisoner Al
o'clock all except the legal witnesses ana
officers of the law were requested 10
leave. and eight minutes later sergeant
Johnson unlocked the cell door ana en-
tered with Officers Adams and Latham
As they did so the prisoner went 10 inc
bucket Of water near him, and dipping the
u
handouts were then unlocked ana Ser
gcant Johnson pinioned Hancock's hands
behind him. saying: John. / hope you'll
soon be better off, and may the Lord tot-
give YOU" The condemned youth was
neatly dressed in a blue flannel shirt gray
pants and blue socks. lie stumbled
step as he was being pinioued, but
steadied himself against the chair and
asked officer Latham 20 scratch his nose,
NH %, Ia r.1fg4r1qn nltiirinplN did
Two minutes later the officers. with the
| prisoner. came out Of the cell, hating at
the foot of the gallows where Sergeant
! Johnson read the order of the Court for
the execution. Then. with the Sergeant
on one side, officer Adams on the other,
and Rev. Carroll following, Hancock
walked steadily UP the steps Of the gall
lows and took his stand on the platform
in front of the trap, where. al 9l2 the
moose was placed aro1nd his neck. At
this juncture prayer Was offered by Rev.
| Carroll and Immediately after by Rev.
! Davis, the latter going up at the request
of the condemned The ministers then
left the scaffold and Sergeant Johnson
next tied Hancocks legs and placed him
on the trap door. Asked il he wanted to
pray the prisoner muttered something
supposed to be I'm the negative and added.
| Il wish you all good luck. Good-by all"
He then asked the Sergeant 10 scratch
his ear, which Mr.. Johnson did, and then
deity slipped the awful black cap over
| his head and face The Sergeant then
descended the steps, and as he do so.
Hancock, in a strong, steady voice, ex-
claimed: "Good-by, g0Od-by 10 every
| body. / hope 10 meet you all i'm Heaven"
lie had hardly finished these words be-
fore the Sergeant had reached the side
| or the gallows near the Jail door and
calling out, "Good-by, John" at 9l5 skill
tuily pulled the big iron bolt which, re-
leasing the trap door. HancOcks body
shot downward four feet. and then as
the rope firmly held IL. the body swung
around for possibly a few seconds. ONLY
one or two slight conVulsive movements
Oh the Dody followed, and as far as man
can tell. Hancock never felt a pain
twenty minutes after the drop fell he
was pronounced dead. The body was inn
medidtely placed In a coffin ana turned
over to an agent Of the State Anatomical
Board and shipped at once 10 the medical
department OF the University Of virginia
me crime for which Hancock suffered
death was that OF criminal assault I'm
three cases. Hancock being unable 10
employ counsel the Court reguested
Messrs. Caskie & Haythe 10 defend him.
which Trey did. The case occuniod less |
IMAM Day and the jury brought in a
a motion TO set aside the verdict was |
oYerruled, and the prisoner sentenced 10 |
De hanged December %. His counsel thcu |
applied 10 the Supreme Court for "A super-
aedeas and writ OF error, which was re- !
FUSED Whereupon they appealed 10 Cover |
nor Tyler for respite of thirty or sixty |
days In order that they might collect tes- |
umony 20 show that the boy had ALWAYS I
been regarded as half-witted. This Cover /
nor Tyler refused ana as this was the /
last resort every preparation was made /
10 carry out the sentence Of the law ON /
the 2d Of December
About midnight OF the lst a telegram /
received from the Governor notified Ser
geant Johnson that a respite had been
granted the condemned man to December /
3vth, I'm response 10 a request made bv .
several prominent Lynchblrgers. The
gallows which had been erected was taken |
down, but the pieces We're numbered ana. !
packed away in such manner that the !
structure could be re-erected in very
short while.
Hancoclts counsel on yesterday relin- |
pushed all hope. Throughout The entire |
case they have conscienuousiy and With !
out any pecuniary reward expended time |
and labor in the prisoners behalf. In /
petltioning for a respite their claims as
To Hancock and his condition were fully
set forth and the Governor was furnished
with q complete copy Of the record. Those
opposing a commutation OF sentence pre-
scented their side of the case and Tins tho